You need export documents for every shipment to a destination outside the EU VAT area, for example Switzerland or the USA. For Pickware to create them together with the shipping label, three places must be maintained: the shipping method, the products and the general settings for shipping labels. If mandatory information is missing there, for example the country of origin on the product or the Incoterm, the label cannot be created.
When do I need export documents?
You need export documents for all destinations outside the EU VAT area. This also includes territories that belong to an EU country but not to the EU VAT area, for example the Canary Islands and Réunion.
For shipments to Heligoland, on the other hand, you do not need export documents.
Step 1: Set up the shipping method for export
You activate the export documents in the shipping method. To do so, open the shipping method under Settings → Shop → Shipping and go to the Carrier section for the export documents.
Select an international product of the carrier, for example DHL Paket International. Labels to other countries fail with "DHL Paket".
Activate Create export documents.
Select an Incoterm. For DHL Paket International, Pickware offers the four Incoterms specified by DHL. DHL no longer accepts EXW. Use DDP or DAP instead.
For international DHL shipments, define the Advance instruction, that is, what should happen to undeliverable parcels.
You can find more details on the shipping method settings in How do I configure the shipping methods so that the correct carrier products are selected automatically?
Shipments to the USA with PDDP
For shipments to the USA, you use the PDDP (Postal Delivered Duty Paid) service with DHL. This is how you set up the shipping method:
The product must be a DHL international product.
Select the Incoterm DDP.
Additionally, activate Assumption of import duties.
Attention: PDDP only applies if the Assumption of import duties switch is also active when the label is created. If you deactivate it when creating an individual label, or if you select a different shipping method in the WMS App, PDDP does not apply to this label.
Step 2: Maintain customs information on the product
For the export documents, each product needs its own customs information. You maintain it in the product properties in the Customs information card.
Tariff number (HS code) – 4 to 11 characters
Country of origin
Description – at most 50 characters. Without a description, Pickware uses the product name, which is often too long.
If an item in the order has the value 0, for example a free item, customs still needs a value. To do this, enter a Fallback customs value on the product under Customs information, for example the purchase price. Pickware uses it automatically if the item in the order has the value 0.
You can find where the individual fields are located in Which product information can I maintain with Pickware?
Note: Since the update "Tariff numbers per destination country" (07/2026), you maintain the tariff number in the Customs information card. Pickware transfers existing tariff numbers in the background via the message queue. If the card is empty after the update, check whether the message queue is being processed.
Step 3: Enter general customs details
Some customs details apply to all shipments. You enter them under Settings → Extensions → Shipping labels common in the customs information section.
Office of origin – name or address of the post office you ship from, with at most 35 characters. If the entry is longer, the error
officeOfOriginappears. DHL Express requires this field, otherwise the errorplaceOfIncotermappears.Customs identification numbers of the sender – here you enter your customs numbers, for example EORI number, VAT ID or IOSS number, each with type and issuing country.
All fields on this settings page are explained in What general settings are there for shipping labels?
Export documents with DHL Express and UPS
With DHL Express, Pickware transmits the customs data electronically (Paperless Trade) if Express Worldwide with the shipment type Merchandise shipment is selected in the shipping method. For Express Worldwide, you also need the tariff number (HS code) and country of origin on the product.
For UPS, you can have commercial invoices created together with the shipping label. You do not need to maintain the customs description on the product for UPS; without it, Pickware passes on the item name.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the WMS App not print the export document?
Export documents and customs documents such as the customs declaration (CN23) have no dedicated document type in the WMS App. The app usually prints them via the printer you have assigned to the paper format Default DIN A4. If no printer is assigned there, the app only displays the document instead of printing it.
Therefore, in the WMS App under Settings → Printer, use Select paper format to assign an A4 document printer for Default DIN A4. You can read how to do this in detail in How can I set up a printer in the WMS App?.