Guides
Checking shipping documents before customs clearance: the 10-point checklist
Updated on · ClearBerth
In short
Before declaring an ocean shipment, compare the packing list, bills of lading, invoice and certificate of origin on ten points: container, seal, gross weight, net weight, packages, goods, parties, ports and vessel, final status of the documents, and origin. A single discrepancy is enough to hold the container at the port.
The 10 checks
- Container number: identical on every document, with a correct ISO 6346 check digit and a 4th letter U, J or Z.
- Seal: the same number on the House B/L and Master B/L, attached to the right container when there are several.
- Gross weight: the same value within tolerance, in the same unit — watch decimal commas (398,000 kg may mean 398 kg).
- Net weight: present where the document provides for it, and always lower than the gross weight.
- Number of packages: compared in like units; 12 pallets cannot be compared with 240 cartons.
- Totals: the sum of the packing list or invoice lines equals the stated total.
- Goods: a compatible description on every document — dangerous goods do not become “non-dangerous” from one document to the next.
- Parties: the importer and its tax ID identical wherever they appear.
- Transport: the same ports of loading and discharge, the same vessel and voyage.
- Document status: no DRAFT in place of a final document, and an original certificate of origin where one is required.
When a document comes in several copies
A shipment may have several packing lists or several bills of lading. Add up weights and packages of documents describing different lots — but never two copies of the same document: same B/L number, same containers, same weight means it is a copy.
Conversely, two House B/Ls sharing a container with different weights do describe two lots of the same consolidation: their weights add up.
How to organise so nothing slips through
Compare values side by side rather than document by document: a discrepancy stands out on a single row, not while flicking through pages. For each discrepancy, note which document is at fault — a container number's check digit, for instance, shows which of the two was copied wrongly.
Finally, never correct a value from memory: go back to the source document, and ask whoever issued it for the corrected version.
Frequently asked questions
Which documents should be compared before ocean customs clearance?
At least the packing list, House B/L and Master B/L; add the commercial invoice and, for an import under a tariff preference, the certificate of origin (for instance the EUR.1).
What tolerance should be accepted on gross weight?
There is no single tolerance: it depends on the practices of the customs administration and carrier involved. What matters is spotting discrepancies that rounding does not explain, and getting them justified before the declaration.
Should a shipment be held for a draft House B/L?
A draft is not a final transport document. It is useful for proofreading the data, but the declaration must rely on the final document, which has to be requested and compared with the draft.
These checks, on every shipment, in one minute
ClearBerth compares packing list, House B/L, Master B/L, invoice and EUR.1, and shows you every discrepancy with the document to correct.
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