The document file is the shipment
A vehicle sitting at the destination port with an incomplete document file costs storage every day and cannot be registered. This checklist covers the standard file, the conditional documents, and the three that cause most delays.
Core documents, always required
- Commercial invoice. Seller and buyer details, chassis numbers, model and specification, unit and total value, Incoterm, currency and payment terms. Chassis numbers must match every other document exactly.
- Packing list. For CBU vehicles, the unit list with chassis numbers and dimensions. For CKD or SKD, a numbered crate manifest with part counts.
- Bill of lading. Issued by the carrier. Check the consignee, notify party and description against your customs requirement before it is finalised; amendments after issue are slow and chargeable.
- Certificate of origin. Issued by the chamber of commerce or an authorised body. Where a free trade agreement applies, the correct preferential form matters: the wrong form means the wrong duty rate.
- Export declaration. Filed on the China side; the copy goes into your file for reference.
Vehicle-specific documents
- Certificate of conformity or type approval. Confirms the vehicle meets the destination market's technical standard. The form varies: some markets require a whole vehicle type approval, others accept a manufacturer's conformity declaration.
- Emission compliance certificate. States the emission standard the vehicle meets. Confirm the standard your country requires before production, not after.
- Battery documentation. For electric vehicles: battery specification, UN 38.3 transport test summary and a safety data sheet. Shipping lines will refuse loading without these.
- Owner's manual and service book in the required language, which some markets check at registration.
Conditional documents by destination
- Pre-shipment inspection certificate. Several countries require inspection by an appointed agency before loading. This must happen in China; it cannot be fixed at arrival.
- Import permit or licence. Some markets require the importer to hold a permit before the vessel sails.
- Insurance certificate under CIF and CIP terms.
- Fumigation certificate where wooden crates are used for kit shipments.
The three that most often hold a shipment
- Certificate of conformity. Requested too late, or issued against the wrong specification version. Lock this before the production slot.
- Pre-shipment inspection. Discovered after loading, when the vessel has sailed and the inspection can no longer be performed at origin.
- Chassis number mismatch. A single transposed digit between invoice, bill of lading and conformity certificate will stop clearance. Verify the numbers across all documents before the bill of lading is issued.
A working sequence
Confirm the destination document list before the contract. Prepare the conformity and emission documents during production. Complete inspection and pre-shipment certification before loading. Issue invoice, packing list and certificate of origin at loading. Check every chassis number across every document. Send the full scanned set to the importer before the vessel arrives so clearance can start on day one.
Send us your destination country and we will return the exact document list for that market, including which documents we issue, which the chamber of commerce issues, and which you must obtain locally before arrival.