Trade Documents

Purchase Order

•  the written offer to exporter/supplier formally stating all terms and conditions of a proposed transaction by the importer/purchaser

CMR Document

•  “Contrat de Transport International de Marchandises par Route“ Document
•  an international consignment note used by drivers, operators and forwarders
•  alike that govern the responsibilities and liabilities of the parties to a contract for the carriage of goods by road internationally

Commercial Invoice

•  formal demand note for payment issued by the exporter/supplier to the importer/purchaser for goods sold under a sales contract 

Airway Bill (AWB)

•  a kind of waybill used for the carriage of goods by air
•  issued by airline company

Certificate of Origin

•  to certify the place of manufacture of the exported goods to meet the requirements of the importing authorities
•  often required by customs authorities of a country 
•  usually issued by an official organization in the country of origin

IATA Dangerous Goods Declaration

•  IATA (International Air Transport Association) requires the Shipper’s Declaration of Dangerous Goods to be filled out for all air cargo

Packing List

•  the list with detailed packing information of the goods shipped
•  issued by the exporter/supplier

Billing of Ladding (B/L)

•  the contract between the shipper of the goods and the carrier.
•  issued by shipping company usually 

Billing of Exchange

•  Unconditional written order which the importer addressed to and required by the exporter to pay on demand or at a future date

Documentary Credit (D/C)

•  same as “letter of credit (L/C)”, which popular in US and Asia
•  facilitate international payments by providing security for both the exporter/supplier and the importer/purchaser
•  the exporter/supplier receives an advance assurance of payment upon presentation of documents conforming to the terms and conditions of the letter of credit, and the importer/purchaser is assured that the bank will not pay unless the exporter/supplier has actually submitted documents strictly complying with the documentary credit
•  issued by bank in usual
•  International documentary credit practice is governed by a set of rules produced by ICC

Multimodal Bill of Lading (FBL)

•  a type of international transport documents covering two or more modes of transport, such as shipping by road and by sea
•  issued by the exporter

Inspection Certificate

•  issued by an independent surveyor (inspection company) or the exporter on the specifications of the shipment, including quality, quantity, and / or price
•  pre-shipment inspection is required for importation of goods into many developing countries 
•  required by certain purchasers and countries