Shipper's Letter of Instruction (SLI) Generator

The SLI itself isn't mandated — but the things it conveys often are: EEI filing authority must exist somewhere in writing for a forwarder to file AES as your agent, and the FTR holds the USPPI responsible for the export data regardless of who files. The SLI is the standard, auditable home for that authorization plus your routing instructions; skipping it doesn't skip the obligations, just the evidence.

Electronic Export Information — the export declaration filed in the Automated Export System (AES) for US exports valued over $2,500 per Schedule B classification, all licensed shipments, and certain destinations regardless of value. The filing returns an ITN that must appear on the export docs before cargo departs. Penalties for non-filing or late filing run to $10,000+ per violation — which is why the SLI's filing block deserves a real answer, not a default.

In a routed transaction the FOREIGN buyer's forwarder controls the export and files the EEI from data you provide; you remain the USPPI with data-accuracy obligations but lose routing control. The SLI still matters — it documents what you provided and authorized. Many disputes about 'who should have filed' trace to routed transactions where neither side wrote anything down; the FTR has specific provisions, and your SLI is your half of the paper trail.

Yes — the forwarder executes from the SLI, not from your sales contract they never see. The Incoterm drives who books and pays which leg; the insurance instruction (arrange vs already-covered, and the insured value basis like CIF+10%) prevents both double-insurance and the catastrophic gap. One page restating the operative terms costs a minute and pre-empts the classic 'we assumed you had insurance' incident.