Best Practices8 documents that keep your goods out of customs limbo
A great price negotiated with your supplier doesn't count for much if the goods sit at customs for weeks over a missing document. Here are the 8 documents we prepare in advance for every non-EU shipment (China, India, other Asian markets).
1. Commercial invoice and packing list
The basic transaction document — it describes the goods, their value, and quantities. Without it, customs can assess neither the customs value nor the actual contents of the shipment.
2. Bill of Lading / Air Waybill
The actual transport document, issued by the carrier — proof the goods were loaded, and the title that allows them to be collected at destination.
3. Certificate of origin
Establishes the country of origin of the goods — relevant both for customs classification and for any preferential duties, or conversely anti-dumping duties, that may apply to certain origins.
4. Active EORI number
Without a valid EORI number for the importer, customs simply cannot process the import declaration — it's an administrative precondition, not an optional detail. In Romania, the application is submitted online through the EORI-RO system run by the Romanian Customs Authority.
5. Import customs declaration
The document that formally declares the goods on entry into the EU, under the Union Customs Code (Reg. EU 952/2013).
6. CE marking / product conformity
For product categories that require it (many machines, electrical equipment, toys, etc.), missing CE marking can hold up the goods regardless of how correct the other documents are.
7. Safety data sheet
Mandatory for products that require it (chemicals, certain materials) — a technical document, separate from the commercial invoice.
8. Transport contract and cargo insurance
Protects the value of the goods during transport and clarifies responsibilities between the parties in case of an incident.
The exception: sourcing within the EU
For sourcing within the EU, most of the documents above don't apply — it's a simple intra-Community transaction, with an invoice and a transport contract, no customs involved.
What we do
We prepare all the relevant documents in advance for every shipment, across any category of goods — consumer goods, machinery and equipment, complete production lines.