# Import & Export Trade Finance UK Source: https://www.cashbookfinance.co.uk/sector-import-export Last updated: 2026-10-04 > Import and export trade finance for supplier payments, shipping, duties and customer terms across international trade and confirmed-order cycles. Sector focus ## Bridge supplier, shipping and customer-payment timings across cross-border trade. Importers and exporters often need to pay suppliers, shipping or duty costs before goods are delivered and before customers settle the resulting invoice. ### Import and export finance at a glance - **Likely route** Trade finance with invoice finance - **Information needed** Purchase orders, supplier terms, shipping documents, duties, customer orders, gross margin and repayment route - **Strongest fit** A documented transaction with clear delivery, margin and collection visibility - **Assessment** Individual circumstances and underwriting Schematic of stacked shipping containers under a gantry crane - a schematic drawn by Cashbook Finance, not a client, premises or transaction. Cash-flow cycle #### Where the pressure develops Importers and exporters often face a gap between paying suppliers and freight costs, moving goods and ultimately collecting from customers on credit terms. Documents #### What helps the assessment Purchase orders, supplier terms, shipping documents, customer orders, duties and gross margin. Clear information reduces avoidable delays and makes an initial fit discussion more useful. Structure #### What the facility must achieve The facility needs to match the timing of the underlying commercial cycle and provide a credible route to repayment. **Sector-specific discussion** Bring the customer terms, expected funding cycle and any existing finance arrangements to the call. [View funding scenarios](https://www.cashbookfinance.co.uk/funding-scenarios) Common questions ### Questions to consider before applying #### Can import costs be funded before goods arrive? Potentially, where the supplier, logistics, duties, customer order, margin and repayment route can be verified and the transaction meets underwriting requirements. #### Can invoice finance support the sale after delivery? It may support eligible invoices after goods are delivered and accepted, creating a linked purchase-to-collection structure. #### What information matters most in assessment? Confirmed purchase and sales orders, supplier terms, shipping details, duties, gross margin, customer quality and insurance or inspection arrangements may all be relevant. ### When import/export funding is likely to work. The commercial pressure is simple: supplier, shipping and duty costs arrive before UK customers settle. The right facility depends on evidence, debtor quality and how repeatable the gap is. Good fit signals #### What lenders want to see - confirmed demand exists before goods are purchased - supplier payment timing is the constraint - the repayment route is a sale invoice or contracted order Evidence #### Documents that speed review - supplier pro forma invoices - customer purchase orders - shipping documents where available - margin and landed-cost summary Likely route #### Products to consider - [Trade finance](https://www.cashbookfinance.co.uk/trade-finance) - [Invoice finance](https://www.cashbookfinance.co.uk/invoice-finance) - [Selective invoice finance](https://www.cashbookfinance.co.uk/selective-invoice-finance) ### Import and export funding has a timing problem of its own. Cross-border businesses often pay suppliers, freight, duty and import VAT before the customer invoice is due. That creates two separate questions: how the purchase is funded before delivery, and how the receivable is funded after an accepted sale. Treating both as the same cash-flow gap leads to the wrong structure. A useful review therefore looks at Incoterms, shipping evidence, currency exposure, customs timing, supplier concentration and the point at which title and customer acceptance pass. Invoice finance may support eligible UK or export receivables; trade finance may be more relevant where the main pressure is the supplier payment before goods are sold. - Map the cash requirement from supplier deposit to customer receipt. - Separate foreign-exchange risk from credit risk. - Keep bills of lading, customs records, purchase orders and delivery evidence aligned. ### What the funding assessment needs to understand. Sector familiarity is useful only when it translates into the right evidence, eligibility rules and risk controls. #### Cash-flow pattern Supplier payment, freight and duty before the UK buyer pays #### Evidence to prepare Purchase order, supplier verification, pro-forma invoice, shipping, insurance, Incoterms, currency and landed margin. #### Common blockers Changed bank details, unverified suppliers, freight volatility, title uncertainty and thin margin. Practical funding fit #### Structure follows the point at which value becomes evidenced. The verified trade-finance case proceeded only after payment instructions and revised transaction economics were checked. ### Guides for import and export businesses - [Export invoice finance](https://www.cashbookfinance.co.uk/blog/export-invoice-finance) - [Trade finance vs invoice finance](https://www.cashbookfinance.co.uk/blog/trade-finance-vs-invoice-finance) - [Facilities that pair with invoice finance](https://www.cashbookfinance.co.uk/blog/funding-options-with-invoice-finance) - [Invoice finance costs explained](https://www.cashbookfinance.co.uk/blog/invoice-finance-costs-explained) - [Single invoice factoring](https://www.cashbookfinance.co.uk/blog/single-invoice-factoring) --- Cashbook Finance. Cashbook Finance Limited is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority under Firm Reference Number 782472. Company number 10723098. Registered office: Cumberland House, 24–28 Baxter Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS2 6HZ. Registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office under reference ZB545200. All finance is subject to eligibility, satisfactory due diligence, credit approval and agreed terms. Invoice finance, trade finance and bridging finance may not be suitable for every business. The availability, structure, amount, pricing, fees, security requirements and completion timescales of any facility will depend on the applicant’s circumstances, the quality of the supporting evidence provided and our assessment of the proposed transaction. Any figures, examples, rates or timescales shown on this website are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute an offer, commitment or guarantee of finance. Terms and conditions apply. Bridging finance is secured against property. Your property may be repossessed if you do not maintain repayments on a loan secured against it. Applicants should obtain independent legal, financial and tax advice where appropriate.