Olive oil export documentation: the six core documents

Q: What documents are needed to export olive oil?

The core file: proforma invoice then commercial invoice , packing list , bill of lading (B/L) , certificate of origin (EUR.1 for the EU, Arab for the Gulf, common law elsewhere) and a COA per lot. Depending on the market, add phytosanitary, organic, halal, fumigation or insurance certificates. Issuer, lead time and cost for each item: see the export document checklist.

Q: What is a proforma invoice?

It is a priced, non-accounting offer that sets product, grade, quantity, price, incoterm, port and payment terms. It enables the buyer to open a letter of credit or wire the deposit, and serves as the template for the final commercial invoice: the two must match.

Q: What is the difference between a proforma invoice and a commercial invoice?

The proforma is an offer (a non-accounting document) issued before the sale; the commercial invoice is the final sales invoice, the basis of the customs value. The commercial invoice must reproduce the proforma data identically and match the packing list and B/L to the cent.

Q: What is the packing list for?

The packing list details the shipment: number of containers (flexitanks/IBCs/drums), net and gross weight , volume, lot numbers, markings. It links the invoice (value) to the B/L (transport). Any discrepancy in weight or number of packages is the leading cause of documentary dispute.

Q: What is the bill of lading (B/L)?

The ocean bill of lading is at once a contract of carriage, a receipt for the goods and a negotiable document of title, issued by the line or the forwarder on loading. Its information (parties, ports, description, weights) must match exactly the invoice and the packing list.

Q: What is a EUR.1 certificate and why is it crucial?

The EUR.1 is the certificate of origin that unlocks the zero rate (0%) within the EU tariff quota 09.4032 (~56,700 t/yr), instead of €124.50/100 kg outside the quota. It is applied for via SICAD from Tunisian Customs. Without it, the margin disappears. Since the quota runs out every year, you must act early.

Q: What is the Arab certificate of origin (GAFTA)?

It is the proof of origin that, under the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) , drops the Gulf customs rate from 5% to 0% . Issued by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it is often required as an original . It is the most profitable document in the file for Gulf markets.

Q: What is a COA and who issues it?

The COA (certificate of analysis) attests to the oil's grade (acidity, peroxide, K232/K270, polyphenols) under the IOC/EU standard. It is issued per lot by the National Oil Office or an IOC-approved laboratory. Some markets impose a specific format (Brazil: SISCOLE arrival analysis).

Q: Why must the documents match each other?

Because customs and banks cross-check invoice, packing list, B/L and certificates. A discrepancy in weight, value, description or lot number blocks clearance or causes a letter of credit to be rejected. Documentary consistency is the first safeguard against disputes and demurrage.

Q: How to avoid documentary consistency errors?

By generating invoice, proforma and packing list from a single entry , then faithfully carrying that data over to the B/L and the certificates. The document generator produces a consistent file in one go and the documentary checklist validates it.

In brief

An olive oil export documentation file rests on one simple principle: consistency. The proforma invoice opens the deal and triggers the deposit or the letter of credit; the commercial invoice is the final sale; the packing list details net/gross weight, lots and packing; the bill of lading (B/L) is the transport title; the certificate of origin (EUR.1 for the EU, Arab certificate of origin for the Gulf, common law elsewhere) unlocks the preferential rate; the COA (certificate of analysis per lot) proves the oil's grade. These six documents must match to the cent and to the kilo: the slightest discrepancy between invoice, packing list and B/L is the leading cause of dispute and of a container being held. Benchmarks.

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Why documentary consistency matters above all else

Direct answer: in olive oil export, the risk is not so much forgetting a document as having documents that contradict each other. Customs and banks compare the invoice, the packing list, the B/L and the certificates: a discrepancy in weight, value, description or lot number is enough to block clearance or to have a letter of credit rejected. The golden rule is therefore to generate the entire file from a single source of data.

The document that is missing — or that diverges — is the one that holds up the container and triggers demurrage by the day. This page focuses on the six core documents and their consistency; for the exhaustive list (phytosanitary, organic, halal, fumigation, insurance, LC) with issuer, lead time and cost item by item, see the export document checklist. The acronyms (B/L, EUR.1, COA, CO…) are defined in the glossary.

