More Than A Number

hipping anything to any location requires a fair amount of paperwork. If it involves crossing international borders, the paperwork requirement is much more than that is required for domestic shipping. Third party logistics providers are useful if you are not familiar with the paperwork requirements when it comes to international shipping. Apart from providing shipping services, they also have on offer consultation with regards to preparing your products and similar items for international shipping.

Shipping from Canada to the United States is not as easy as everyone thinks it is. Most people tend to think the process is easier due to the large amounts of trade between the two countries which is only partially true. However, there is a large amount of documents that is necessary if shipping from Canada to the United States but existing trade agreements mean that most products can be shipped across, provided you get the necessary paperwork right.

If the items you want to ship across come under any international trade agreement, then you will need special documentation to indicate that you are in fact shipping under that particular agreement. If you intend to ship products that exceed specific values, then it falls under import and export licensing, for which you would need special guidance, unless you are familiar with it.

Smaller shipments also require a certain amount of paperwork. The two most important are the commercial invoice and the Bill of Lading (BOL). Commercial invoices are necessary for everything that needs to cross a border, even if it is a small item purchased online. The Bill of Lading comes from the courier company - this is also necessary for every item crossing a border. Also called a BOL, it includes all the necessary information as well as those regarding the contract between you and the courier company.