AliExpress is fantastic for low‑cost sourcing, but it is not fantastic at issuing proper invoices. That gap matters when you file taxes, claim GST or VAT credits, prove landed costs to customs, or simply stay audit‑ready. This handbook compares invoice and record requirements in six non‑EU regions that dominate AliExpress purchasing: the United States, Canada, Australia, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Mexico. You will also see how to generate clean, compliant PDFs for any AliExpress order in one click using AliBilling, so your books and returns line up under scrutiny.
If you are new to one‑click invoices inside AliExpress, the quick setup guide at How to download AliExpress invoice explains the flow in plain language on this page. You can also find a longer tutorial with screenshots on the AliBilling blog.
Why invoices matter for non‑EU AliExpress buyers
- You need a traceable document that shows the seller, buyer, description of goods, amounts, currency, taxes collected or not, shipment details, and dates for bookkeeping and potential audits.
- Customs agencies often require a commercial invoice for imports. In the United States, the federal rule at 19 CFR 141.86 details mandatory commercial invoice contents, including port of entry, seller and buyer details, a detailed description of goods, quantities, currency, all charges, and country of origin.
- Where GST or VAT is involved, you often need a compliant tax invoice to support credits. The Canada Revenue Agency’s receipt and invoice rules and formal ITC documentary requirements are good examples.
- Digital regimes are evolving. Saudi Arabia’s e‑invoicing phases and QR codes on simplified receipts, the UAE’s VAT invoice rules, Mexico’s CFDI 4.0, and Brazil’s NF‑e each set specific data points a compliant invoice must contain.
AliBilling’s Chrome extension places a Download Invoice button next to each AliExpress order and produces printer‑friendly PDFs with customizable fields for your business name, VAT or tax IDs, supplier details, date formats, and more. You can learn how it keeps a clean audit trail in this guide to audit‑proof invoices. Pricing is straightforward and flexible, with unlimited downloads and support shown on the pricing page.
United States: commercial invoices for imports and clean records for taxes
The United States does not use a national VAT system, so there is no federal “tax invoice” template for domestic credits. Compliance focuses on two areas: customs documentation for imports and recordkeeping for tax substantiation.
For imports, the commercial invoice is the anchor document. The federal regulation on invoice contents lays it out plainly. According to 19 CFR 141.86, each commercial invoice must include the port of entry, the time, place, seller and buyer, a detailed description of goods, quantities and measures, purchase price or value, currency type, all charges itemized, any rebates or bounties, the country of origin, and any assists not in the invoice price. That list is long for a reason. Customs uses it to determine classification, value, and duties. If your shipment is selected, having a well‑formatted invoice that mirrors these fields saves days of back‑and‑forth.
For tax records, the Internal Revenue Service expects you to keep documentation that clearly shows income and deductible expenses. The overview in What kind of records should I keep explains that supporting documents include sales slips, paid bills, invoices, receipts, and deposit slips, and that you should organize them by year and type. If you are audited, you will be asked to substantiate business purchases with invoices and proof of payment. Electronic systems are fine as long as they capture the same details.
How AliBilling helps in the US: - Every AliExpress order gets a consistent, legible PDF invoice. You can include your company details, shipment references, item descriptions, currency, and totals, which aligns with the elements in 19 CFR 141.86. - You can download unlimited invoices and keep them neatly organized by year or month. This supports the IRS guidance to keep invoices and receipts in an orderly system. - If you resell on a storefront such as Shopify, you can streamline sales documentation and payouts while keeping supplier invoices in sync. If you are starting a storefront, the Shopify platform integrates well with common dropship workflows.
Canada: GST/HST invoice content and ITC support
Canada is precise about invoice content when supplies are made to registrants who will claim input tax credits. The CRA’s page on receipts and invoices explains that you must show whether GST/HST is included or added separately, the applicable rate, and either the separate GST/HST or a statement that tax is included in the total. For registrant customers, the CRA requires specific information to support ITCs, set out in detail in the memorandum on documentary requirements for claiming ITCs. The thresholds matter: invoices under 30 dollars require fewer details, 30 to under 150 dollars add the GST/HST number and tax disclosure, and 150 dollars or more require recipient name, payment terms, and a description sufficient to identify each supply.