The six core documents

Document	Role	Who issues it	Blocking?
Proforma invoice	Priced offer, basis of the deal; triggers deposit / LC	The exporter	Yes (triggers payment)
Commercial invoice	Final sale, customs value	The exporter	Yes
Packing list	Packing detail, net/gross weight, lots	The exporter	Yes
Bill of lading (B/L)	Transport and title document	Shipping line / freight forwarder	Yes
Certificate of origin (CO / EUR.1)	Unlocks the preferential rate at destination	TN Customs (EUR.1) / Chamber of Commerce (Arab CO)	Yes (for 0%)
COA (certificate of analysis)	Proves the oil's grade per lot	ONH / IOC-approved lab	Yes

The proforma invoice

The proforma invoice is the basis of the commercial agreement: it prices the offer (product, grade, quantity, price, incoterm, port, payment terms) and enables the buyer to open a letter of credit or to wire the deposit. It is a non-accounting document — an offer, not a sales invoice. Everything it states must appear identically on the final commercial invoice: it is the template for the entire file.

The commercial invoice

The commercial invoice is the final sales invoice and the basis for the customs value. Nothing must be omitted or misdescribed: if customs open the shipment and find a discrepancy (quantity, value, grade), it is a serious offence. It must match the packing list and the bill of lading to the cent — product description, HS code 1509, incoterm, port, weight, value. It is the first document banks and customs cross-check.

The packing list

The packing list physically details the shipment: number of flexitanks / IBCs / drums, net and gross weight, volume, lot numbers, markings. It is the bridge between the invoice (value) and the B/L (transport). Any discrepancy in weight or number of packages between packing list, invoice and B/L is the leading cause of documentary dispute. Hence the value of generating it, like the invoice, from a single entry — see the document generator.

The bill of lading (B/L)

The ocean bill of lading (B/L) is at once the contract of carriage, the receipt for the goods and a negotiable document of title. Issued by the shipping line or the freight forwarder on loading, it carries the shipper, the consignee (or "to order"), the port of departure (Radès/Sfax), the port of destination, the description of the goods and the weights. This information must match exactly the invoice and the packing list: under a letter of credit, a simple typo on the B/L can have the payment rejected by the bank.

The certificate of origin: CO, EUR.1, Arab certificate

The certificate of origin proves that the oil is indeed of Tunisian origin and unlocks the preferential rate at destination. Several forms exist depending on the market:

Proof of origin	Market	Effect	Issuer
EUR.1	European Union	0% within the EU tariff quota 09.4032 (~56,700 t/yr) instead of €124.50/100 kg outside the quota	Tunisian Customs (application via SICAD)
Arab certificate of origin (GAFTA)	Gulf (KSA, UAE, Qatar…)	0% under the Greater Arab Free Trade Area, instead of 5%	Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Common-law certificate of origin	Other markets (Japan, Brazil, Switzerland…)	Proves origin; the effect depends on the local agreement	Chamber of Commerce / customs

EUR.1 (EU): the most strategic certificate. Without it, the oil loses the zero rate and pays €124.50/100 kg outside the quota — a cost that wipes out any margin. Certificates are applied for via SICAD and the EU quota runs out every year: you must act early in the campaign.
Arab certificate of origin (Gulf): the most profitable document in the file, it drops the GCC rate from 5% to 0% under GAFTA. It often has to be presented as an original.
UK quota: the United Kingdom offers a bilateral quota of 7,723 t/yr at 0%, largely unfilled, on proof of origin — easier access than the EU quota.

The COA (certificate of analysis)

The COA (Certificate of Analysis) attests to the oil's commercial grade — extra virgin (acidity ≤ 0.80%), virgin (≤ 2.0%), lampante/pomace (refining) — via the markers of the IOC/EU standard: acidity, peroxide (≤ 20), K232 (≤ 2.50), K270 (≤ 0.22) and often polyphenols (≥ 250 mg/kg = EFSA health claim). It must be issued per lot by the National Oil Office or an IOC-approved laboratory.

Watch the format required by the market: Brazil imposes an arrival analysis in a laboratory registered with SISCOLE, a specific format whose absence holds up the goods. Quality details on the quality & process page.

Documentary consistency: the rule that avoids disputes

The six documents form a system: what appears on one must appear identically on the others.

Data	Must match across…
Description & HS code 1509	Proforma, invoice, packing list, B/L, CO
Quantity / number of packages	Invoice, packing list, B/L
Net and gross weight	Packing list, B/L, COA
Value & incoterm	Proforma, invoice, (insurance if CIF)
Port of departure / destination	Invoice, B/L, CO
Lot numbers	Packing list, COA

The golden rule: generate invoice, proforma and packing list from a single entry, then faithfully carry that data over to the B/L and the certificates. It is the best safeguard against letter-of-credit rejections and customs holds.

Generate a consistent file in one go with the document generator and validate it with the documentary checklist.

