# Electronic commercial invoices and paperless trade

> How DHL, FedEx and UPS paperless invoice programs work, which lanes accept them, how signatures and letterhead are handled, and the data checks that matter.

Source: https://border.bot/docs/guides/commercial-invoices/electronic
Last updated: 2026-10-30

> Documentation index: https://border.bot/llms.txt. Every page is Markdown at its URL + `.md`.


An electronic commercial invoice is the same commercial invoice sent to the carrier as data or as an uploaded file instead of as paper copies on the box. The carrier passes it to customs at the destination where that country accepts it, so there's nothing to print, sign by hand or attach.

Rules as of 30 October 2026.

## How do carriers' paperless invoice programs work?

DHL Express, FedEx and UPS each let you send the commercial invoice electronically when you create the shipment. You either upload an invoice you made yourself or let the carrier's shipping tool build one from the data you enter, and the carrier transmits it for customs clearance in place of the paper copies that would otherwise travel with the parcel.

| Carrier | Program | How the invoice gets there | What the carrier says about limits |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DHL Express | Paperless Trade (PLT) | Create a commercial or pro forma invoice online while preparing the waybill, or upload completed forms | It covers "certain documentation", not every document |
| FedEx | Electronic Trade Documents (ETD) | Upload your own invoice, or have FedEx create a commercial or pro forma invoice; up to four more customs documents can be added | Documents can be sent before, at or after label creation; uploads after the label must be made the same business day, and not through FedEx Ship Manager at fedex.com |
| UPS | Paperless Invoice | Enter the invoice data in a UPS shipping tool, which transmits it; WorldShip can also upload your own forms and a packing list | Free for all accounts; not available for returns, import controls or guest shipping; the destination must accept electronic customs documents |

On fedex.com, ETD is selected by default when you create an international shipment. UPS keeps a printed option for shippers who want it, and WorldShip can print a copy of what it sent electronically.

## Which destinations accept electronic invoices?

Acceptance depends on the destination country and on each carrier's arrangements there, so no single list covers every lane. UPS tells shippers to check that the destination accepts electronic customs documents before choosing paperless; make the same check with FedEx and DHL. Where a destination doesn't accept them, print and attach the invoice as before.

On the customs side, electronic invoices are well established. In the US, a filer that transmits entries electronically keeps the invoice and produces it only when CBP asks, on paper or as invoice data in CBP's electronic formats (19 CFR 143.36(c)). In the EU, the declarant must hold the supporting documents and make them available when customs ask (Union Customs Code, Article 163), which doesn't require the paper to travel with the parcel.

## Does an electronic invoice need a signature?

An electronic invoice still carries a signature, usually an image saved in your carrier account and placed on every invoice the tool produces. FedEx asks you to upload a letterhead and a signature when it creates commercial or pro forma invoices for you, and keeps both for all future shipments, so set them up before your first paperless shipment.

When you upload your own PDF instead, sign it before you upload it. US electronic filing has its own equivalent: the filer's certification counts as the signature on data sent through CBP's Automated Broker Interface (19 CFR 143.32(e)), and the filer answers for that data as if it had signed and handed over paper (143.36(a)).

## What data checks keep a paperless parcel moving?

A paperless invoice is checked as data, often before the parcel is loaded, so an error stops the parcel earlier than a paper one would. The invoice, the carrier booking and the advance cargo data must say the same thing about every item: what it is, what it's worth and where it was made.

- [ ] Every line has a precise description. US air cargo data is screened before loading (19 CFR 122.48b), and descriptions such as "general cargo", "FAK" or "said to contain" aren't accepted (122.48a).
- [ ] The advance data for the EU is complete. Customs can reject an incomplete entry summary declaration in ICS2 or send a referral, up to a request not to load the cargo ([EU ICS2 guide](https://border.bot/docs/guides/countries/european-union/ics2)).
- [ ] Each EU distance sale up to €150 has a SKU or GTIN on every line, the product identifier required from 1 November 2026 ([EU product identifiers](https://border.bot/docs/guides/countries/european-union/product-identifiers)).
- [ ] Every line has an HS code; the [HS code classifier](https://border.bot/tools/hs-code-classifier) finds it from a description.
- [ ] You keep the invoice you sent: US customs records are kept for five years from the date of entry (19 CFR 163.4).

FedEx's ETD accepts an invoice you made yourself, so a PDF from the [commercial invoice generator](https://border.bot/tools/commercial-invoice-generator) can be uploaded as your own document. What happens after the data reaches customs is in [customs clearance for ecommerce parcels](https://border.bot/docs/guides/customs-clearance).

## Common questions

### Is an electronic commercial invoice accepted by customs?

Yes, where the destination and the carrier support it. US rules let electronic filers keep the invoice and produce it as data or paper only on request (19 CFR 143.36(c)), and EU rules ask only that supporting documents be available to customs.

### Do I still need to print a copy?

Not on lanes where the carrier's paperless program is accepted. Print and attach copies where it isn't, and keep your own copy either way.

### Can I upload my own invoice instead of using the carrier's form?

Yes. FedEx's ETD has an option to upload your own invoice, UPS WorldShip lets you upload completed forms, and DHL's Paperless Trade takes uploaded documents alongside the ones it creates.

## Sources

- [FedEx Electronic Trade Documents](https://www.fedex.com/en-ch/customs-tools/electronic-trade-documents.html), FedEx, checked 2026-10-30
- [Clear customs digitally with UPS Paperless Invoice](https://filexfer.ups.com/assets/resources/webcontent/en_GB/paperless-invoice.pdf), UPS, 2023
- [Paperless clearance](https://www.dhl.com/discover/en-hk/ship-with-dhl/export-with-dhl/paperless-clearance), DHL, 2025-01-09
- [eCFR: 19 CFR 143.32 and 143.36, electronic entry filing](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/section-143.36), U.S. Government Publishing Office, current as of 2026-10-28
- [eCFR: 19 CFR 122.48a, electronic information for air cargo](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/section-122.48a), U.S. Government Publishing Office, current as of 2026-10-28
- [eCFR: 19 CFR 122.48b, Air Cargo Advance Screening](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/section-122.48b), U.S. Government Publishing Office, current as of 2026-10-28
- [eCFR: 19 CFR 163.4, record retention period](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/section-163.4), U.S. Government Publishing Office, current as of 2026-10-28
- [Regulation (EU) No 952/2013, Union Customs Code, Article 163](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/952/oj/eng), European Parliament and Council, 2013-10-09
- [Import Control System 2 (ICS2)](https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/customs-4/customs-security/import-control-system-2-ics2-0_en), European Commission (DG TAXUD), checked 2026-10-30
- [The temporary EUR 3 customs duty and the Union handling fee: guidance for Member States and trade](https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/document/download/053e5b4e-f0be-4f20-9a23-3e3b659a6676_en?filename=Customs+Guidance+on+EUR+3+customs+duty.pdf), European Commission (DG TAXUD), version of 2026-10-05