How to Prepare Customs Papers for Cross-Border Shipments
08.01.10
If you are just getting into shipping across the borders, then figuring out customs documentation that you have to fill out and how to complete them can be challenging. When working with the Toronto courier companies that deal in cross border shipping, the first thing you'll want to do is talk to the company that is providing your courier service in Toronto about what the requirements are for shipping over the border. That company will either be able to give you all the proper documentation as well as show you how to fill it out, or they will at least be able to guide you towards a resource that will tell you how to handle the paperwork.
Most of the bigger Toronto courier companies will deal in cross border shipping, so they will be able to provide you, or at least guide you to where you can get a Bill of Lading, and how to create a proper commercial invoice for shipping, plus where you can get a NAFTA certificate if you need one, and if you need an Import/Export license. Many of these things are documents that you won't have experience with, or even any type of contact with before if you are new to cross border shipping. If this is the case, don't worry about asking for some explanation from the company that you are working with. Although it may take some time to master how to complete these forms correctly for your particular business, it will actually save you much more time in the long run than if you had to deal with all the hassles of finding yourself unable to ship across the border.
Any courier service in Toronto will tell you accuracy on your forms is essential. It is not even appropriate or intelligent to guess on these forms, as any errors between the documentation and the shipment information can cause huge delays if not outright leading to denials of entry at the border. If this ends up happening time and time again, it is going to make you appear very unprofessional and will more often than not lead to a huge loss of both business and profit. As long as you are able to learn how to handle cross border shipments and all of the papers that are associated with it you won't have to worry about losing any of your business or profits.
Paul McDuffy is an International Consultant for Toronto courier companies. With exceptional knowledge of Toronto courier companies, Paul also works closely with a team authoring an internet marketing blog.