Document templates for olive oil export: the complete library

In brief

• This page brings together the 7 document templates that structure an olive oil export sale: pro forma invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, sales contract, distribution agreement, private label agreement and NDA, letter of credit.
• These are teaching drafts to be adapted, never contractual documents ready to sign.
• Each page explains what the document is for, its essential details or clauses, and the common mistakes.
• Three of them cannot be self-issued: the certificate of origin is issued by an authority, the letter of credit is a banking instrument, and every contract must be reviewed by a lawyer.
• The rule that governs the whole file: absolute consistency between pro forma invoice, commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading.

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What is this template library for?

Exporting olive oil means producing a consistent set of documents. Payment is not triggered by the goods but by paperwork: the buyer's bank pays against compliant documents, customs clears against matching documents, the freight forwarder loads against a complete file. An exporter who discovers these documents while loading their first container loses weeks — and sometimes the payment itself.

These seven pages therefore have one simple aim: helping you understand each document before you need it. For each one you will find its exact role in the transaction, what it must contain, the mistakes that block a shipment, and an annotated draft to receive by email.

They read just as well from the seller's side (what I must issue) as from the buyer's side (what I must demand from my supplier before wiring a deposit).

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What these templates are — and what they are not

This is the most important point on this page.

They are templates to adapt. Each draft is a working tool: it shows you the expected structure, the sections you must not forget, and the vocabulary of international trade. It saves you from the blank page and from obvious omissions.

They are not ready-to-use contractual documents. None of these drafts can be signed as it stands:

• the applicable law varies by country — distribution law (exclusivity, termination, compensation), product liability, food law and taxation all carry mandatory rules specific to each market;
• your lot specifications (grade, quality markers, tolerances, packaging, Incoterm) are unique and must replace the examples;
• some documents are not issued by you: a certificate of origin is stamped by customs or a chamber of commerce, a letter of credit is opened by a bank.

Every draft must therefore be reviewed and approved by a lawyer, and the logistics part by your freight forwarder. These pages are neither legal advice, nor tax advice, nor financial advice.

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The 7 templates in the order of an export sale

Stage	Document	Role
1. Private label first contact	NDA + private label agreement	Protect your exchanges, then frame production under your brand
2. Offer	Pro forma invoice	Formalise the offer, trigger the deposit or the opening of the documentary credit
3. Commitment	Export sales contract	Set quality, tolerances, Incoterm, payment, disputes
3b. Long-term relationship	Distribution agreement	Frame territory, exclusivity, targets, duration, termination
4. Payment security	Letter of credit	Replace the buyer's goodwill with a bank's undertaking
5. Shipment	Packing list	Describe the packing: packages, net and gross weight, lot numbers
6. Customs clearance	Certificate of origin	Prove Tunisian origin and unlock the tariff preference

The order is not rigid: a one-off sale skips the distribution stage, a long-standing customer does without a letter of credit. But the sequence offer → contract → payment → shipment → customs stays the same.

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Template by template

Pro forma invoice

The first commercial document of the transaction. It is not an accounting invoice: it is an offer, and it records no receivable. Yet it is what allows the buyer to wire a deposit, apply for an import licence or have a documentary credit opened. Decisive details: precise description of the oil, HS code 1509, quantity, Incoterm with its named place ("FOB Radès", not "FOB"), price, currency and, above all, the validity period of the offer. It is the matrix for every document that follows.

Packing list

The physical description of the shipment: number of packages, format (200 L drum, 1,000 L IBC, flexitank), net and gross weight, dimensions, lot numbers. It carries no prices — that is what distinguishes it from the invoice. Customs, the freight forwarder and the importer read it to check what is actually inside the container, and the lot numbers link each package to its certificate of analysis.

Certificate of origin

The document that proves Tunisian origin and unlocks the customs advantage. It is not universal: EUR.1 (or EUROMED) for the European Union and EFTA, issued by Tunisian customs; the Arab certificate of origin for the Gulf and Arab countries, issued by the chamber of commerce; the ordinary certificate of origin for markets outside any agreement (United States, Canada, Japan, Brazil). It is an official document stamped by an authority: the page teaches you how to prepare the file, not how to issue the form yourself.

Export sales contract

The legal backbone of a transaction. On olive oil, its core is the quality clause: commercial grade, markers (free acidity, peroxide value…), accepted tolerances, control through a per-lot COA, and a quality arbitration procedure in case of disagreement. That is where most disputes are born. The contract also sets the Incoterms 2020 rule, payment, lead times, governing law and the competent court or arbitration.

Distribution agreement

Where the sales contract governs one transaction, this one governs a long-term relationship: a distributor buys to resell in its own name on a territory. Sensitive clauses: territory, exclusivity (exclusive, selective or non-exclusive), volume targets, prices and discounts, duration and renewal, brand use and, above all, termination conditions (notice, grounds, possible compensation), which are subject to mandatory rules that vary widely from country to country.