Retention also matters. The CRA states in its guidance on GST/HST records to keep that you must keep your records for six years from the end of the year they relate to. That includes sales and purchase invoices and other relevant records.
How AliBilling helps in Canada: - Include your business and GST/HST account details on every invoice so your bookkeeper has the prescribed information to back ITCs. - Output line‑item descriptions and totals that make it clear whether tax is included, which aligns with CRA disclosure rules. - Keep a chronological archive of invoices to satisfy the six‑year retention period. If you need any help formatting, our FAQs and support can advise on common Canadian setups.
Australia: tax invoice rules and the $82.50 threshold for credits
Australia’s ATO sets clear requirements for tax invoices and when you must issue or hold one. The ATO explains what a tax invoice must include and when to provide one on the official page for tax invoices. For taxable sales under 1,000 dollars, a valid tax invoice must state seven details, including the words Tax invoice, the seller’s identity and ABN, the date of issue, a brief description, the GST amount or a statement that the total price includes GST, and the extent to which each sale is taxable. For sales of 1,000 dollars or more, the buyer’s identity or ABN must also be shown. Digital invoices are acceptable if they contain all required information.
For claiming GST credits, the ATO’s BAS and GST tips explicitly note you should only claim credits if you have tax invoices for purchases of 82.50 dollars or more including GST, as summarized in the guidance on BAS and GST tips. This aligns with the common practice that invoices below 82.50 may not require formal tax invoices for credit claims.
How AliBilling helps in Australia: - Generate digital PDF invoices that include seller identity, issue date, item descriptions, total, and your ABN if needed on resale documentation. If your supplier collected GST through a marketplace arrangement, you can still capture the full tax‑inclusive price and keep vendor documentation consistent in your records. - Keep invoices neatly archived for five years in line with ATO record‑keeping expectations, supported by AliBilling’s unlimited downloads and simple file naming.
UAE and Saudi Arabia: VAT invoice formats, simplified invoices, and e‑invoicing
UAE VAT rules prescribe the contents for a Tax Invoice or a simplified Tax Invoice. The official Executive Regulation makes it plain. According to the Federal Tax Authority’s regulation, a full Tax Invoice must show the words Tax Invoice, the supplier name, address, and TRN, the recipient’s details and TRN if the recipient is a registrant, invoice date, description of goods or services, unit price, quantity and VAT rate, discounts, the gross amount and VAT amount in AED, and any reverse charge statement where applicable, as captured in Article 59 of the regulation PDF on the FTA site. The same regulation explains simplified Tax Invoice contents, which include the words Tax Invoice, the supplier identity and TRN, date, description, and the total consideration and VAT amount in AED.
Saudi Arabia has gone further with nationwide e‑invoicing. The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority describes phase one and two on its page What is e‑invoicing? and publishes guides showing required fields and QR components. The simplified guide shows that a simplified tax invoice must feature a QR code containing the seller name, VAT registration number, date and time, VAT amount, and total amount including VAT. The detailed guideline also requires generation in structured format and, in phase two, integration with ZATCA systems.
How AliBilling helps in the Gulf: - For UAE buyers, you can include your TRN and supplier details on AliBilling invoices to mirror the FTA fields for a tax invoice format. If an import is subject to reverse charge, you can add a clear reverse charge note in the customizable fields. - For Saudi buyers, AliBilling is not a ZATCA e‑invoicing engine, but it gives you a consistent purchase record per AliExpress order and, where your accounting system produces the e‑invoice, AliBilling’s PDF helps reconcile supplier level documentation. You can also add your VAT number in the header so internal matching is obvious.
