In an international venom shipment, the package itself may weigh no more than a few hundred grams, while the file accompanying it can run to dozens of pages. Most consignments held at customs are held not because of a packaging error but because of missing or contradictory documents. With a material requiring a cold chain, that wait means not only delay but also a risk of losing the sample.
This article looks at the shipping file as a whole: which documents it consists of, why consistency between them matters and in what order the preparation is done. The species assessment is described in detail in the article on CITES and the transport classification in the article on UN 3462; what is discussed here is where those documents sit in the file.
The layers of the file
Thinking of the shipping file in layers makes gaps easier to see. The commercial layer says what is being sent, to whom and at what value; the legal layer says which permits the material's production and export rest on; and the transport layer says under which rules the journey will be made.
| Layer | Typical documents | The question it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial | Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin | What is being sent, in how many packages, at what value, from where? |
| Legal | Establishment permit, operating licence, species assessment letter | Under which permits was the material produced, and is there any obstacle to its export? |
| Product | Safety data sheet, batch analysis report | What is the material, what is its hazard, what values does it carry? |
| Transport | Dangerous goods declaration, transport document | Under which rules and with which carrier is it travelling? |
The product documents are shown in a separate row in the table because they serve two layers at once: customs looks at them to understand what the product is, and the carrier to verify the hazard information. In our document file, the establishment permit, the operating licence, the CITES assessment letter, the safety data sheet and the independent laboratory report make up the counterparts of these layers.
Keeping the documents current is part of the file too. The safety data sheet is cited by its version number, the analysis report by its batch number and the species assessment letter by its date. Attaching a file compiled for an earlier shipment unchanged to a new one can create a mismatch at each of these links: the sheet may have been revised, the batch may have changed or the lists may have been updated. The file is therefore compiled afresh for every shipment, and each document is confirmed to be the version in force.
Three documents, three names: the consistency problem
The same material may be referred to by different names in different documents. The invoice carries a commercial description, the safety data sheet a product name and the transport papers the proper shipping name prescribed by the regulations. The name of our powder-form product in the safety data sheet, for instance, differs from the shipping name in the transport papers; both are correct in their own document.
The problem arises when these names cannot be connected to one another. If a customs officer cannot match the description on the invoice with the name in the transport papers, an explanation will be requested. The way to prevent this is simple: the product description on the invoice explicitly includes the scientific name of the source species and the product form, and the batch number and number of packages are written the same way in every document.
The tariff heading
Every product is identified by a heading in the customs tariff schedule, and duties, statistics and any restrictions are tied to that code. For toxins of biological origin, the correct heading is not always obvious at first glance; the degree of processing and the intended use can affect the classification. This decision is taken by the customs broker. Where there is doubt about the classification, binding tariff information can be requested from the customs administration, so that the same product is not interpreted differently with each shipment.
What the destination country requires
An export file has to satisfy not only the rules of the country of departure but also the expectations of the country of arrival. Those expectations vary from country to country and often with the type of receiving institution:
- Import permit: For materials of animal origin or containing toxins, some countries require a permit obtained in advance; the permit number is written into the shipping documents.
- End-user declaration: A signed statement of the institution in which the material will be used and the purpose for which it will be used; it is assessed together with the use restriction.
- Export control lists: Some toxins appear on dual-use lists. The position of the material to be sent against these lists is checked from the standpoint of both the departure and the destination country.
- Sample shipments: A free sample is also goods as far as customs is concerned; an invoice is issued for it and the declared value reflects reality.
Why an end-user declaration is requested and what other responsibilities the buyer has are covered in the article on buyer obligations.
In what order is the preparation done?
The file is not started once the product is ready for dispatch but while the order is still being discussed. The sequence that works in practice is as follows:
- Find out from the receiving institution the import requirements of the destination country and the permit number, if there is one.
- Determine the delivery terms; this decision settles which party will handle the export and import customs formalities.
- Choose a carrier or freight forwarder that accepts dangerous goods and have the route approved.
- Prepare drafts of the documents; check that the product name, batch number and quantity match in every one.
- Send the file to the customs broker in advance and clear up any gaps they flag before the day of shipment.
- Plan the shipment so that it arrives on a working day when customs formalities can be carried out at the destination.
The last item matters especially for material sent with a coolant. An arrival falling on a weekend or a public holiday can leave the package waiting until its coolant is exhausted.
The file does not close when the shipment sets off, either. The transport document number, the customs declaration number and the delivery date are entered in the batch record, along with the delivery confirmation sent by the buyer. Which batch went to which country with which documents can then be read from a single record, even years later.
The details of our facility's permits, licences and assessment documents are listed on the documents page. The contact page can be used for questions about paperwork specific to your country or for requests for sample documents.
