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ECTN Application Process

This guide will cover the general process for obtaining the mandatory ECTN certificate. The process may vary depending on the destination country, so be sure to apply with plenty of time before the validation deadline.

If you have any further questions please contact us at info@africactn.com

Before you begin the ECTN Application Process you must first gather the necessary documents for your destination country. You can find out what documents are required for your destination country by visiting the ECTN Required Countries Page

1. Submit Required Documents

Once the shipping documents are gathered:

  • Bill of Lading
  • Commercial Invoice
  • Freight Invoice

Then you will need to submit them to AfricaCTN, you can do this in three ways:

  1. Online: Upload the required documents online through our Fast Application Page
  2. Email: Send the required documents to our email info@africactn.com
  3. WhatsApp: You can send us your shipping documents via WhatsApp +1(281) 477-3233

2. Receive Draft ECTN and Invoice

Within a few hours of uploading your documents, you will receive two documents:

  • Draft ECTN: The preview copy of the ECTN used to confirm all details are correct
  • Invoice: This invoice is for the tariff for your shipment, it has all payment details mentioned on it

3. Approve Draft ECTN

Next, you should check and confirm all details on the draft ECTN match the information found on your shipping documents. Two things can happen during this step:

  • Approve: If all the details are correct, then you will need to notify AfricaCTN that the draft ECTN is approved so we can proceed with the process
  • Request Correction: If there is an error on the draft ECTN, notify AfricaCTN about the issue and we can quickly correct this and send an updated draft

4. Pay the Invoice

Once all the details on the draft ECTN are approved, you will need to make payment of the invoice. This can be done via:

  • Wire Transfer or ACH
  • Mailing a Check
  • Zelle
  • PayCargo
  • Credit Card

If these methods are not possible for you, please let us know. We will accommodate you any way that we can. Once payment is received, we will submit the ECTN to the respective authorities for the validation process.

5. Receive the Final Validated ECTN Certificate

Now that all the previous steps are complete, the ECTN validation will be released typically in 24-72 hours. As soon as it is released you will instantly receive it in your inbox.

There is no hard copy of the ECTN Certificate, the digital PDF can be sent to the consignee and used for customs clearance.

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