Panel: buyer's side / seller's side

Angle	What documentation changes for you	Reflex
Buyer (importer)	What you must require before paying and what will block your clearance	Require COA per lot, EUR.1 / suitable CO; check your own registration (FDA, SFC, MAPA…)
Seller (exporter making the sale)	The documents that prove your seriousness and justify your price	Present the licence, COA and certifications up front: it shortens the sales cycle
Exporter (Tunisia operations)	The documents to issue and have endorsed, in the right order	Anticipate the EUR.1 (SICAD); generate consistent invoice/packing/B/L from a single entry

Documentation mistakes to avoid

Inconsistency between invoice / packing list / B/L: leading cause of dispute and LC rejection.
Forgetting the EUR.1 / the certificate of origin: loss of the zero rate (€124.50/100 kg outside the EU quota).
Missing the EU quota window: full rate instead of the zero rate, since the quota runs out every year.
COA in the wrong format for the country (Brazil: SISCOLE analysis; Gulf: original).
Imprecise description or HS code on the invoice: a serious offence if customs open the shipment.
Proforma and invoice that diverge: the bank blocks the deposit or the letter of credit.

FAQ — Olive oil export documentation

What documents are needed to export olive oil?

The core file: proforma invoice then commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading (B/L), certificate of origin (EUR.1 for the EU, Arab for the Gulf, common law elsewhere) and a COA per lot. Depending on the market, add phytosanitary, organic, halal, fumigation or insurance certificates. Issuer, lead time and cost for each item: see the export document checklist.

What is a proforma invoice?

It is a priced, non-accounting offer that sets product, grade, quantity, price, incoterm, port and payment terms. It enables the buyer to open a letter of credit or wire the deposit, and serves as the template for the final commercial invoice: the two must match.

What is the difference between a proforma invoice and a commercial invoice?

The proforma is an offer (a non-accounting document) issued before the sale; the commercial invoice is the final sales invoice, the basis of the customs value. The commercial invoice must reproduce the proforma data identically and match the packing list and B/L to the cent.

What is the packing list for?

The packing list details the shipment: number of containers (flexitanks/IBCs/drums), net and gross weight, volume, lot numbers, markings. It links the invoice (value) to the B/L (transport). Any discrepancy in weight or number of packages is the leading cause of documentary dispute.

What is the bill of lading (B/L)?

The ocean bill of lading is at once a contract of carriage, a receipt for the goods and a negotiable document of title, issued by the line or the forwarder on loading. Its information (parties, ports, description, weights) must match exactly the invoice and the packing list.

What is a EUR.1 certificate and why is it crucial?

The EUR.1 is the certificate of origin that unlocks the zero rate (0%) within the EU tariff quota 09.4032 (~56,700 t/yr), instead of €124.50/100 kg outside the quota. It is applied for via SICAD from Tunisian Customs. Without it, the margin disappears. Since the quota runs out every year, you must act early.

What is the Arab certificate of origin (GAFTA)?

It is the proof of origin that, under the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA), drops the Gulf customs rate from 5% to 0%. Issued by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it is often required as an original. It is the most profitable document in the file for Gulf markets.

What is a COA and who issues it?

The COA (certificate of analysis) attests to the oil's grade (acidity, peroxide, K232/K270, polyphenols) under the IOC/EU standard. It is issued per lot by the National Oil Office or an IOC-approved laboratory. Some markets impose a specific format (Brazil: SISCOLE arrival analysis).

Why must the documents match each other?

Because customs and banks cross-check invoice, packing list, B/L and certificates. A discrepancy in weight, value, description or lot number blocks clearance or causes a letter of credit to be rejected. Documentary consistency is the first safeguard against disputes and demurrage.

How to avoid documentary consistency errors?

By generating invoice, proforma and packing list from a single entry, then faithfully carrying that data over to the B/L and the certificates. The document generator produces a consistent file in one go and the documentary checklist validates it.

What happens if a document is missing or incorrect?

The container is held at the port pending regularisation, which triggers demurrage by the day. A forgotten EUR.1 loses the EU zero rate; a COA in the wrong format holds up the goods. The hidden cost of a missing document often exceeds the value of the document itself.

What additional documents are needed depending on the market?

Depending on the destination: phytosanitary/sanitary certificate, EU organic certification (all but required in Germany), SISCOLE analysis (Brazil), product registration (SFDA/ZAD/Watheq for the Gulf), insurance certificate (from CIF onward), and payment documents (letter of credit). See the detail by country on markets by country.

Build a flawless file

You now know the six core documents and the consistency rule that avoids disputes. Next step: generate your file and check it before loading.

Document generator » then documentary checklist ».

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July 2026 data, indicative and to be re-verified before any commitment. Sources: EU regulation (EUR.1 / tariff quota TRQ 09.4032), IOC/T.15/NC trading standard (COA), GAFTA (Arab certificate of origin), international trade practices (proforma, invoice, packing list, B/L, letter of credit), ONH (Tunisia).