Export document checklist for shipments from Vietnam
The documents you will usually need, what each one proves, and the small mismatches that cause customs or L/C delays.
5 min read
The core document set
Most sea shipments from Vietnam travel with these documents:
- Commercial invoice: seller, buyer, goods description, HS code, unit price, total value, Incoterm.
- Packing list: cartons, net and gross weight, measurements and shipping marks per package.
- Bill of lading (B/L): issued by the carrier, proves shipment and controls release of the goods.
- Certificate of origin (C/O): needed to claim preferential tariffs, for example Form EUR.1 or a self-certified statement under EVFTA, or a CPTPP or RCEP form.
- Product-specific certificates: phytosanitary, health, fumigation, quality or analysis certificates.
Mismatches that cause delays
Customs officers and banks compare documents field by field. Small differences are enough to hold a container or reject an L/C presentation.
- Consignee or notify party written differently on the invoice and the B/L
- Goods description on the C/O that does not match the invoice
- Gross weight or carton count differing between packing list and B/L
- HS code different from the one the importer declares
- Dates that fall outside the L/C shipment or presentation period
Paying by letter of credit
Under UCP 600 a bank checks only the documents, not the goods. Any discrepancy with the L/C terms lets the bank refuse payment until the buyer waives it. A document check before presentation is the cheapest way to avoid that.