Private label agreement and NDA

The document pair of an OEM project: a supplier produces, you sell under your brand. The NDA is signed before any sensitive exchange (specifications, target prices, brand project, customers). The private label agreement comes next: quality specifications, packaging, labelling, volumes, exclusivity, liability, termination. The critical, non-negotiable point: your brand and your recipes remain your property, never the supplier's. See also our private label offer.

Letter of credit

The most secure payment method in international trade: a bank undertakes to pay the seller against presentation of compliant documents. It is governed by the UCP 600 of the International Chamber of Commerce, whose founding principle is blunt: banks deal in documents, not goods. The slightest discrepancy can block payment. An irrevocable and confirmed credit offers the seller the best protection. This is not a form to fill in but an instrument to understand — and to set up with your bank.

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How to use these templates: the 5-step method

1. Start from the right document. First identify where you stand in the transaction (offer, commitment, payment, shipment, customs) and open the matching page in the table above.
2. Replace every example with your real data. Grade, crop year, variety, format, weights, Incoterm and named place, currency, lead times: no example value must survive.
3. Check consistency across documents. Pro forma invoice, commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading must match to the kilo and to the unit. This is the leading cause of documentary disputes and physical customs inspections. The export document checklist exists precisely for this.
4. Get it validated. A lawyer for the contracts, your freight forwarder for logistics and packing, your bank for the documentary credit, the issuing body (customs or chamber of commerce) for the certificate of origin.
5. Archive by lot. Keep the complete file attached to the lot number and its certificate of analysis: that is what lets you answer a quality claim six months later in minutes.

To generate a consistent pro forma invoice and packing list, use the document generator; to assemble a full contractual file, the contract kit.

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The documents you cannot improvise

Three items in the file escape the "template to fill in" logic:

• EUR.1 is an official regulated form, completed and stamped under the customs procedure. A first application for a certificate of origin at a chamber of commerce often requires filing, once, a complete origin justification file.
• The letter of credit is opened by the buyer's bank; the seller lives with its terms. The real work is reading the credit text as soon as it is issued and having anything unworkable amended before shipping.
• The certificate of analysis (COA) is not a template at all: it is issued by an IOC-approved laboratory, lot by lot. See IOC-approved laboratories and the guide on reading a COA.

For the overall picture of the export file, see export documentation and the guide to export documents. Technical vocabulary is defined in the glossary.

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FAQ — Olive oil export document templates

Can these templates be used as they are?

No. They are teaching drafts to be adapted to your transaction, then validated by a lawyer and, for the logistics part, by your freight forwarder. They are neither legal advice nor tax or financial advice. Applicable law, taxation and mandatory rules vary by country.

How many templates does this library cover?

Seven: pro forma invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, export sales contract, distribution agreement, private label agreement with NDA, and letter of credit. Each has a dedicated page explaining its role, its essential details or clauses, and the common mistakes.

What is the difference between a pro forma and a commercial invoice?

The pro forma is an offer: it has no accounting value and records no receivable. The commercial invoice is the final sales document, used for customs clearance. Both must match perfectly: the pro forma is the matrix for the commercial invoice.

In what order do these documents come into play?

NDA and private label agreement upstream of an OEM project, then pro forma invoice (offer), sales or distribution contract (commitment), letter of credit (payment security), packing list (shipment) and certificate of origin (customs clearance).

Why does consistency between documents matter so much?

Because customs compares the invoice, the packing list and the bill of lading, and the bank compares the documents with the letter of credit. A gap in weight, quantity or amount triggers a physical inspection or a documentary discrepancy that blocks payment.

Is the certificate of origin a template to download?

No. It is an official document issued by an authority: EUR.1 by Tunisian customs, the Arab certificate of origin and the ordinary one by the chamber of commerce. Our page explains which certificate matches which market and how to prepare the file, not how to issue the form yourself.

Sales contract or distribution agreement: which one?

The sales contract covers a one-off transaction. The distribution agreement covers a lasting framework relationship, with territory, exclusivity, volume targets and termination conditions. Both can coexist: a distribution framework agreement, then successive sales.

Is an NDA needed before discussing private label?

Yes, it is the prerequisite of any serious negotiation. You exchange specifications, target prices, a brand project and sometimes customer data: the NDA prohibits their disclosure and misuse. The private label agreement comes later, when the project firms up.

What is a "discrepancy" in a letter of credit?

A gap between the documents presented and what the credit text requires: an expired date, a different weight, a product description that is not identical, a missing document. Under UCP 600, banks deal in documents and not in goods, so one discrepancy is enough to suspend payment.

Where can I find the rest of the export file?

The overall picture is on the export documentation page, the step-by-step method in the export documents guide, and the item-by-item check in the export document checklist.

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A documentary file ready for your first order

Every Zitouna Export quotation ships with the reference sample, its per-lot certificate of analysis and the documentary file matching the destination market. Describe your project and we will tell you exactly which documents will be issued, by whom, and when.

Request a free quote — dated quotation, sample, COA and market-specific document file.