Guide
India export documents: the file closes at the eBRC
An Indian export isn't finished when the Shipping Bill clears. The file stays open until your bank reports the remittance and an eBRC is generated.
7 min read
ReadTrade Document Guides
Practical guides for shipment document operations.
Accurate, practical guidance on Commercial Invoices, market-specific customs requirements, transport documents, and international trade document workflows.
Common Mistake
Indonesia import documents: check LARTAS before the PIB
In Indonesia, whether your goods need a permit is a per-tariff-line LARTAS lookup, not a guess. Check it in INSW before your PPJK files the PIB.
6 min read
ReadGuide
How to write a commercial invoice (with a checklist)
A practical guide to writing a commercial invoice for international trade — what every field means, common mistakes, and a checklist exporters can use before sending.
7 min read
ReadGuide
Customs documents for importing into Singapore: a checklist
A practical checklist of customs documents required to import goods into Singapore — covering TradeNet, CCP permits, GST via IRAS, declaring agents, and the documents your freight forwarder needs.
8 min read
ReadGuide
Bill of Lading vs Air Waybill: what's the difference?
Bill of Lading and Air Waybill are both transport documents, but they work very differently for title, negotiability, and document flow. This guide explains when each is used and what importers and exporters need to know.
7 min read
ReadGuide
Who issues your CI, PL, and bill of lading? A first map
On your first import, most trade documents aren't yours to write. Here's who issues the commercial invoice, packing list, and bill of lading — and what your job actually is.
5 min read
ReadGuide
The full export document set, in order — who issues each, when, and who receives it
The core export document set in sequence — commercial invoice, packing list, B/L or AWB, certificate of origin, insurance — who issues each, when, and who receives it.
6 min read
ReadCommon Mistake
Philippine import documents: what's checked before lodgement
Before your customs broker lodges an import entry in the Philippines, your invoice, packing list, and bill of lading must agree. Here's what gets checked.
6 min read
ReadGuide
Received an Arrival Notice? Check these documents before paying the balance
An Arrival Notice is a trigger to organise the shipment file, not proof the documents agree. Seven checks to run before you pay the balance or settle local charges.
6 min read
ReadTrade Brief
UAE eDAS: preparing your commercial invoice for attestation
In the UAE your commercial invoice is read twice — at attestation and at the customs declaration. Here's how to prepare one invoice that satisfies both.
6 min read
ReadGuide
Hong Kong: why the bank checks your documents, not customs
In Hong Kong's free port, the bank — not customs — reads your documents hardest. Under a letter of credit, a mismatch delays payment; here's how to avoid it.
6 min read
ReadCommon Mistake
Malaysia import documents: what stands behind the K1 declaration
In Malaysia, a customs agent lodges the K1 declaration from your documents. Reconcile the invoice, packing list, and permits before the set reaches them.
6 min read
ReadGuide
How to write a packing list (with a checklist)
A guide to writing an export packing list: what each field means, the four values that must reconcile to your commercial invoice, and a pre-ship checklist.
7 min read
ReadCommon Mistake
Shipment held at customs? The documents to check first
A held shipment is usually a set problem: value, Incoterms rule, or consignee disagreeing across your invoice, packing list, and B/L. Here's the triage order.
7 min read
ReadGuide
Invoice attestation: when you need it, and who stamps it
When does a commercial invoice need attestation, and who stamps it? A guide to chamber certification, embassy legalisation, and the destination-country fork.
8 min read
ReadGuide
Telex release, original B/L, or sea waybill: which do you need?
Telex release, original bill of lading, or sea waybill? How each releases cargo, how to request a telex release, and which one your L/C will accept.
8 min read
ReadCommon Mistake
The commercial invoice mistakes that get shipments held
A customs hold often starts with a mismatch in value, quantity, description, Incoterms, or parties across the invoice, packing list, and B/L. Check these errors first.
7 min read
ReadGuide
Who pays for shipping, insurance, and customs? An Incoterms 2020 cheat sheet
Under Incoterms 2020 the seller can pay the freight and still not carry the risk. Here is who pays, where risk passes, and who must insure, rule by rule.
8 min read
ReadGuide
Why customs rejects your documents — 8 field-level reasons
A rejection is a verdict on a set. Documents fail three ways — missing, invalid on their own face, or contradicted — and only one of the three is a mismatch.
7 min read
ReadGuide
Do you need a certificate of origin? Preferential vs non-preferential
Do you need a certificate of origin? It depends which branch you are on: a preferential claim under a trade agreement, or non-preferential proof of origin.
7 min read
ReadGuide
What HS code goes on your commercial invoice — and what if it's wrong?
The HS code on your commercial invoice is a claim about what the goods are. Where the right one comes from, who answers for it, and what a wrong code costs.
7 min read
ReadGuide
How your Incoterms 2020 rule changes the documents you owe
Your Incoterms 2020 rule decides who files each declaration, whether an insurance certificate joins the set, and what proof of delivery the seller owes.
8 min read
ReadGuide
Commercial invoice vs packing list: who reads which
One shipment, two sets of readers: the bank and the valuation officer work from the invoice, the examining officer and the warehouse from the packing list.
7 min read
ReadGuide
When is a proforma invoice binding (and when it isn't)?
A proforma invoice is an offer, not a contract — until a countersignature, a purchase order, a deposit or a sales contract adopts it. Where the line falls.
6 min read
ReadTrade Brief
Letter of Credit Discrepancies: UCP 600 Rules for Banks
Under UCP 600 each bank gets five banking days and one refusal notice naming every discrepancy — or an issuing or confirming bank cannot refuse at all.
8 min read
ReadBlog content is informational only and is not customs, tax, legal, or compliance advice. Confirm your specific requirements with your declaring agent, freight forwarder, bank, or the relevant authority.