DEFINITION
A commercial invoice is the seller's invoice for goods that cross a border. Besides being the bill, it is the document customs uses to value the goods and calculate duties, and that carriers, banks and insurers rely on.
For goods leaving or entering the EU it typically shows: seller and buyer with their addresses and VAT or EORI numbers, the invoice number and date, a description of each item with quantity, unit price and currency, the HS code and country of origin, the Incoterm, and the total value. Weights and the number of packages are often added.
Unlike a proforma invoice, which is a quote or a request for prepayment, the commercial invoice records the actual sale. Between EU countries, the ordinary VAT invoice plays this role.
HOW KOLIBRA HELPS
Kolibra produces the invoice from the deal itself: lines, prices, currency, Incoterm and both parties' VAT numbers come from the purchase and sale already recorded, so the document matches what was agreed.