As an exporter or part of an exporter’s team, you must admit that documentation is essential to the process. One mistake or miss on your part will have a cascading effect on all aspects of the business. Documentation mistakes can affect aspects like profitability or reputation, as they affect the bottom line and the ability to serve your customers.
At LeRemitt, we offer customers simple, effective, secure, and smart solutions to help them overcome export-related issues, such as documentation, inward remittance, and more. This article will explore the common mistakes that could occur during export documentation, such as errors in the export declaration form.
The mistakes can occur at any stage, including details in the various export invoices, country-specific documentation, quality certificates, shipping-related documents, and more.
What are the common errors during export documentation?
Considering the enormous amount of documentation required during exports, let’s take an organized approach to identifying common mistakes to avoid during this process.
Errors in the Export Declaration:
- Incorrect or incomplete details about the exporter
- Errors related to the consignee details
- Wrong description of the goods being exported
- Mistakes in the value of the goods and the breakdown
- Missing or incorrect information about the export control, like the license details, etc.
- Improper or unclear signatures from the authorized signatoriesInvoice related issues:
- Missing critical details in the invoices, like quantity, pricing, product codes
- Incorrect classification of the goods can lead to fines and delays (Schedule B or Harmonized System (HS) codes)
- Errors in the payment terms or mismatches in amounts (related to various currencies)
Documentation related to country-specific requirements
- incomplete or incorrect documentation related to the importing country due to outdated information. Errors related to the certificate of origin causing issues with customs clearance, fines, penalties, or storage charges
Problems with shipping documentation
The documentation required at this stage is extensive and requires due diligence to ensure all errors are eliminated. Let’s look at the documents needed to identify potential errors.
| Document | Details within | Potential errors |
|---|---|---|
| Bill of lading | This is a document that is essential from the legal point of view and has details of the freight shipment | Possibility of missing some information, double entries, or incorrect entries |
| Packing list | Has the exporter, importer, shipper, invoice number, shipment date, transportation mode, carrier, and other details | Human errors due to extensive data fields, lead to inaccurate entries |
| Commercial invoice | This document should reflect all the details on the packing list | Missing or mismatched information when manually produced |
| Certificate of origin | This certifies the origin of the goods from a specific country | Overlooking or omitting this document |
| Inspection certificate | Confirms that the contents (quality and quantity) have been verified | A mismatch between data and invoice details |
| Insurance certificate | Certifies that the exporter has insurance for the shipment of the goods | Incorrect amount or description |
| Export license | A government-approved document to support the exporter’s right to export the cargo | license does not support the goods being exported |
| Proforma invoice | Initial invoice sent to the importer before shipping | Mismatch or incorrect goods description |
| Other documents | These could include Dock receipts, Consular invoices, destination control statements, warehouse receipts, and ATA Carnet. | Missing any of these documents required as per the destination |
As you can see, the potential for mistakes during the export documentation process, when done manually, is enormous and can lead to severe issues with your business continuity. At LeRemitt, our team focuses on solving problems for exporters so that they can focus on their core business. We offer innovative solutions to help you overcome issues like inward remittance services, trade finance solutions, and more.
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