Brief the forwarder
Shipping Instruction Maker
Give your freight forwarder cargo, routing, documentation and bill of lading details in one instruction.
Your company
PNG, JPG, SVG or WebP. Max 2MB.
Document details
To (freight forwarder / carrier)
Shipper (as to appear on B/L)
Cargo details
Instruction sections
Additional instructions
No signup required for your first 100 documents. Create an account to save history.
| Description | Packages | Gross kg | CBM | Container type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial water pumps and spares | 12 cartons | 3380 | 5.2 | 1 x 20' GP |
| Control panels, 3-phase IP65 | 12 cartons | 1180 | 3.44 | Same container |
Consignee: East Africa Trading Ltd, Mombasa Road, Nairobi, Kenya, Tel +254 700 000 000. Notify party: same as consignee. Please reproduce this wording exactly on the bill of lading.
Commercial invoice (3 originals), packing list (3 originals), certificate of origin attested by the chamber of commerce, and the marine insurance certificate. Please lodge customs export declaration and return the export bayan with the B/L.
Cargo is non-hazardous. Cartons are palletised, strapped and must be loaded upright. Please confirm gate-in and vessel cut-off in writing and advise immediately of any rollover.
Freight is prepaid per the incoterm above. Do not release original bills of lading until written confirmation is received from our documentation contact. Any amendment must be approved in writing before issue.
Export shipment workflow — step 4 of 6
- Commercial Invoice
- Packing List
- Certificate of Origin
- Shipping Instruction
- Bill of Lading
- Delivery Note
Documents that usually come next
Continue the same workflow without re-typing your company details.
- Bill of Lading Maker
The instruction feeds straight into the bill of lading.
- Packing List Maker
Attach the carton breakdown for the booking.
Related on DocMak
Keep exploring DocMak
- Company Profile Makerbuild a UAE company profile for tenders, banks and clients
- Invoice Makerissue FTA-compliant tax invoices in AED
- Quotation Makersend professional UAE quotations in AED
- Proforma Invoice Makerissue proforma invoices for advance payments and LC openings
- Purchase Order Makerraise purchase orders to UAE suppliers
- UAE VAT Calculatoradd or remove 5% UAE VAT in seconds
GCC business document hub
Browse FTA-ready quotation, invoice, proforma and PO templates for every emirate.
Visit the UAE hubOne instruction, one bill of lading, no amendment fees
Amending a bill of lading after it is issued costs money and can hold a shipment. Nearly every amendment traces back to an instruction given verbally or buried in an email thread. This maker produces a single signed shipping instruction: booking and vessel, ports and cut-offs, cargo and packing, container type, incoterm and freight terms, the exact wording for shipper, consignee and notify party, and the documents required.
Exporters and trading companies across the GCC send it to their forwarder for every shipment, together with the commercial invoice and packing list.
- Booking, vessel or flight, ports and documentation cut-off fields
- Cargo table with packages, weights, volume and container type
- Exact shipper, consignee and notify-party wording for the B/L
- Freight prepaid or collect, incoterm and insurance instructions
- Document checklist section and branded PDF export for the forwarder
How to write shipping instructions
- 1
Give the booking and routing
Quote the booking reference, vessel or flight, port of loading, port of discharge and required cut-off dates.
- 2
Describe cargo and packing
State packages, gross and net weight, volume, container type and any hazardous or temperature requirements.
- 3
Set the bill of lading details
Specify how shipper, consignee and notify party must appear, and how many originals you need.
- 4
List the documents required
Name the invoice, packing list, origin certificate and any attestation, then send the signed instruction.
Frequently asked questions
What are shipping instructions?+
Shipping instructions are the written brief a shipper gives a freight forwarder or carrier for one shipment: the cargo, packing, routing, container type, incoterm, how the bill of lading must be issued and which documents to prepare or collect.
Why send written shipping instructions instead of an email chain?+
Because the bill of lading is issued from them. A single instruction document, signed and dated, is what you point to when a consignee name is misspelled, a notify party is missing or the wrong number of originals is released.
What details are most often wrong?+
Consignee and notify-party names, the number of original bills of lading required, the incoterm, and whether freight is prepaid or collect. Those four fields cause most amendment fees, so check them before signing.
Do shipping instructions replace a booking?+
No. The booking secures space with the carrier; the shipping instruction tells the forwarder how to document the cargo once space is booked. Most forwarders ask for the instruction before the documentation cut-off for the vessel.
Shipping Instruction guide, templates and country rules
Everything that pairs with the shipping instruction generator — the step-by-step guide, the templates businesses use alongside it, and the GCC rules covering local shipping instruction requirements.
Matching guide
Learn how to write a shipping instruction
Related templates
Templates used with a shipping instruction
Country rules