CI
Commercial Invoice (CI) explained: customs and accounting
Commercial Invoice (prefix CI) is the formal invoice issued at or after shipment for customs declaration, buyer import clearance, and accounting. Amounts and descriptions should match actual shipment and align with the packing list and bill of lading.
Required CI information
Invoice number and date, seller and buyer, Incoterms, ports, currency, lines (description, qty, unit price, total), country of origin if required, shipping marks, payment summary. Some destinations require HS codes. CI must not list unshipped goods or wrong amounts.
Do not confuse CI with PI
PI confirms before payment; CI records the actual transaction for customs. If amounts change from PI to CI (final qty adjustments), keep buyer, forwarder, and customs aligned. One-deal generation reduces copy-paste errors.
Working with the packing list
CI covers commercial value and descriptions; the packing list covers physical packing — cartons, qty per carton, gross/net weight, volume, marks. Customs expects matching descriptions and quantities. TradeDocs previews CI and PL on the same deal.