A waypoint bill is known as a type of document required by many transactions carried out in commercial life. These documents, which are based on facilitating transport operations, ensuring mutual trust between parties, acting in accordance with tax procedures, and safely transporting products or goods, are frequently used in every field. You can quickly access all the details you might wonder about the waypoint bill by reading the rest of the text.

What is a Waypoint Bill?

With the increase in commercial transport operations carried out across Turkey, the question "What is a waypoint bill?" has begun to be frequently wondered about. A waypoint bill is a document prepared regarding the transport of a commodity for a certain fee in order to deliver it to the buyers.

It is mandatory to prepare a waypoint bill regardless of where the goods in question will be transported or by what means they will be transported. Thanks to this document, long transport operations become easier and commercial transactions can be carried out more smoothly.

Why is a Waypoint Bill Used?

A waypoint bill is extremely important for keeping official records related to products or goods. Especially to avoid any problems during transport operations, the documents must be kept with the vehicle driver.

The waypoint bill, endorsed with the stamp of the Ministry of Finance, determines the value of the transported products. Every company active in the transport sector must issue this document for transport operations. In possible cases, the fine for transporting goods without a consignment note imposed on the parties changes every year. 

Example of a Waypoint Bill

The waypoint bill, which is mandatorily issued in almost all transport operations, is printed in three copies. Each of these three copies must be held by the parties involved in the transactions.

The most important reason for this is its validity during official inspections carried out during transport operations. One copy of the document must be with the company ordering the transport, one copy with the shippers, and one copy with the individuals carrying the product.

This document can be issued by almost any business paying taxes. Located at the top left of this document, which features the stamp of the Ministry of Finance, are the company name and address. At the top right, the sequence and serial number of the receipt are shown. Generally, the document contains information regarding the type/product category and many other features of the goods.

At the very end, that is, at the bottom of the text, important details such as the vehicle used, the vehicle's license plate, and the driver's name-surname are located. Upon completion of these sections, the waypoint bill example, which ultimately includes the signatures of the buyers and sellers, serves as a guide for those performing this transaction for the first time. The invoicing period for the waypoint bill varies according to the companies making the arrangements. 

E-Waypoint Bill

The waypoint bill, one of the most frequently used documents in commercial transportation operations, has begun to be issued electronically, just like the e-invoice. The e-consignment note is not a new document type, but rather the electronically formatted version of the existing document.

In this context, in cases where a consignment note needs to be issued, an e-consignment note must be issued regardless of whether the recipient is a taxpayer or not. Consequently, if a consignment note is to be issued for commercial transport operations carried out abroad, this document must also be an e-consignment note. 

How to Create a Waypoint Bill? What Information Should It Contain?

It is mandatory to issue a consignment note in all trade transactions carried out in any field. This document, which has three copies in total, must be constantly kept in the vehicle where the transport operation is performed. In this way, the risk of experiencing problems at locations used during the transport of goods/products is reduced to a minimum.

The information contained within the waypoint bill is of great importance so that all transported products can be registered and classified in accordance with tax regulations. Almost all transport operations carried out without intermediaries are dependent on this document. However, there is no such obligation for transport operations carried out with private vehicles.

Another important point that the parties should pay attention to during the document issuance is that the transport operation is performed in return for a certain fee. Another point to be considered is that the information in the document must be complete.

In particular, the information provided regarding the driver, yani the people/vehicles performing the transport operation, must be accurate. In addition to driver and vehicle information, the names and tax numbers of the parties must also be clearly stated. This situation is a very important detail for the transportation sector to operate within a specific order.

Relationship Between Waypoint Bill and Invoice: What are the Differences Between the Two Documents?

An invoice is a commercial indicator showing the price that customers must pay in return for the sold products or services. Important information such as date, sequence, and serial number is usually found on the invoice. Although consignment notes and invoices are documents that are frequently confused by people, there are some fundamental differences between them.

For example, a waypoint bill cannot be used in place of an invoice. In addition, while a waypoint bill is a document issued for the purpose of transporting a product or goods from one address to another, an invoice is issued for the direct sale of products. 

How is a Waypoint Bill Used in Export and Import Processes?

In export transactions, the waypoint bill must be used during the transit process of the goods/products from the existing warehouses to customs, and the official documents issued by the Customs Administration must be used in the subsequent transit process after the Turkish customs border. In import transactions, the documents provided by the Customs Administration are also used in the transport operations of the goods/products continuing from customs to the warehouse. The difference here is that the waypoint bill is issued based on the transport of the products or goods in parts. 

How is a Waypoint Bill Used in Tax Procedures?

The waypoint bill holds a very important place in terms of subjecting commercial transactions to tax. Almost all commercial transport operations carried out domestically or abroad are connected to the tax system. For this reason, companies that will order transports are also required to issue a waypoint bill. In this way, the value of the transported products/goods is determined.