Customs packets checked before the declaration is filed

The problem

1. 01

   One shipment. Many documents. Many formats.

   Every shipment packet holds 5 to 10 documents that must match: the commercial invoice, the packing list, the bill of lading or air waybill, and a certificate of origin such as an EUR.1 or an A.TR. Each one is keyed again into the declaration, and every re-key is a chance for a typo in a weight, a value or a tariff code.

2. 02

   A small mismatch turns into a customs query.

   The invoice says 1,240 kg, the packing list says 1,262.5 kg. The consignee name differs by one word. Customs asks questions and the release slips. Post-clearance audits can find the same gap months later.

3. 03

   Every day at the terminal costs money.

   After free time, container detention and demurrage are charged per box per day, and reefers cost more. Late corrections to a declaration add days to that clock. Speed comes from getting the data right the first time.

One packet, checked as a whole

One shipment, five documents, one set of checks

Documind reads the whole packet and checks the documents against each other. A mismatch stops the value from being approved and names the rule that failed.

• invoice.total ↔ declaration.customs_value

  The invoice total matches the customs value on the declaration draft, after the freight and insurance adjustments you define.

• packing_list.gross_weight ↔ bill_of_lading.gross_weight

  Gross weights agree within the tolerance you set, for example 0.5%.

• bill_of_lading.container_no ↔ packing_list.container_no

  Same container number on both documents, and the ISO 6346 check digit passes.

• invoice.line.hs6 ↔ declaration.tariff_code

  The first six digits of the national tariff code match the HS code on the invoice line.

• a_tr.issue_date ↔ presentation_date

  The A.TR is presented within four months of its issue date.

• invoice.buyer ↔ bill_of_lading.consignee

  Buyer and consignee are the same legal entity; name variants go to a reviewer.

Documents Documind reads

Checks that matter here

• Σ HS and tariff code format

  A tariff code in the wrong format, or an HS code that differs between invoice, origin certificate and declaration.

• Σ ISO 6346 check digit

  A mistyped container number on the B/L or the packing list.

• Σ Tax ID check digits

  A wrong tax ID for the importer, the exporter or the declarant.

• Σ IBAN checksum

  A wrong bank account on the invoice.

• Σ Sums and arithmetic

  Line items that do not add up to the invoice total.

• Σ Dates and validity windows

  An A.TR outside its four-month window, or an invoice dated after the B/L.

Cross-document validation

How it works

When it is not sure, it asks

What you get

• Mixed-packet splitting

  One PDF, many documents.

  Documind finds each document in a combined file. A 40-page scan with an invoice on page 3, a packing list on pages 4 to 6 and a CMR on page 9 becomes separate, labelled documents.

• Certificate-aware extraction

  A.TR, EUR.1 and other origin certificates, read the same way.

  Documind reads certificate numbers, issue dates, origin criteria and validity. It checks that an A.TR is presented within its four-month window. An A.TR proves free circulation, not origin, and the rules treat it that way.

• HS and tariff code validation

  Format and consistency, checked as code.

  Documind validates the national tariff code format and checks that the HS code agrees across the invoice, the origin certificate and the declaration draft. A licensed person still decides the classification.

• Cross-document rules you approve

  Describe the rule. Approve the code.

  Describe a rule such as "packing-list gross weight matches the B/L within 0.5%". The AI assistant writes the validation code, which is compiled and checked before you accept it. A failed rule shows both values and both pages.

• New forms without a training project

  Describe the document and give examples.

  Add a supplier certificate, a phytosanitary certificate or a conformity certificate by describing its fields and adding a few examples. Documind generates the schema, the extraction prompt and the validation code for you to approve.

• Your servers, your record

  Your data center. Your tamper-proof record.

  Documind runs in your data center, including air-gapped, on AI models you own. Every decision and every edit is saved in a tamper-proof record. Each entry is linked to the one before it, so a change cannot go unnoticed, and RFC 3161 timestamps (a trusted time stamp that proves when each step happened) are added.

Sample output

A five-document import packet after the checks: two values approved with evidence, two stopped by rules, one routed to a reviewer.

