After the shipment of goods, the exporter informs the importer about the shipment of goods. The importer needs various documents to claim the title of goods on their arrival at his/her country and getting them customs cleared. The documents that are needed in this connection include a
certified copy of invoice, bill of lading, packing list, insurance policy, certificate of origin and letter of credit. The exporter sends these documents through his/her banker with the instruction that these may be delivered to the importer after » acceptance of the bill of exchange, a document which is sent along with the above-mentioned documents. Submission of the relevant documents to the bank for the purpose of getting the payment from the bank is called ‘negotiation of the documents’.