Consular Invoice
| Consular Invoice |
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A consular invoice is a document certifying a shipment of the commodity. It is requested in some nations and delineates the consignment of goods. It is used by the country's customs of officials to check the face of the shipment and the value amount. Certified by the consular bureaucrat of the overseas country (P.W. Nee 2014, chapter 12). The consular invoice contains the same elements of the specific transaction which can or are easily be shown in the customary commercial bill of the salesman to the purchaser, in addition, the subscription and seal of the consul abroad (United States. Congress. House. Committee on Way and Means. 1953, page 141). It may be requisited to be on a special form and be subject to the remittance of special fees. (M. Johnson 2005, page 67). "Consular invoices are normally purchased from the consulate of the country to which the goods are being shipped and usually have to be prepared in the language of that country" (J.J. Capela 2011, page 202).
Elements of the consular invoice
The consular invoice is required to show the following data in the general heading:
- port of consignment
- nationality of the vessel
- estimated date of departure
- consignee
- final port
- name of the vessel
In the body of the invoice the following columnar data shall be provided:
- description of the goods
- the country of origin
- measurement or weight indicated in the bill of lading
- the net value of the commodity in the currency of the country of origin according to the commercial invoice, specifying the kind of currency used in invoicing the commodity and the total c.i.f. (cost, insurance, and freight) or f.o.b. (free on board) value
- number, quantity and marks and kind of parcel
- ’’the manner of payment stating the kind of currency, the amount and the rate of exchange on the date of invoice, this information should be shown only when payment is made in a currency different from that in which the merchandise in invoiced and folio number of the commercial invoice corresponding to the consular invoice’’(J.H. Jones, C.L. Wilson, 1941, page 2).
The verso side of the consular invoice
On the back of the bill the exporter should list the freight charges and other expenses included in the freight charges and other spending included in the c.i.f. or f.o.b. value, shown in the body of the invoice. It is often difficult to ascertain the amount of the freight charges and other incidental costs in advance of actual shipment of the merchandise . In such instances, the consul may legalize the principal consular invoice, noting thereon, in the place where the freight charges and other incidental costs should be shown, that an additional invoice showing these rate will be presented afterwards (J.H. Jones, C.L. Wilson, 1941, page 2).
References
- Capela J.J. (2011), Import/Export for Dummies,Wiley Publishing, Hoboken
- Johnson M. (2005),Illustrated dictionary of Law, Lotus Press, Daryaganj, New Delhi
- Jones J.H., Wilson C.L. (1941), Reference Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Washington D.C.
- Nee P.W. (2014),How to Get Rich Exporting: Make it Big in the Export Business, The internationalist, Boston
- United States. Congress. House. Committee on Ways and Means. (1953), Customs Simplification: Hearings Before the Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, Eighty-third Congress, First Session on H.R. 5106 ... May 27, 28, and 29, Government printing office, United States, Washington D.C.
Author: Edyta Pach