Brazil: NF‑e, DANFE, and Remessa Conforme for low‑value imports
Brazilian invoicing is highly structured with electronic Nota Fiscal regimes. The national NF‑e portal explains that the project is coordinated with Receita Federal and state tax authorities, replacing paper forms with electronic instruments, as the NF‑e portal describes. When an NF‑e is authorized, a DANFE is generated to accompany goods in transit. The DANFE is not the invoice itself. The Rio Grande do Sul Receita service portal explains that the DANFE is a simplified representation of the NF‑e that carries the 44‑digit access key and barcode, must be printed before goods circulate, and accompanies the shipment with basic information like issuer, recipient, and values, as stated in the official page on DANFE. The DANFE allows quick validation that an NF‑e exists and is authorized, and it must not contain information that is not in the NF‑e.
For cross‑border ecommerce into Brazil, the Remessa Conforme program changed taxes and process for small consignments. Receita Federal’s page on the program explains that participating platforms must display import information and collect taxes at checkout, reducing the import duty to 20 percent for purchases up to 50 US dollars and applying ICMS as well, as stated in the official PRC overview here. The same page clarifies that the general rule outside the program is 60 percent import duty plus ICMS, and it notes that from April 1, 2025 some states increased ICMS rates from 17 percent to 20 percent for imports, with a table available through Comsefaz.
How AliBilling helps in Brazil: - For bookkeeping, every AliExpress order gets a uniform invoice that you can match to Correios or express tracking, the platform’s tax breakup, and your accounting entries. If you need to show what you paid at checkout under Remessa Conforme, the invoice can include your order ID, item descriptions, amounts, and the total tax collected. - DANFE and NF‑e remain the issuer’s responsibility in Brazil’s domestic system. AliBilling does not generate an NF‑e, but it gives importers and ecommerce sellers a consistent document trail for cost of goods, shipping, and tax paid at the platform level.
Mexico: CFDI 4.0 data points for the receiver and printed representations
Mexico mandates the CFDI electronic invoice format. The tax authority emphasizes that invoices must include both issuer and receiver data that match SAT records. The SAT’s resource on what you need to issue an invoice states that you need the recipient’s RFC, full name, the postal code of their fiscal address, the tax regime of the recipient, the intended use of the invoice, quantity and unit of the goods or services, unit value, total amounts, payment method, and any taxes transferred or withheld, as laid out on the SAT’s page Qué necesito para facturar. The same page lists printed representation requirements, such as including the barcode or UUID, the serial numbers of the issuer and SAT digital certificates, the legend that it is a printed representation of a CFDI, and the original string for the SAT’s certification complement.
How AliBilling helps in Mexico: - Capture purchases from AliExpress in consistent PDFs that include your RFC and postal code in the buyer details if you want internal matching to your CFDI receiver data. AliBilling gives you editable fields for your business details, and you can define date and currency formats that align with your books. - Use AliBilling documents as the purchase layer while your accounting system handles CFDI issuance for your sales. For printed records, AliBilling’s PDFs provide a clean readable trail for auditors and bookkeepers.
Practical field mapping: what to include on every AliExpress invoice
Regardless of your country, certain fields help align with official tax and customs expectations. You can configure all of these in AliBilling when you click Download Invoice from AliExpress My Orders:
- Your legal name, address, and any tax IDs that matter locally. In the UAE, the regulation requires showing your TRN on a full Tax Invoice where the recipient is a registrant, as stated in the FTA’s Executive Regulation Article 59. In Mexico’s CFDI 4.0, the receiver’s RFC, name, and postal code are essential per the SAT guidance.
- Supplier identity, order number, and date of purchase. This anchors the invoice to the AliExpress transaction and shipment.
- Detailed line items with product titles, quantities, unit prices, currency, and totals. A detailed description is crucial under U.S. customs rules in 19 CFR 141.86 and helps Canadian and Australian ITC or GST credit claims.
- Taxes shown or a clear tax statement. In Canada and Australia, the official pages describe the need to display either GST/HST as a separate amount or state that the total includes tax, as set out by the CRA receipts and invoices page and the ATO’s tax invoices page. If a marketplace collected tax at checkout, you can mirror that on the invoice for clarity.
- Shipment references that link to your import declaration or tracking. Customs officers and auditors often want to trace the invoice to the parcel or entry number.
