Senegal
Bordereau de Suivi des Cargaisons
BSCCargo tracking note, validated before loading
Shipments to Senegal need a BSC (Bordereau de Suivi des Cargaisons). For Senegal, validation is generally anchored to the vessel’s arrival rather than its departure — we still recommend filing as soon as your Bill of Lading is ready.
When is it required?
For Senegal, validation is generally anchored to the vessel’s arrival rather than its departure — we still recommend filing as soon as your Bill of Lading is ready.
Who applies?
The shipper or the freight forwarder files it.
How long does it take?
Draft the same day once the application is complete.
Senegal BSC guide
Who runs it, where the cargo discharges, and the rules your file is checked against.
- Issuing body
- Conseil Sénégalais des Chargeurs (COSEC)
- Port of discharge
- Dakar
Rules to know
- The BSC number is issued at validation, so it cannot be given in advance.
- The final, dated master bill of lading is needed before validation.
- The BSC number must be shown on the master bill of lading.
Documents to prepare for Senegal
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.
Before you apply
Send your documents, we check them first
Upload the draft bill of lading or invoice. We check the details the BSC 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.
In 2008, Senegal Customs Officials decided to implement a new regulation for the exporters. This regulation said that a BSC certificate must accompany all shipments to Senegal, and any cargo without it will cause severe consequences for the exporter. It is mandatory for Dakar, Kaolack, and every other port in Senegal. But if Senegal is not your shipment’s final destination, you don’t have to have this cargo waiver. Click here to find out more on transit shipments.
You would think, that a certificate as crucial as this one wouldn’t be missed by anyone, but the story is a whole lot different. People tend to overlook this certificate and get penalized for it way more often than you think.
What is Senegal 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 for it?
Senegal is pretty merciful when it comes to required documents. It is not like Ivory Coast that asks for roughly 7-8 documents for the BSC waiver.
You will find Senegals requirements for the BSC 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 is a required document if the freight cost isn’t on the Commerical Invoice.
What are the consequences of not having this certificate?
First of all, according to the regulations, you must validate the BSC certificate five days before the vessel arrives at the latest. And if your cargo arrives without a BSC, you will get fined twice the amount of the BSC cost and on top of that, the regulation fee determined by the Senegal 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 Senegal?
| Product label | Imported value in 2020 | Imported value in 2021 | Imported value in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| All products | 7,820,339 | 8,285,456 | 12,129,313 |
| Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral . . . | 1,811,009 | 2,379,195 | 3,838,281 |
| Cereals | 693,261 | 793,272 | 1,087,496 |
| Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof | 665,684 | 606,416 | 923,954 |
| Articles of iron or steel | 199,510 | 259,333 | 542,803 |
| Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television . . . | 537,735 | 398,406 | 519,656 |
| Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and parts and accessories thereof | 444,477 | 461,981 | 489,639 |
| Iron and steel | 277,226 | 412,943 | 393,166 |
| Ships, boats and floating structures | 50,488 | 24,569 | 387,644 |
| Plastics and articles thereof | 233,071 | 254,990 | 351,027 |
| Pharmaceutical products | 281,393 | 309,180 | 313,298 |
| Salt; sulphur; earths and stone; plastering materials, lime and cement | 93,404 | 154,122 | 309,707 |
| Preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; pastrycooks’ products | 228,006 | 158,170 | 231,184 |
| Animal, vegetable or microbial fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; . . . | 243,146 | 202,072 | 197,252 |
| Paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp, of paper or of paperboard | 110,983 | 112,361 | 142,973 |
| Fertilisers | 58,741 | 34,636 | 142,886 |
| Sugars and sugar confectionery | 107,612 | 90,641 | 126,318 |
| Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical . . . | 111,383 | 85,522 | 118,559 |
| Organic chemicals | 69,575 | 71,703 | 112,408 |
| Miscellaneous chemical products | 82,252 | 70,007 | 110,266 |
| Wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal | 56,292 | 61,506 | 109,046 |
| Dairy produce; birds’ eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere . . . | 85,168 | 84,577 | 101,525 |
| Furniture; bedding, mattresses, mattress supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings; . . . | 67,771 | 60,619 | 97,716 |
| Inorganic chemicals; organic or inorganic compounds of precious metals, of rare-earth metals, . . . | 55,115 | 45,070 | 95,446 |
| Miscellaneous edible preparations | 79,295 | 67,161 | 85,388 |
Memberships and certifications
Membership
Certifications
- ISO 9001:2015Quality management
- ISO 14001Environmental management
- ISO/IEC 27001Information security management
