BENIN

CHANGES TO BENIN ECTN EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

Further to recent announcement from General Management of Customs Authorities in Benin, please note that as from Sept 1st 2019 (discharge date), all cargo for destination Cotonou will require a Cargo Tracking Note.

This includes cargo in transit.

It is the shipper’s responsibility to supply the Carrier with the CTN, which needs to be inserted in the body of the Original Bill of Lading and manifests. Some shipping lines will continue to accept and load cargo not yet covered by CTN, but CTN must be provided by time of final bill of lading instructions.

Late submissions will be in the form of a manifest amendment and subject to usual fees.

Cargo that arrives in Cotonou without a CTN in place will be kept onboard and returned to origin with usual additional freight and costs for account of the shipper.

There is no option to have CTN arranged locally.

Bureau International Maritime of Benin declared in 2006 that all sea cargo arriving in their country requires a Cargo Tracking Note (CTN) or Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons (BESC). Some shipping lines may not load cargo without the CTN number. Cargo arriving without a Cargo Tracking Note may be subject of fines and delays.

No CTN will be issued at discharge port.

VEHICLE TITLE IS REQUIRED IF SHIPPING AN AUTO.

Procedure:

  • Submit the required documents by email or online submission.
  • You will be sent a draft and an invoice, typically within the same day.
  • Once your payment has been received and you approve the draft, a validation will be sent.
  • If your cargo transits Benin to another Country, you will be required to get a ECTN for both Countries.
  • Due to a change in the validation process, please allow 3-5 days from initial request to final validation.

Timeline:

  • The CTN must be validated before the vessel arrives at the destination.  No regularization at destination port.
  • Since the CTN is validated by the authorities in the destination country, the process from submitting a request to final validation can take 3-5 days.

Below are the required documents for this certificate:

– Bill of Lading
– Commercial Invoice
– Freight Invoice (required if the freight amount is not specified on commercial invoice)
– Vehicle Title (REQUIRED when shipping a vehicle)
– Customs Export Declaration


Penalties:

Loading of cargo that is not covered by an ECTN constitutes an infraction that will require the acting party to pay not only the regular fee, but also a penalty issued by the National Shippers Council of Benin (CNCB). The amount of the penalty is 50.000 FCFA per payable unit, in accordance with the tariff.

All information and the latest regulations can be found at https://www.besc-benin.com/ (Penalties are issued by the CNCB)

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      CIRCULARS

      8.7.2019 — CHANGES TO BENIN ECTN EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 1, 2019
      Further to recent announcement from General Management of Customs Authorities in Benin, please note that as from Sept 1st 2019 (discharge date), all cargo for destination Cotonou will require a Cargo Tracking Note.

      This includes cargo in transit.

      It is the shipper’s responsibility to supply the Carrier with the CTN, which needs to be inserted in the body of the Original Bill of Lading and manifests. Some shipping lines will continue to accept and load cargo not yet covered by CTN, but CTN must be provided by time of final bill of lading instructions.

      Late submissions will be in the form of a manifest amendment and subject to usual fees.

      Cargo that arrives in Cotonou without a CTN in place will be kept onboard and returned to origin with usual additional freight and costs for account of the shipper.

      There is no option to have CTN arranged locally.

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