Export documents fail in a handful of repeated ways, and a checklist is how an office stops rediscovering them on a Friday. The failures themselves are described at https://goodsandgrain.trade/paperwork-mistakes-that-delay-cargo. This page is the pass you make after the drafts exist and before the courier does. It assumes a grain cargo that needs an invoice, a transport document, a weight, and often a health or origin certificate.

Names and roles

Copy the seller, the buyer, and any notify party from the contract. Paste them. If a letter of credit is paying, the beneficiary line wins ties, and the credit’s rules are explained at https://goodsandgrain.trade/letter-of-credit-grain-sale. A division, a brand, and a legal entity are not the same string. Pick the one that can get paid and use it everywhere.

The vessel name and the port names should match the fixture and the bill of lading. An old port from a recycled file is a classic.

Quantity, unit, and description

One commodity description, one unit, one weight story. If the weight is provisional, every page that uses it should say provisional. Weight certificates and the difference between shore scales and draft surveys are covered at https://goodsandgrain.trade/grain-weight-certificates. The invoice should use the same figure the contract says governs, not the figure that makes the total look round. Invoice contents are listed at https://goodsandgrain.trade/grain-commercial-invoice-contents.

If bags are involved, the packing list count matches the transport document. Do not leave a bag count only on a spreadsheet.

Originals and where they go

Count the originals required. Count the originals in hand. Record the courier and the date. A scan is a courtesy unless the contract and the carrier are in a system that replaces paper. If you are unsure, send paper. Losing a day to a courier is cheaper than losing a presentation because a scan was not what the credit allowed.

Keep a full copy of what you sent. The argument later will be about which version left the building.

Dates and conditions

Lay the bill of lading date, the inspection dates, and the shipment window in a row. Phytosanitary certificates have their own timing habits, described at https://goodsandgrain.trade/phytosanitary-certificates-explained. A certificate that expired, or one issued so early it no longer describes the loaded cargo, should be reissued before the set travels. Unstamped corrections do not count as reissues.

Read any latest-date and expiry on a credit with the city where documents must be presented. The date is useless if the place is unreachable in time.

A second person and a stop

Someone who did not prepare the set reads this list and initials it. If a line fails, the set does not leave. Heroic same-day fixes are how unchecked pages get on the truck. The goal is a boring envelope. Boring envelopes get grain paid for and released.

This checklist is office practice, not legal advice. A credit or a sale with unusual certificates deserves a document specialist before the first loading, not only before the last courier.

Frequently asked questions

Can we send the set and correct it later?

Only if you enjoy discrepancies. Correct, then send. Later is how waivers and discounts enter the story.

Who should be the second reader?

A person who can compare names, units, and dates and who did not type the pages.

Do bulk and bagged cargoes share this list?

They share names, weights, dates, and originals. Bagged cargoes add a packing list and marks. Bulk cargoes lean on the weight certificate.

Steps

Paste the legal names: Use one spelling for seller, buyer, and notify party on every page.
Match quantity and unit: Confirm invoice, weight certificate, and bill of lading share one figure and one unit.
Count originals: Put the required originals in the envelope and keep a record of what you sent.
Check the dates: See that certificate dates, the bill of lading date, and the credit window tell one timeline.