International shipping involves transporting goods from one country to another. While the required information for an international shipment is similar to that of domestic shipping, there are a few additional details needed. Along with the Ship From and Ship To addresses, and shipment details (such as dimensions and weight of handling units), other information may be required depending on the origin and destination countries, the carrier type, and the nature of the product being shipped.
For international shipments, the following information may be necessary:
Tax ID
Some countries may require a Tax ID for the Ship From address or the exporter of record.
The Ship To Tax ID (also known as an EIN in the US) may be required for some countries. Currently, this includes Brazil, Argentina, and the UK. The system will notify you if this information is required. For shipments to countries in the EU, Northern Ireland, and Switzerland, the required number is the Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number.
If the shipment has a Tax ID in the Ship To address, it will populate on the invoice. If the Tax ID is blank, the EIN will populate instead.
Product Details
This information is required for all international shipments, except when shipping LTL between the US, Mexico, and Canada.
It is crucial that the following data is accurate, as FreightPOP submits it to customs during the shipping process, primarily for parcel carriers. Key fields to note include
Schedule B/HTS: The harmonized tariff code, if applicable, so customs can properly classify the product and apply any relevant export or import taxes or restrictions. This field is only required for international shipments and must be at least 6 digits long.
ECCN/USML: If required for your product, the government will provide a number. If not, the default will be EAR99.
License: If an export license is required for your product, it must be provided. Otherwise, the default will be NLR (No License Required).
ITN No: Required for any shipment from the US to another country containing commodities worth over $2500. Shipments under this threshold are exempt, and FreightPOP will process it as NO EEI 30.37(a). Any shipment over $2500 needs an ITN filed using AES unless one of the exemption codes applies. The ITN number can be obtained by:
Requesting it directly from the AES website.
Filing through a carrier website.
Setting up FreightPOP to file on your behalf through the EEI / AES / ITN Filing process.
Total Price: This must be greater than $0. If not, you will receive a warning: “CUSTOMS VALUE NEEDS TO BE MORE THAN $0”.
FreightPOP will send all data for parcel carriers directly to the carrier for submission to customs once all required fields are filled out. These fields can be found under the Product Details tab on the Quote/Ship page.
To view additional Product Details, the user can select the ellipsis button in the bottom right corner.
The Additional section of the Product Details side panel contains the DDTC Quantity/UOM (Unit of Measure), ECCN/USML, SCH B/HTS, and License fields.
Certain countries may require specific documents for importing and exporting products.
Required Documents for International Shipping
Commercial invoice
Packing slip
Shipping labels (for parcel carriers)
Bill of Lading (BOL) for LTL carriers
Shipper's Letter of Instruction (SLI) for freight forwarders
USMCA when shipping to Canada (for some companies)
Additional documents may be necessary depending on the destination country or industry.