Documentation You Need to Ship to Africa

If you are thinking in shipping a less than a container load (LCL) or a full container load (FCL) from US to Africa, you need to know that often some additional documents and special procedures are required depending on the destination country. Many of this specials requirements are for imports, but some of them should be included in the export documentation. This is the case of CTN (Cargo Tracking Note).

The CTN document is also known as BSC (Bordereau of Suivi cargaison) or Waiver. Regardless of how you name it, you must know that this certificate contains information about freight or cargo and it is used by authorities in some countries to control imports before they reach the destination port.

Usually, the CTN number must be included in all documentation relating to the shipping. The BL (Bill of Lading) where the information about the container or loose cargo you send appears must also content the CTN number.

You will need this document for sure if you’re thinking about sending your goods to any of the destinations below:

• Angola
• Benin
• Botswana
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Chad
• Cameroon
• Central African Republic
• Republic of Congo
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Ivory Coast
• Gabon
• Guinea
• Guinea Bissau
• Mali
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Senegal
• Togo

Any freight that arrives in port of any of these countries without the CTN or ECTN (Electronic Cargo Tracking Note) will not be cleared until a CTN or a valid ECTN is sent from the port of loading. The receiver stands to take responsibility for the risks demurrage and storage charges. The charges that are not covered by this CTN will be fined and charged to the importer. There is also a high risk if the document is not filed 10 days after the ship has departed.

If you want to make a shipment to Africa, remember that you should be informed properly and take into account all the specific regulations of your destination country. We recommend you this page where you will find all information about the prohibited and restricted items in Africa.

Don’t forget that if you want to be sure that your delivery management African successful, contact us for help.