{  "packet_id": "PKT-2026-0412-0093",  "status": "needs_review",  "documents": [    { "type": "commercial_invoice", "pages": [3] },    { "type": "packing_list", "pages": [4, 5] },    { "type": "a_tr", "pages": [7] },    { "type": "bill_of_lading", "pages": [9] },    { "type": "customs_declaration_draft", "pages": [11] }  ],  "fields": {    "invoice.total_value": {      "value": "48250.00 EUR",      "status": "approved",      "evidence": [        { "type": "citation", "page": 3, "bbox": [612, 1128, 884, 1162] },        { "type": "model_agreement", "models": 3, "agrees": true },        { "type": "rule", "id": "line_items_sum", "pass": true }1      ]    },    "bill_of_lading.container_number": {      "value": "DMXU4821935",      "status": "approved",      "evidence": [        { "type": "citation", "page": 9, "bbox": [88, 702, 340, 731] },        { "type": "rule", "id": "iso6346_check_digit", "pass": true }2      ]    },    "packing_list.gross_weight_kg": {      "value": 1262.5,      "status": "veto",      "evidence": [        { "type": "citation", "page": 5, "bbox": [540, 1090, 940, 1150] },        { "type": "rule", "id": "gross_weight_match_bl", "pass": false, "detail": "B/L 1240.0 kg, difference 1.8%, tolerance 0.5%" }3      ]    },    "declaration_draft.gtip": {      "value": "8459.50.00.00.00",      "status": "veto",      "evidence": [        { "type": "rule", "id": "hs6_matches_invoice", "pass": false, "detail": "invoice line HS 845959" }4      ]    },    "bill_of_lading.consignee": {      "value": null,      "status": "needs_review",      "reason": "Name variant: 'Atlas Machinery Industries Limited' vs invoice buyer 'Atlas Machinery Industries Ltd.'"5    },    "a_tr.issue_date": {      "value": "2026-10-02",      "status": "approved",      "evidence": [        { "type": "citation", "page": 7, "bbox": [60, 1010, 500, 1340] },        { "type": "rule", "id": "atr_within_4_months", "pass": true, "detail": "valid until 2027-02-02" }      ]    }  }}

Outputs and deployment

Documind prepares validated data for your declaration software, TMS or ERP. It connects through built-in connectors and an open API.

Built-in connectors and outputs

• Email (IMAP)

  Forward packets to a customs inbox; each message starts a run.

• SFTP and S3

  Pick up scans from a folder or bucket and deliver results back.

• Google Drive

  Watch a shared folder for new packets.

• Signed webhooks

  Push approved data to your declaration software, TMS or ERP.

• SAP IDoc output

  Write validated invoice data as an IDoc, for example INVOIC02.

• JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, PDF

  Export results in the format your team already uses.

Outcome targets

Targets, not customer results. We measure them with you in a pilot.

Fields typed by hand

Exceptions only

Target: most fields pre-filled above your threshold, so reviewers see exceptions only.

Mismatches that reach customs

Caught before filing

Target: cross-document checks catch weight, value, party and origin mismatches before the declaration is filed.

Packet turnaround

Minutes, not hours

Target: a 10-page packet ready for review in minutes. We measure the time from email receipt to approved data in your pilot.

Context

• [1] Türkiye made about 9.4 million customs declarations in 2025: 5.7 million export and 3.7 million import (reported). Source: Ekonomi Gazetesi, 26 January 2026 (opens in new tab)
• [2] Dry-container detention and demurrage at Turkish import terminals: USD 60 to 150 per day after free time (Maersk tariff effective 15 September 2025). Source: Maersk Türkiye import tariff (opens in new tab)
• [3] EU ICS2 release 3 covers sea, rail, road and inland waterway since 3 June 2024; road and rail carriers phased in from 1 April to 1 September 2025. Source: Irish Revenue, ICS2 release schedule (opens in new tab)
• [4] An A.TR proves free circulation between the EU and Türkiye, not origin, and is valid for four months from issue. Source: KVK (Netherlands Chamber of Commerce) (opens in new tab)

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