Waiver

To ship any type of goods to certain African countries, a “waiver” certificate must be issued before the ship arrives at the port of delivery, in order to avoid a customs blockade by the local Customs with the consequent accrual of stops and related costs. (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO).

If you ship to or through one of the listed countries, then you will need this special documentation in order to avoid delays.

These waiver certificates (also known as ECTN – Electronic Cargo Tracking Note, BESC – BORDEREAU ELECTRONIQUE DE SUIVI DE CARGAISON, FERI – FICHE ELECTRONIQUE DE RENSEIGNEMENT A’ L’IMPOTATION) are required by some African countries to effectively control, supervise and manage import / export traffic.

In each Waiver document are included all the details of the exporter/importer, the shipping method (container, groupage, etc.), the type and value of the goods transported, the name of the ship and the cost of transport for the shipment and other details. The waivers can be requested by the importer or exporter and must be presented before the cargo arrives at the port of unloading.

The issue of the waiver involves an additional cost for the importer or exporter and this cost depends on the type of cargo (containers, break bulk, rolling stock, etc.), the number of containers, the number of bills of lading issued and the country of destination of the shipment.

Each country has its own “Conseil des Chargeurs” and each Council has its own rules for the issuance of Waivers.

With access to the country concerned, it is possible to directly insert the data using the automatic waiver request. Together with the sending of the “draft waiver”, the applicant will also receive the relevant invoice, which must be paid on the following bank details: