# Make a commercial invoice PDF > Make a commercial or pro forma invoice PDF for free: fill lines from a product link with HS code and origin, totals worked out, A4 or Letter, live preview. Source: https://border.bot/tools/commercial-invoice-generator Last updated: 2026-10-28 A commercial invoice is the exporter’s statement of what is in a shipment, who sold it to whom, what each article cost and where it was made. Customs use it to value and classify the goods, and every courier asks for one with international parcels. This generator lays out a commercial or pro forma invoice from your details, adds up the lines and charges, can fill a line from a product page with its HS code, and gives you a signed-ready PDF. - **Cost:** Free, no account - **Kinds:** Commercial invoice (goods sold) or pro forma (not sold) - **Help:** Fill a line from a product link, or find its HS code - **You get:** A vector PDF on A4 or US Letter, 1 to 3 copies ## Use the tool Fill in the parties and the goods and watch the preview: every page updates as you type. Paste a product page into a line to fill its description, price, HS code and origin. Download the PDF when it’s right. Open https://border.bot/tools/commercial-invoice-generator in a browser, choose a commercial or pro forma invoice, fill in the exporter, consignee (and buyer or importer of record when they differ) with their tax references, the currency and one line per article (description, HS code, origin, quantity, unit price), the charges and the shipment details, check the live preview and download the PDF. A line can be filled from a product page link, or its HS code found from the description, with one free classification each. In-browser agents can call the WebMCP tools `fill_commercial_invoice_form` (free) and `create_commercial_invoice` (one free document) on that page with the whole invoice as JSON. With an account, the REST API (`POST /v1/documents/invoice`), the dashboard and the MCP server (`create_commercial_invoice`) make it from the workspace’s credits. Every visitor gets a small number of free runs, shared between the classifier, the calculator, the origin finder, screening, the CPSC eFiling checker and the photo tool; the air waybill and commercial invoice generators share their own allowance. Free runs pass a bot check and are counted per visitor, so they stay available for real people. Create an account for free credits and the full dashboard, API and MCP access. ## Example: a UK exporter’s invoice to Los Angeles 300 cotton T-shirts at USD 6.40, 180 hooded sweatshirts at USD 14.75, 60 tote bags at USD 3.10, DAP Los Angeles | | Result | | --- | --- | | Lines | 3, made in Portugal and India | | Subtotal | USD 4,761.00 | | Freight | USD 210.00 | | Insurance | USD 18.50 | | Total | USD 4,989.50 | | Net weight | 84.6 kg, from the lines | The tool’s “Fill an example” invoice. ## What a US commercial invoice must show (19 CFR 141.86) | Required | Where it goes on this invoice | | --- | --- | | Port of entry | Shipment: port of entry | | Seller and buyer, or shipper and consignee | Exporter, consignee, buyer | | Detailed description, marks and numbers | Each line’s description; marks and numbers | | Quantities | Each line’s quantity and unit | | Purchase price of each item, and the currency | Unit price; currency | | Every charge by name and amount | Freight, insurance, packing, other charges | | Rebates, drawbacks and bounties | Further declarations | | Country of origin | Each line’s origin | | Assists (dies, moulds, tools, engineering) | Further declarations | ## How to make a commercial invoice with border.bot 1. **Choose commercial or pro forma.** Use a commercial invoice when the goods are sold. Use a pro forma invoice for goods that aren’t: gifts, samples, returns and repairs. Give it a number and a date. 2. **Enter the parties.** Give the exporter’s and consignee’s names and full addresses, with their tax and customs numbers (EORI, VAT, EIN…). Add the buyer or the importer of record when they aren’t the consignee. 3. **List the goods.** One line per article: a detailed description, the HS code, the country where it was made, the quantity and the unit price. Paste a product page to fill a line, or find the code from the description. 4. **Add charges and shipment details.** Itemise freight, insurance and packing, choose the Incoterm and add the carrier, tracking number, packages and weights. The totals are worked out for you. 5. **Download, sign and send.