In the year 2000, Equatorial Guinea implemented a new regulation that made it mandatory for all shipments to Guinea to be accompanied by an ECTN certificate. The absence of this certificate carries severe consequences and a significant penalty. This requirement applies to Bata and all other ports without exception.
In some cases, there might be an exception where the ECTN certificate is not necessary if you are using Equatorial Guinea for transit purposes.
Despite being a certificate as crucial as this, it is surprisingly one of the most overlooked certificates by exporters to Equatorial Guinea.
What is Equatorial Guinea ECTN?
ECTN stands for Electronic Cargo Tracking Note, and as the name suggests, it serves as a tool for authorities to effectively track, manage, and supervise all shipments from loading to discharge. Additionally, it equips them with essential information about the shipments even before they reach their destination. The ECTN includes comprehensive details about the exporter, importer, information regarding the transported goods and their value, freight cost, shipment type, vessel name, and more.
What are the required documents?
- Bill of Lading: This is a document that includes details about the exporter, the importer, the weight of the goods, the shipping line, the vessel name, etc.
- Commercial Invoice: It contains details of the goods, the freight cost, the incoterm, and some other charges if there is any, etc.
- Freight Invoice: It is only necessary if the freight cost is not on the commercial invoice.
- Export Customs Declaration: Customs Officials of the exporter country prepares this document, and it lists the goods being transported and contains some important details of them.
What are the consequences of not having it?
According to the regulation, it is mandatory for the certificate to be delivered at least five days before the vessel’s arrival, and this is the latest acceptable timeframe. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in a fee equivalent to twice the amount of the ECTN cost, in addition to the regulation fee determined by the Equatorial Guinea National Port Officials.
Pricing
Certificate cost depends on the number of Bill of Ladings and the containers, the country of origin, the port of discharge, etc. This is why we can’t give you an exact price for the CTN. But if you share your shipment’s details with us we can provide you the best charges for your certificate. We offer free quotation.
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