Air Transport Documentation

Airway Bill

• • An air waybill (AWB) or air consignment note is a receipt issued by an international airline for goods and an evidence of the contract of carriage. 
  • It is a non-negotiable transport document that covers the transport of cargo from airport to airport. 
  • Requirements of an Airway Bill
  • IATA designs and distributes air waybills. Two types of AWBs,. 

• An airline air waybill must include the carrier’s name, head office address, logo and air waybill number. 
• Neutral air waybills have the same layout and format as airline AWB, they just aren’t pre-populated.

Customs invoices / commercial invoices

• A customs invoice is a document that travels with your shipment, and contains information about the items inside the shipment. The customs invoice is required for customs clearance, and the shipment can’t leave the country without one. 

Certificate of Origin

• A set of comprehensive rules of origin is generally comprised of origin criteria to determine the country of origin / originating status of a product and also procedural requirements to support a claim that the product satisfies the applicable origin criteria. 

Packing list

• It is an itemized list of articles usually included in each shipping package, giving the quantity, description and weight of the contents it is prepared by the shipper and sent to the consignee for accurate tallying of the delivered goods. A Packing List shows how the goods were packed for inspection and shipping purposes. 

Inspection Certification: 

• It is required by some purchasers and countries in order to attest to the specifications of the goods shipped. This is usually performed by a third party and often obtained from independent testing organizations.

Shipping Bill

• The shipping bill is an essential document issued by the Customs Service Centre after the exporter applies to acquire this bill. This bill facilitates the exporter to get customs clearance, load the goods for export and it is becoming a requirement at destination countries during the clearance process of imports from India.