** Check the preview, download the PDF, sign it and send it with the goods: in the parcel’s document pouch, and uploaded with the courier booking. ## What customs read on an invoice ### A detailed description What each article is, what it’s made of and what it’s for: “men’s knitted cotton T-shirts”, not “clothing”. General words such as “parts”, “samples” or “gifts” get parcels held, so the tool refuses them. ### The HS code Six digits are the same everywhere; the destination adds its own (10 for the US HTSUS). Since 24 July 2026 mail into the US needs the 10-digit code for CBP’s postal entry, so give the destination’s full code when you know it. ### Country of origin Where each article was produced, manufactured or assembled, not where it ships from. It decides the duty rate and any extra duties, and it is printed per line because one parcel can hold goods from several countries. ### Price and currency The price actually paid per unit, in the currency of the sale. For goods that aren’t sold, the value they would sell for. Undervaluing a parcel is a customs offence in most countries. ### Charges and Incoterms Freight, insurance and packing are listed on their own lines. The Incoterm says who pays carriage and duties: DAP leaves the duties to the buyer, DDP has the seller pay them. ### The signed statement The exporter declares that the invoice is true and correct and signs it. On a pro forma invoice the statement says the goods aren’t sold and the values are for customs purposes. ## Before you send it - Use the same values and descriptions as the courier booking and any electronic customs data: a mismatch is the commonest reason a parcel is held. - Print two or three copies when the courier or the destination asks for them, and keep one. - Gifts and samples still need a value: customs decide duty on what the goods are worth, not on what was paid. - Put tax numbers where they belong: the exporter’s EORI or EIN with the exporter, the importer’s with the consignee or importer of record. - Goods that need a licence or certificate: say so in Further declarations and attach the document. ## From your own systems and agents - REST API: `POST /v1/documents/invoice` (with an API client token, charged in credits): [API reference](https://border.bot/docs) - MCP server: the `create_commercial_invoice` tool at `https://mcp.border.bot/mcp`: [connect an agent](https://border.bot/mcp) - WebMCP on this page: `create_commercial_invoice` (in-browser agents, uses the visitor’s free runs) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a commercial invoice? The document an exporter issues for goods shipped across a border. It names the seller and buyer, describes each article with its quantity, price and country of origin, lists the charges and is signed as true. Customs use it to value and classify the goods, and couriers need it to clear the shipment. ### What is the difference between a commercial and a pro forma invoice? A commercial invoice records a sale. A pro forma invoice declares goods that aren’t being sold, such as gifts, samples, returns or repairs, with their value for customs. Both carry the same details and the same signed statement. ### Does a commercial invoice need HS codes? Most couriers and many customs authorities ask for one per line, and parcels clear faster with them. Mail into the US has needed the 10-digit HTSUS code since 24 July 2026. Paste a product page or describe the article and the tool finds the code for the consignee’s country. ### What does a US commercial invoice have to show? Under 19 CFR 141.86: the port of entry, the seller and buyer, a detailed description with marks and numbers, quantities, the price of each item and its currency, every charge by name and amount, rebates, the country of origin, and any assists. This tool has a place for each. ### Can I make the invoice from a product page? Yes. Paste the page’s address into a line and choose Fill from link: the tool reads the page and fills the description, price, HS code and, when the page says, where it’s made. Each lookup uses one free classification. Check every value before you sign. ### Who signs the commercial invoice? The exporter or someone authorised to sign for them. The signature confirms that the details are true; the person signing answers for them. ### How many free invoices do I get? Each visitor gets a few free documents, shared between the commercial invoice and air waybill generators and separate from the other free tools; the page shows how many are left. With an account, invoices cost credits in the dashboard, the API and the MCP server. ## Sources - [eCFR: 19 CFR 141.86, contents of invoices](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/chapter-I/part-141/subpart-F/section-141.86) - [WCO–UPU Postal Customs Guide](https://www.upu.int/UPU/media/upu/files/postalSolutions/programmesAndServices/postalSupplyChain/customs/guideWcoUPUCustomsEn.pdf) - [Federal Register: suspension of de minimis for mail and the postal informal entry (2026)](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/24/2026-12669/indefinite-suspension-of-the-de-minimis-exemption-for-mail-shipments-and-new-postal-informal-entry) - [ICC: Incoterms® 2020](https://iccwbo.org/business-solutions/incoterms-rules/incoterms-2020/)