The Canada Customs Invoice Screen in Shipping Solutions Export Software

In my continuing series on the Shipping Solutions export software EZ Start screens, today I discuss the Canada Customs Invoice screen. Commercial shipments to Canada, regardless of mode of transport, which are valued at over $2,500 (Canadian funds), are not classified under HTUSA Chapter 9810 (Importations of religious, educational, scientific and other institutions), and are subject to duties and sales taxes, should be accompanied by a Canada Customs Invoice (CCI).

The invoice must contain all the information currently required by Canada Customs Regulations and can be prepared either by the exporter or importer or their agents, and it can be done so easily by using Shipping Solutions export software.

Shipping Solutions makes creating your documents quick and easy by sharing the information you enter on the EZ Start screens among all the documents, so no one document can be completed by filling out just one screen. So, if you go to the EZ Start tab and just fill out the Canada Customs Invoice screen, you will be sadly disappointed when looking at the document itself.

Of the 25 numbered boxes on the CCI, 16 of them are entered on the EZ Start-Canada Customs Invoice screen. The remaining boxes are completed on the EZ Start-Contacts screen (2 boxes), the EZ Start-Product Detail screen (5 boxes), the EZ Start-Invoices screen (1 box), and the EZ Start-Carriers and Ports screen (1 box). Let’s take a detailed look at the 16 boxes on the EZ Start-Canada Customs Invoice screen.

Purchaser, Exporter and Originator

On the CCI, the Vendor (Box 1) and Consignee (Box 4) come from the Exporter and Ultimate Consignee records on the EZ Start-Contacts screen, and they are mandatory fields. However, there are three conditional address fields that are entered on the EZ Start-Canada Customs Invoice screen.

For CCI purposes, the Consignee is the company or person that the goods are shipped to. If the goods are actually sold to a different company or person, enter that party in the Purchaser (Box 5) field. By contrast, the Vendor on the CCI is the seller of the goods. If the goods are actually being shipped by a different company, enter that contact information in the Exporter field.

The third address field, Originator (Box 20), is only used if the invoice is being completed on behalf of another company. The company completing the invoice is entered as the Originator.

As a shortcut, you can also enter the Purchaser, Exporter and Originator on the EZ Start-Contacts screen by right clicking in the white box, selecting Add Contact, and selecting CCI Exporter, CCI Originator or CCI Purchaser.

Boxes 23, 24 and 25

Box 23 refers to charges that were included in the Invoice Total (Box 17). If any transportation charges, expenses or insurance from the place of shipment to Canada were included in the invoice total, enter that amount in box (i). If any costs for construction, erection and assembly incurred after importation into Canada were included in the invoice total, enter that amount in box (ii). If the cost of any additional packing required solely for the overseas transportation of the goods was included in the invoice total, enter that amount in box (iii).

Box 24 refers to charges that were NOT included in the Invoice Total (Box 17). If there are transportation charges, expenses and insurance to the place of direct shipment to Canada that were not included in the invoice total, enter that amount in box (i). If there were commissions other than buying commissions, enter those amounts in box (ii). If there was any cost for additional packing required soley for the overseas transportation of the goods that was not included in the invoice total, enter that amount in box (iii).

Box 25 has two check boxes. Check the first box if royalty payments or subsequent proceeds are paid or payable by the purchaser. Check the second box if the purchaser has supplied goods or services for use in the production of these goods.

If there is nothing to enter in boxes 23 and 24, and the check boxes in box 25 do not apply, then you can check the box that says boxes 23-25 do not apply.

Boxes 2, 3, 6-10, 18 and 21

• Date of Direct Shipment to Canada (Box 2) – This is the date the goods begin their continuous journey to Canada. This field is shared with the date entered on other EZ Start screens, so if you have already entered a date on the EZ Start-Invoices screen, for example, it will also be filled in here.
• Other References (Box 3) – If you have entered an Order Number on the EZ Start- Invoices screen, it will print on the CCI along with whatever you have entered in this box. The official instructions for the CCI say to use Box 3 to “record other useful information,” so it is up to your discretion what is useful!
• Country of Transhipment (Box 6) – If the goods move through any other country on their way to Canada, enter it here. For most shipments from the U.S. to Canada, this box would be blank.
• Country of Origin of Goods (Box 7) – This is the country where the goods are grown, produced or manufactured. The official instructions for the CCI say, “Each manufactured article on the invoice must have been significantly transformed in the country specified.” Determining origin is outside the scope of this article, and the instructions do not indicate what to do if the goods originate from more than one country.
• Transportation (Box 8) – If you have entered the Mode of Transport, Exporting Carrier and Loading Pier/Terminal on the EZ Start-Carriers and Ports screen, that information will fill in Box 8. You can use the box on the EZ Start-Canada Customs Invoice screen to enter any additional information. The instructions state to indicate the mode of transportation and the place from which the goods begin their journey to Canada, so you may not have any additional information to enter here.
• Condition/Terms of Sale (Box 9) – Describe the terms and conditions agreed upon by the vendor and purchaser.
• Currency (Box 10) – Indicate what currency is being used for payment.
• If any of fields 1 to 17 (Box 18) – When I said in the first paragraph of this article that the CCI is required for most shipments to Canada, that wasn’t completely true. The information on the CCI is required, but you can provide it in several ways: 1) You can provide all of the information on a Commercial Invoice and forego the CCI, 2) You can provide all of the information on the CCI, or 3) You can provide some of the information on the CCI and some of the information on a Commercial Invoice. If you are using method 3, then check this box.
• Agency Ruling (Box 21) – If there was a Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) ruling applicable to this shipment then enter the ruling number and date here.