ECTN vs BESC: what is the difference?

ECTN and BESC are the same kind of document: a cargo tracking note, under the name each destination gives it. Which one you need depends only on where the cargo is going.

	ECTN	BESC
Name printed on it	Electronic Cargo Tracking Note	Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons
What it is	Electronic tracking note for the port of discharge	Electronic cargo tracking note, validated before loading
Destinations	Burkina Faso Djibouti Gambia Republic of the Congo Somalia South Sudan	Benin Burundi Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Guinea (Conakry)Liberia Mali Niger Togo
Who applies	The shipper or the freight forwarder files it.	The shipper or the freight forwarder files it.
Deadline (per destination)	Burkina Faso Before departure Djibouti no number of days published Gambia no number of days published Republic of the Congo Within 5 days of loading Somalia no number of days published South Sudan Original B/L within 5 days	Benin Before departure Burundi Original B/L within 5 days Cameroon 48 hours before arrival Central African Republic Original B/L within 5 days Chad 2 days before arrival Guinea (Conakry) 5 days before arrival Liberia no number of days published Mali Departure +5 days / arrival −5 days Niger no number of days published Togo Original B/L within 5 days
Documents asked most often	Bill of lading asked by 6 of 6 destinations Commercial invoice asked by 6 of 6 destinations Freight invoice asked by 6 of 6 destinations Export customs declaration asked by 2 of 6 destinations Packing list asked by 1 of 6 destinations	Bill of lading asked by 10 of 10 destinations Commercial invoice asked by 10 of 10 destinations Freight invoice asked by 10 of 10 destinations Export customs declaration asked by 6 of 10 destinations Packing list asked by 4 of 10 destinations

All about the ECTN All about the BESC

Frequently Asked Questions

Are ECTN and BESC the same?

ECTN and BESC are the same kind of document: a cargo tracking note, under the name each destination gives it. Which one you need depends only on where the cargo is going.

Which one do I need, ECTN or BESC?

The destination decides: Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Gambia, Republic of the Congo, Somalia and South Sudan for ECTN; Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Guinea (Conakry), Liberia, Mali, Niger and Togo for BESC.

Which countries ask for the ECTN?

Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Gambia, Republic of the Congo, Somalia and South Sudan.

Which countries ask for the BESC?

Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Guinea (Conakry), Liberia, Mali, Niger and Togo.

ECTN vs BESC: what is the difference?

Frequently Asked Questions

Get the certificate before the vessel sails