A manifest, customs manifest or cargo document is a document listing the cargo, passengers, and crew of a ship, aircraft, or vehicle, for the use of customs and other officials. Where such a list is limited to identifying passengers, it is a passenger manifest or passenger list; conversely, a list limited to identifying cargo is a cargo manifest or cargo list. The manifest may be used by people having an interest in the transport to ensure that passengers and cargo listed as having been placed on board the transport at the beginning of its passage continue to be on board when it arrives at its destination.

In this way, a cargo manifest is like a passport except that it is used for goods instead of (or in addition to) persons; the manifest is evidence to the nationality of the goods, the absence of contraband, and that property belonging to belligerents is not laden on board of the vessel.^[1]

Vessels are under no legal obligation to carry a manifest and, indeed, it is only necessary for neutral vessels in a time of war.^[1]

A cargo manifest and a bill of lading may carry similar information and the concepts are not always clearly distinguished. In some cases, a single document may serve both purposes. In general, a bill of lading serves as a legal instrument focusing on and documenting such issues as ownership, whereas a cargo manifest is often more concerned with physical aspects of the cargo, such as weight and size. When the cargo is being shipped by several different shipping companies on the same vessel, there will usually be separate bills of lading for each company, but only a single consolidated cargo manifest. On the other hand, if the cargo contains dangerous goods, there may be a separate dangerous cargo manifest.

Customs authorities may require cargo-carrying vessels or vehicles to provide information on the cargo manifest such as its consignor, consignee, quantity of goods, origin, destination and value.^[2]

Immigration authorities may require passenger-carrying vessels or vehicles to provide a passenger manifest listing information such as names and ports of embarkation and disembarkation.^[2]

In case of disasters, passenger manifests may be helpful in identifying casualties and notifying families of passengers.^[3][4] Cargo manifests can support insurance claims for lost goods.^[5]

Manifests can be useful tools for archaeology. For example, researchers used old ship's manifests to recreate the available amenities in their restoration of the historic Custom House Plaza in Monterey, California,^[6] which was built in 1821 and remains the oldest public building in California.