Certificate of Origin:

The certificate of origin must be issued by the manufacturer (or the exporting firm), and must include the name of the vessel (or airline) and the date of sailing, name, nationality , and full street address  of the manufacturer of all items to be shipped . Furthermore, the origin of each item or component must be specified. In addition, a signed statement to the effect that the document is true and correct must be given. If the merchandise is not solely and exclusively a product of the U.S., a notarized "Appended Declaration to Certificate of Origin"  must be attached to the certificate of origin.
In addition, the certificate of origin must include the name and address of the importer, a description of the goods, and the address of the shipping company.

Commercial Invoice:

All commercial invoices must be on the exporting company’s letterhead. The invoice should contain the names and addresses of the consignor and the consignee, and must accurately describe goods and components (including the six-digit Harmonized System number), trademarks, name of the vessel (or airline) and the date of sailing, port of loading and port of discharge, net and gross weight, quantity, unit price and extended price of each type of goods, total value of the shipment, contents of each package and container, currency, L/C number (if applicable) and freight and insurance.

The Commercial Invoice should contain an accurate description of the goods being exported,  It should include:

For equipment:

• line, number, and size of exported item
• model number
• trade marks
• manufacturer’s complete name
• any other information helpful in identifying the exported equipment

For other exported products:

• complete material description including type, size, weight, and percentage of its components if possible
• complete name(s) of manufacturer(s) or producer(s)
• trade marks
• any other information pertaining to the type of the exported item.

Commercial invoices should contain a notarized statement, signed by a responsible official of the exporting firm, saying: "I certify this invoice to be true and correct and in accordance with our books, also that the goods referred to are of U.S. origin."

Finally the commercial invoice must contain the following affidavit: "I, (Name, Title, Company name) hereby swear that the prices stated in this invoice are the current export market prices, and that the origin of the goods described herein is the United States of America, and I assume full responsibility for any inaccuracies or errors therein."

Click here to print Commercial Invoice form.

The Bill of Lading (or Airway bill):

The bill of lading should agree with the commercial invoice and show description, value, net and gross weight of shipped goods, volume and measurement, marks, number of packages, name and address of the consignee (The importer) and consignor, name and address of shipping company and/or shipping agent, name of vessel and date of sailing, port of loading and port of discharge. Marks and numbers should agree with those on the invoice and containers.

This certificate (which is an Appended Declaration to Bill of Lading or airway bill) should be issued by the steamship (or airlines) company in at least one original. It must be notarized and contain the following information about the vessel (or plane), named in the Bill of Lading or the airline company certificate:

• name of vessel (plane), and previous name (if applicable)
• nationality of vessel (plane)
• owner of vessel (plane)
• names of ports (airports) that the vessel (plane) will call on en route to the destination,  including port (airport) of loading and port (airport) of discharge.

Further, the steamship (airlines) company certificate should declare that the vessel (plane) shall not anchor or call on any other ports (airports) than those mentioned in it, and that all information provided in the certificate is true and correct.

This certificate (issued by an insurance company in at least one original) must contain the actual amount of insurance, description and value of insured goods, name of vessel, port of loading, port of discharge, and name and address of beneficiary. In addition, the "Appended Declaration to Insurance Policy" should state that the insurance company has a duly qualified and appointed agent or representative in the destination Arabic country, giving his name and full address.

If the shipment is insured by an insurance company located in the Arabic country, the exporter, on their letterhead, must state the name and address of that company.

Packing List:

This includes names and addresses of consignor and consignee, description and value of the exported goods, net and total weight, number of packages and their contents, number of containers and contents, numbers of seals, and L/C number (if applicable).

SPECIAL DOCUMENTS

Depending on the nature of exported goods, or according to a request from the importer, certain documents may also be required. Special certificates or documents also need to be authenticated according to the procedure for authentication of shipping documents described above.

Food Manufacturer’s Ingredients Certificate:

This certificate should include a description of the exported food products (contents and percentage of each ingredient), chemical data, microbiological standards, storage, and life of product (date of manufacture and date of expiration). When products contain any animal fats, the certificate must confirm the kind of animal from which it is taken, or state that no pork meat or its artificial flavor nor its animal fat is being used. This certificate must be obtained from a local health department and must be signed.

Consumer Protection Certificate:

This certificate confirms the healthiness of the various ingredients of the exported food products , and their safety and fitness for human consumption. The certificate must be obtained from an office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and must be signed.

Price List:

The price list should be issued by the exporter on his letterhead, and should indicate that the prices of the exported products are the standard local market prices.

In addition to the general shipping documents all meat shipments must be accompanied by the following certificates:

A certificate of "Halal" meat:

This certificate indicates that slaughtering has taken place in an officially licensed slaughterhouse according to Islamic procedures. The "Halal" meat certificate should be legalized by a recognized Islamic Center in the United States. It must also accompany shipments of poultry.

An Official Health Certificate:

This certificate should indicate the date of slaughter, kind of animal and average age, in each shipment. The health certificate must also indicate that animals were examined within twelve hours before being slaughtered, and directly after, by a licensed veterinarian, and were found free from disease and suitable for human consumption.

The Health Certificate is required for all kinds of meats, (including poultry and seafood), meat products, livestock, vegetables, fruits, human blood, attesting to the fact that they are free from pests and/or disease.

In addition to the general shipping documents, the exporter of seeds or grains must provide the following authenticated certificates:

Certificate of Inspection:

 The certificate must be issued by a company specializing in seed inspection, and include:

• Name and address of buyer
• Name and address of seller
• Kind and amount
• Seed class
• Name of shipping vessel
• Type of packing
• The written information on sacks, bags and each package
• Results of inspection and percentage of germination, purity, impurity, and moisture
• Method of chemical treatment of the seeds
• Confirmation that the seeds are free from insects, epidemics, diseases and weed seeds (their number and species in a sample of two kilograms must be mentioned).

Phytosanitary Certificate:

The purpose of this certificate is to verify that the seeds or grains are free from agricultural diseases. It can be obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This certificate is required to accompany all shipments of flour, rice, grains, agricultural seeds, lumber, plants, and plant material.

 Seed Analysis Certificate:

 This certificate is to prove the degree of purity of the seeds . It is issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Certificate of Weight:

 This certificate is issued by the exporting company and indicates the name and address of the importer, name of the shipping vessel, number of the bill of lading, number of seals and containers, and net and total weight of shipment.

In addition to the general shipping documents, the shipment must include:

• Certificate of Free Sale
• Product Registration Certificate
• Certificate of Analysis
• Product Safety Data Sheet

In addition to the general shipping documents, the shipment must include:

• Certificate of Weight, showing the average weight of the exported livestock
• Health Certificate, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture verifying that the livestock are free from disease
• Health Certificate, issued by a veterinarian
• Pedigree Certificate, issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Production records
• Declaration of Inspection and Acceptance

This certificate must accompany all shipments of vegetables and fruits certifying that such exports are free from pests, insects, and other agricultural diseases, and that they have not been exposed to ionizing radiation (but can be treated with aluminum phosphide). This certificate can be obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Most of the above information was obtained from the USSABC.