Niger
Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons
BESCElectronic cargo tracking note, validated before loading
Shipments to Niger need a BESC (Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons).
Who applies?
The shipper or the freight forwarder files it.
How long does it take?
Draft the same day once the application is complete.
Niger BESC guide
Who runs it, where the cargo discharges, and the rules your file is checked against.
- Port of discharge
- Niamey (dry port, via Cotonou)
Rules to know
- The BESC number is issued at validation, so it cannot be given in advance.
- The final, dated master bill of lading is needed before validation.
- Shipper, consignee and notify party addresses must be the same on every document.
- The weight on the export declaration must match the bill of lading.
- The statistical value on the export declaration must match the commercial invoice.
- For shipper-owned containers, the tare weight must be shown on the bill of lading.
- The BESC number can be passed to the shipping line to obtain the bill of lading number; validation needs the final bill of lading.
- A pre-validated certificate must be completed within its validity period, or it is cancelled.
Documents to prepare for Niger
Tick what you already have. Send them when the list is complete, or send what you have now and we tell you what is missing.
List from our operations team, updated 4 August 2026.
Before you apply
Send your documents, we check them first
Upload the draft bill of lading or invoice. We check the details the BESC needs and tell you what to fix before anything is filed.
- Your files go only to our certificate team.
- You decide whether to apply after our reply.
Niger authorities implemented a new regulation, making all shipments to Niger obliged to have a BSC certificate in 2008. Arriving at the destination without this certificate will cause serious problems, like a huge fine. Since Niger is a landlocked country, all maritime cargoes are transited from Benin. So, you will need a BSC certificate for Niger, and a BSC for Benin as well. Click here to find out more on transit shipments.
Some might think that no one would ever miss out on something as crucial as this certificate. That is not true at all. People overlook this certification way more often than you’d think.
What is Niger BSC?
BSC stands for Bordereau de Suivi des Cargaisons, which is French for Cargo Tracking Note or CTN for short. The name itself provides a clear indication of its purpose. It is a certificate utilized by authorities to track, manage, and supervise all cargos from loading to discharge. Additionally, it enables officials to obtain information about the shipments even before they arrive at the destination port. This includes details about the exporter, the importer, information about the transported goods and their value, the cost of the freight, the type of shipment, the name of the vessel, and more.
What are the required documents?
All you need is 2-3 documents to apply for the ECTN certificate, and you can find them in the following:
- 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: This document is only necessary if the freight cost isn’t on the commercial invoice.
What are the consequences of not having it?
You must have the BSC certificate five days before the vessel arrives at the latest, or the consequences won’t be pretty. If your shipment arrives without a BSC certificate, there will be a charge twice the amount of the BSC cost plus the regulation fee determined by the Niger 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 send you an exact quote for your certificate. We offer free quotation.
What are the most imported items into Niger?
| Product label | Imported value in 2020 | Imported value in 2021 | Imported value in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| All products | 3,026,110 | 2,784,744 | 3,787,226 |
| Cereals | 396,432 | 474,116 | 549,172 |
| Aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof | 292,199 | 220,205 | 434,244 |
| Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof | 252,987 | 225,770 | 351,216 |
| Arms and ammunition; parts and accessories thereof | 238,768 | 80,048 | 341,957 |
| Articles of iron or steel | 119,539 | 115,334 | 289,508 |
| Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral . . . | 120,018 | 143,887 | 241,465 |
| Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television . . . | 124,026 | 120,059 | 171,275 |
| Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and parts and accessories thereof | 212,776 | 229,210 | 155,956 |
| Other made-up textile articles; sets; worn clothing and worn textile articles; rags | 51,577 | 46,403 | 118,814 |
| Pharmaceutical products | 259,164 | 130,814 | 103,512 |
| Salt; sulphur; earths and stone; plastering materials, lime and cement | 86,784 | 99,863 | 102,681 |
| Iron and steel | 44,635 | 46,313 | 79,968 |
| Plastics and articles thereof | 34,877 | 37,509 | 74,764 |
| Animal, vegetable or microbial fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; . . . | 104,853 | 103,020 | 73,309 |
| Miscellaneous edible preparations | 96,702 | 91,458 | 71,973 |
| Preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; pastrycooks’ products | 55,681 | 87,590 | 70,114 |
| Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes; products, whether or not containing nicotine, . . . | 49,250 | 61,840 | 59,963 |
| Furniture; bedding, mattresses, mattress supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings; . . . | 26,324 | 22,939 | 50,358 |
| Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical . . . | 40,243 | 38,126 | 45,206 |
| Sugars and sugar confectionery | 64,648 | 56,992 | 38,945 |
| Inorganic chemicals; organic or inorganic compounds of precious metals, of rare-earth metals, . . . | 23,131 | 24,998 | 28,153 |
| Miscellaneous chemical products | 17,770 | 17,916 | 25,418 |
| Soap, organic surface-active agents, washing preparations, lubricating preparations, artificial . . . | 17,343 | 19,604 | 20,819 |
| Products of the milling industry; malt; starches; inulin; wheat gluten | 34,358 | 36,168 | 20,375 |
Memberships and certifications
Membership
Certifications
- ISO 9001:2015Quality management
- ISO 14001Environmental management
- ISO/IEC 27001Information security management
