Customs documentation is the only financial category where a translation error has a physical consequence: the cargo stops at the border, the warehouse cost grows by the day, and the customs authority requests an additional inspection or a reclassification of the goods. The same goods must be named exactly the same way in the invoice, the packing list, the waybill and the certificate of origin, otherwise the document package is inconsistent for customs. That is why import and export documentation with us is handled by translators who know the logic of customs procedures, the Incoterms rules and the structure of the goods nomenclature.
The documents we translate
The standard package of an international delivery consists of several closely linked documents:
- Commercial invoice and proforma invoice: description of the goods, quantity, unit price, delivery terms and payment terms
- Packing list: number of packages, gross and net weight, type of packaging
- Transport documents: the CMR consignment note for international road transport, the bill of lading for sea freight, the air waybill and the SMGS rail consignment note
- Certificate of origin: the general form, as well as preferential certificates such as EUR.1 for trade with the European Union and the forms provided for by other free trade agreements
- Customs declaration and the related decisions of the customs authority
- Certificates and permits: certificate of conformity, phytosanitary and veterinary certificates, quality certificate, safety data sheet (MSDS / SDS)
- Foreign trade contract: the supply contract on Incoterms conditions, annexes and specifications
Incoterms and commodity codes: terminology that is not translated but must be understood
The three-letter abbreviations of Incoterms 2020 (EXW, FCA, FOB, CIF, DAP, DDP and others) stay unchanged in the translation, but the translator must know what each of them means, because the rest of the text of the contract and the invoice is built on exactly these conditions: who pays for transport, where the risk passes, who carries out customs clearance. A translation of the description of "delivered duty paid" that misrepresents the carrier's responsibility becomes grounds for a dispute.
Commodity codes under the Harmonized System (HS) and Georgia's national commodity nomenclature of foreign economic activity are written in figures and are not translated, but the verbal description of the goods must correspond to the official name of the code. A translator who does not know the logic of the nomenclature describes the goods in such a way that the customs inspector has grounds to check or change the code.
Customs terminology with exact equivalents
- Customs value and the methods of determining it
- Import duty, excise, import VAT, which is later credited in the VAT return
- Customs procedures: release for free circulation, export, re-export, temporary admission, customs warehousing, inward processing, transit
- Preferential and non-preferential origin
- Declarant and customs broker / representative
- Gross and net weight, number of packages
- Consignor and consignee, carrier, freight forwarder
- Customs control, physical inspection, customs offence
Free trade agreements and proof of origin
Georgia has a free trade regime with the European Union (DCFTA), China, Turkey, the EFTA countries, the United Kingdom and the CIS member states. The precondition for using a customs preference is correct proof of the origin of the goods, and the translation of the certificate of origin and the related manufacturer's declaration for the partner country's customs must correspond exactly to the wording defined by the agreement. For a Georgian exporter this means that the document must be translated into the language of the receiving country with the terminology that the customs authority there officially recognises.
Why consistency is the most important thing in customs translation
The customs inspector compares the invoice, the packing list, the waybill and the declaration with each other. If in one document the goods are "stainless steel pipes" and in another "steel pipeline", that is an inconsistency which triggers an additional check. Our approach:
- one translator, or a team working with a single terminology base, works on all the documents of one delivery
- the names of the goods, brands, model numbers and article numbers are written identically across the whole package
- units of measurement, weight and quantity are verified one by one against the original
- for a regular client a bilingual base of the goods nomenclature is kept, so that every subsequent delivery is translated with the same terms
- the same base is used for other documents of the financial and business translation practice too, for example in a bank statement or an audit report in which the same goods or counterparty appear
Who needs customs documentation translation
- Importers: the foreign supplier's invoice, certificates and technical documentation for Georgian customs clearance
- Exporters: the Georgian certificate of origin, quality documents and the contract for the receiving country's customs and partner
- Logistics companies and customs brokers: multilingual transport documentation for transit and multimodal shipments
- Manufacturers: certificates, technical passports and safety data sheets for export markets
- Legal departments: customs disputes, offence reports and appeal documentation
Deadlines and certification
Customs documentation rarely tolerates waiting: the cargo is already on its way or standing at the border. An invoice, packing list and waybill are usually ready within one working day or faster, and with clients who have regular deliveries we work to an express deadline agreed in advance. For the customs authorities a translation certified with the agency's seal is, as a rule, sufficient, while for a court dispute and some foreign bodies we prepare a notarized translation.
Frequently asked questions
Are Incoterms abbreviations and HS codes translated?
No, they stay unchanged. What is translated is their explanation and the verbal description of the goods, which must correspond to the official name in the nomenclature.
What happens if the name of the goods in the invoice and the certificate of origin does not match?
For customs this is an inconsistency and it triggers an additional check or a reclassification of the goods. That is exactly why we translate all the documents of one delivery with one terminology base and check the names across the whole package.
Is a translation certified with the agency's seal enough for customs?
For Georgian customs clearance, as a rule, yes. Notarization is needed in a court dispute or when a foreign body or partner bank explicitly requires it.
How fast can you translate an invoice and a waybill?
A standard import package is ready within one working day, in urgent cases within a few hours. With companies that have regular deliveries we work to an express deadline agreed in advance.
Can you translate technical certificates and the MSDS together with the customs package?
Yes. The certificate of conformity, the safety data sheet and the technical specification are translated in the same project, so that the name and characteristics of the goods are the same in every document.
Do you keep our goods terminology for subsequent deliveries?
Yes. For a regular client a bilingual base of the goods nomenclature is created and the documents of every subsequent delivery are translated with the same terms, which saves time and ensures consistency for customs.