DEFINITIONS

Documents Provided by Consignee

• Certificate of insurance
  • The importer must obtain the insurance for the transport of the goods into Africa.

• GUOT
  • This is the acronym for a single window customs system used in Republic of Congo. Import declarations are matched with ECTN documents in order to validate and confirm the value on documents. Validations are only permitted if ECTN matches the values in GOUT.

• FDI
  • (Fiche de Declaration a l’importation) in English it translates to Import Declaration Form.

• DU
  • Documento Unico is an Import License for Angola. As of October 2, 2015 a DU document is required for all CNCA applications. A DU document must be valid in terms of the Expiry date on field 25e. This document expiry date is normally 60 days from the date of DU issuance.  However, if a shipment will be cleared at the destination, or when the total FOB value is below $5000 USD, the Documento Unico or the Import License is exempt, under Temporary Regime. For Temporary Shipments, the exporter is required to submit a letter confirming the cargo is on the temporary expedition. In this circumstance, a special format of DU number will be entered on the validated CNCA certificate.

Documents Provided by the Exporter

• EEI
  • Electronic Export Information is the electronic export data as filed in the automatic export system (AES). This data is the electronic equivalent of the export data formerly collected as Shippers Export Declaration (SED) information. This information is not mandated to be filed through the Automated Export System or Automated Export SystemDirect.

• Certificate of Origin
  • This is a document used in international trade. In a printed form or as an electronic document, it is completed by the exporter and certified by a recognized issuing body, attesting that the goods in a particular export shipment have been produced, manufactured or processed in a particular country.

• Commercial Invoice
  • This document is a detailed invoice and description of the goods that are being sold and shipped from the origin to the destination in Africa.

• Freight invoice
  •  This document is a detailed invoice of what the freight charges are to ship the goods from the origin country to the destination in Africa

• Packing List
  •  A detailed list of the goods that are being shipped

• Customs Export Declaration
  •  A US Department of Commerce Form that acts as a Shipper’s Export Declaration. It should be used for US export shipments of cargo the value of which is at least $2,500. Some African countries require this document in-order to obtain a CTN.

Documents Issued by the Carrier

• Bill of Lading
  • Is a detailed list of a shipment of goods in the form of a receipt given by the carrier to the person consigning the goods. They are used in international trade to ensure that exporters receive payments and importers receive the merchandise.

These are the common names for CTN to the West African countries listed. Countries use different names to these certificates but they are all very similar in practice.  AfricaCTN has more than 10 years of experience handling these types of documents for each of these countries.