subject: Paperwork For Canada/us Shipping [print this page] When you ship anything with a San Francisco courier, there is always some degree of paperwork that you're going to have to ensure is completed. When using that courier to ship to Canada though, you can expect that amount of paperwork to increase a great deal. That is because even though Canada is so close to many points in the US, shipping there is still considered international shipping, no different really than shipping across the ocean. Therefore, there is a lot of paperwork that you need for shipping to Canada that doesn't apply when you're just shipping to another State.
Despite the fact that this paperwork is important, you shouldn't let it dissuade you from shipping to Canada. Because so much business is done between the US and Canada, most courier companies are very experienced at preparing this type of documentation. Much of it they will provide themselves, and they should have no problems at guiding you through the steps to prepare any additional documents which you might have to supply.
You need to be sure to use your courier company as a resource when finding out what paperwork you have to include with your cross border shipping. There are trade agreements and other laws which can impact what kinds of documentation you need to send with a shipment. If you're not an expert on such matters, you could overlook something. Your courier company will know exactly what sorts of permits and licenses you may require if you need anything of that type.
There are some basic documents though that you will just come to know have to be included with everything that you ship between the two countries. The most basic of these are the commercial invoice and the BOL. If you don't include these, you could be in for trouble. Shipments that don't include essential documentation have been known to be held at the border regularly. This is only going to make your company look bad, so always make sure that you've got the required paperwork to go with your shipment.
Something that people don't think of sometimes is duplicate copies of the paperwork. When shipping, there is always a chance that some documentation could be lost. A good practice is to include extra copies of all documentation, including shipping labels, inside the package. That way, if any confusion or lost papers occur, the shipping and customs agents can usually puzzle out the necessary information regarding the package.
by: Adam Trammel
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
