Purpose: To learn the difference between customs documents, generated within Sendcloud.

As we learned in the Help center article How to create an international shipment in Sendcloud, customs documents will be automatically generated at label creation. TThe type of document needed depends on the chosen carrier and shipment details. Some documents are created by Sendcloud, while others are generated by the carrier. This could be either a commercial invoice, Proforma invoice, CN22, or CN23 form.*

*In addition to the commercial invoice, Proforma invoice and/or the CN22/CN23 forms, some international shipments outside the EU also require a Certificate of Origin (CO). This article will mainly discuss the commercial invoice for international shipping and the CN22 or CN23 forms.

When you are shipping internationally (outside the European Union), a commercial invoice, a Proforma invoice, a CN22 document, or a CN23 document are always required for customs clearance purposes. Parcels sent with a commercial carrier need the commercial invoice. Parcels sent with a postal service need the CN22 or CN23 form. Parcels that contain gifts do not use a commercial invoice. If the shipment is sent with a commercial carrier, it requires a Proforma invoice instead. If the shipment is sent with a postal carrier, it still uses a CN22 or CN23 form. Always fill out these documents in English.

Whether you need the CN22 or CN23 document will depend on the weight and value of your package:

• CN22 customs declaration: packages weighing up to 2 kilograms with a value of up to €425.
• CN23 customs form: packages weighing more than 2 kilograms and/or valued at more than €425.

*Shipping from the UK: Please note that when shipping internationally with Royal Mail via Sendcloud, Intersoft Intelligent Shipper® only produces a CN23 customs form. Although CN22 is not supported, this does not cause any delivery delays. The CN23 form includes all the necessary content required for CN22 and CN23 documents, simplifying the customs process and ensuring smooth delivery.

CN22 and CN23 forms

CN22 and CN23 custom declarations and are required customs documents for international shipping with postal carriers. They contain information about the goods you are shipping: content, value, who the shipper and receiver are, and which parties are involved in the shipping. They are required documents that customs authorities use to keep track of which goods are entering and exiting their countries, and to determine whether import duties must be paid for the goods you are shipping.

Note for gift shipments via postal carriers: If you are sending a gift with a postal carrier, you still use the CN22 or CN23 form. Make sure to select "Gift" as the shipment type when filling out the form, and always declare the true value of the contents.

Proforma invoices

The proforma invoice is the correct customs document for gift shipments sent with a commercial carrier. It explicitly states that the shipment is a gift, ensuring proper customs procedures for duties and taxes. It primarily includes details about the package contents and applicable Incoterms.

When shipping a gift internationally, always declare its true value, as customs authorities will reject any shipment with a declared value of zero. You do not need a commercial invoice for a gift shipment — the Proforma invoice replaces it when using a commercial carrier.

Commercial invoices

The commercial invoice is a binding customs document issued by the merchant (exporter) to the buyer (importer) that serves as a contract and a proof of sale between the buyer and seller. It mainly contains information about the contents of the package and the Incoterms. Based on the commercial invoice, the customs authorities determine whether import duties have to be paid on the goods.

For instructions on how to fill the export documents in and how to attach them to your package, read our Step-by-step Guide to CN22 and CN23 Customs Declarations for International Shipping and our guide Commercial Invoices: Everything You Need To Know.

Important Update for Shipments to the U.S.

Effective November 12, 2024: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will begin rejecting any U.S. import shipments with vague descriptions. Shipments into the U.S. must have clear and precise descriptions on the commercial invoice to avoid delays or rejections by CBP.

Examples of acceptable descriptions:

• "children's toys made of plastic"
• "women's dresses made of 60% cotton, 40% polyester"

Unacceptable descriptions include terms such as "parts," "daily necessities," "see commercial invoice," "part number 123456," "accessories," or "personal use". For more information please visit: Unacceptable vs Acceptable Cargo Descriptions.

How to download or print customs documents

With Sendcloud, you can directly download and print your pre-filled customs documents.

Step 1. Configure your printer settings

To automatically download your pre-filled customs documents when you create a label, in the Sendcloud panel go to Shipping > Printing options > Customs documents > Check the option Print customs documents with labels. Select the printer, the format and the number of copies.

If no printer is selected, customs documents will be downloaded in PDF format.

Please note that your print settings are saved locally, which means that if you use a different computer the printer needs to be set up again.

Step 2. Describe the items in your international order

When shipping internationally, it is important to fill out the details of the different products. To do this, go to the Items section of an incoming order or in the manual shipment creation form in your Sendcloud account and fill out the product details for each product:

• Item description
• Origin country
• Unit value, unit weight and amount of units
• HS Code (6-8 digits)
• SKU (optional)
• Intended use ★Beta
• Material content ★Beta
• MID Code ★Beta

To add a new item, clic the + Add item button and enter the details.

If you do not enter the product details, your international order will show an error and you will not be able to create your shipping label.

How many items can an international shipment include?

The amount of items you can include differs depending on the type of carrier you have selected.

• Postal carriers (e.g. PostNL, Correos, Royal Mail, bpost, Deutsche Post) allow a maximum of 5 items per commercial invoice.
• Carriers (e.g. DPD, DHL, UPS) allow a maximum of 99 items per commercial invoice. To create more than 99 items, you must create a new shipment.
• For CN23 documents, a maximum of 5 items is in place for both postal and commercial carriers.

Step 3. Create the label

When you have correctly entered all the product details required, go to Shipping > Orders > Incoming orders view and find the order. Click the eye icon to open the order and click Create label when ready.

Your customs documents will now be printed directly. If the printer is not available, they will be downloaded instead.

Once it's created, you can view the order by clicking the eye icon in the Created labels tab.

Step 4. Your document is still available in the label details view

If you want to download the customs forms again, or at a later time, you can do so in the Created labels overview. Find your order, click the eye icon to open it and click the Actions button. Then select Download customs declarations from the dropdown menu.

Paperless Trade

Some carriers support Paperless Trade. For those cases, no document will be printed, as it will automatically be sent to the carrier.

Read more about Paperless Trade in our article Send your customs documents digitally via Paperless Trade.

Related articles

→ Things to take into account when shipping internationally

→ How to create an international shipment in Sendcloud

→ Send your customs documents digitally via Paperless Trade