You can fine‑tune date formats, add a reverse charge note where relevant, and place your company logo so the file looks professional. If you need a step‑by‑step checklist, the printable walkthrough is on the how‑to guide.
Record retention and audit readiness tips
- Retention windows vary. The CRA says you must keep GST/HST records for six years as explained in GST/HST records to keep. The ATO commonly expects five years for GST records, and its BAS and GST tips remind you to keep tax invoices for that period. In the United States, the IRS page on recordkeeping stresses that invoices and receipts support the entries on your return and should be kept in a safe, orderly system.
- Keep purchase invoices, payment proofs, shipping labels, and any customs assessments together per order. If customs questions value or classification, the packet shows the full picture.
- Separate tax‑included and tax‑excluded purchases in your accounting to avoid double‑counting credits. The ATO’s tips warn to only claim GST credits if you hold a valid tax invoice for purchases of 82.50 dollars or more including GST, and to count each invoice once, as noted in BAS and GST tips.
- For dropshippers, read up on obligations beyond invoicing. The AliBilling blog post Tax obligations 101 for dropshippers and the legal checklist in Dropshipping the legal way outline common filing and registration triggers.
Cost, support, and setup in two minutes
AliBilling is built for ecommerce sellers and bookkeepers who need reliable AliExpress documentation without spreadsheets and screenshots. The extension adds a one‑click invoice button inside AliExpress My Orders, works on past and new orders, and outputs clean PDFs you can hand to your accountant or auditor. Unlimited downloads and 24/7 support are included. Pricing on the website is shown as 29 dollars per user per year with flexible alternatives listed in the Chrome Web Store. See the pricing page or contact the team via support. If you want to compare plans, see the FAQs and the Terms and Privacy.
If you run a storefront, pairing organized purchase invoices with accurate sales records makes reconciliation painless. Store builders like Shopify plug into the broader ecommerce ecosystem so you can map COGS from AliExpress to your sales analytics and tax returns without guesswork.
Region‑by‑region quick notes you can apply today
- United States: build each AliExpress invoice to read like a commercial invoice. Include seller and buyer, item description, quantities, country of origin if known, currency, and itemized charges to mirror 19 CFR 141.86. Keep PDFs and payment proofs together per shipment so you can answer any CBP query.
- Canada: make sure your supplier invoice shows tax disclosure clearly, and keep the CRA thresholds in mind for ITC‑supporting invoices as detailed in the ITC documentary requirements memorandum. Retain all records for six years.
- Australia: only claim GST credits where you hold tax invoices for purchases of 82.50 dollars or more including GST as the ATO notes in BAS and GST tips. Make sure invoices contain the required details from the ATO’s tax invoices page.
- UAE: when relevant, include your TRN and supplier details in your invoice file to mirror the FTA’s Article 59 fields for a Tax Invoice. For consumer‑type purchases, a simplified format may be sufficient, but ensure totals and VAT amounts are clearly shown as per the Executive Regulation.
- Saudi Arabia: keep a purchase record for every order and note that simplified tax invoices usually include a QR code with seller name, VAT number, date and time, VAT amount, and total, as shown in ZATCA’s simplified guide. Use your accounting system for true e‑invoice generation under ZATCA requirements.
- Brazil: save the platform’s tax breakdown and your AliBilling invoice for each order so you can demonstrate the taxes collected at checkout under Remessa Conforme. If a DANFE accompanies a domestic leg, remember it is the auxiliary of an NF‑e per the Receita guidance on DANFE.
- Mexico: maintain AliBilling purchase invoices that include your RFC, company name, and postal code so they align with downstream CFDI 4.0 records described on the SAT’s page Qué necesito para facturar. For printed files, keep the AliBilling PDF with payment proof and your Mexican CFDIs for sales so the audit trail is complete.
A small investment in invoice structure and storage pays off when you need to prove costs, taxes, and imports. If AliExpress does not give you a proper invoice, generate one in a click with AliBilling next to each order inside My Orders and move on to the work that grows your business. For a short tutorial covering the exact steps, open the how‑to article or browse the full blog for bookkeeping tips tailored to dropshippers.
