CHAPTER 11
50 Country Document Requirements on a countryby-country basis. In the pages that follow are tables and notes for basic and special documents for importing to the world’s top 50 trading nations. The information provided is not comprehensive. Every country has specialized requirements and documentation that cannot be fully described in a book of this size. The information provided, however, will give the international trader an idea of the range of country document requirements in an easy to understand format for comparison.
THIS CHAPTER OFFERS A LOOK AT DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS
BASIC IMPORT DOCUMENTS
The reader will immediately notice, as was stated earlier in this book, that there is a great deal of similarity from country-to-country in import documentation requirements. For example, virtually every country requires presentation of a commercial invoice, bill of lading and certificate of origin. There are many exceptions, however, with countries adding documents to their “basic” list. SPECIAL IMPORT DOCUMENTS
The reader will also note that additional documentation is almost always required for the importation of specialized commodities and products. At the least, these include animals, plants, food products, alcohol, drugs, and other goods that affect health, safety and national security. SAMPLE FORMS
For most transactions, import authorities will accept industry standard forms of the commercial invoice, bill of lading and certificate of origin. Whenever possible, we refer you to generic sample forms in other parts of this book. Many other documents (in form, content and language) are country-specific. Reproducing samples of the thousands of these forms is beyond the scope of this book. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
The research for this chapter was a monumental job and we intend it to be a good representation of the documentation requirements for the countries listed. However, as with such data, requirements change rapidly and the nature of your transaction may not fit into a simplistic formula. For these reasons, we highly recommend that you consult with a freightforwarder, logistic professional, or a customs broker for up-to-the-minute requirements. This is true especially if you are importing a regulated good such as animals, plants, drugs, food products, alcohol, textiles, textile products, motor vehicles, medical devices, toys, chemicals, cultural relics, arms and armaments, radioactive materials, high technology products (including hardware and software), biological vectors, or aerospace products.
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