In international shipping, many countries, especially in Africa, require a document known as a “waiver” or cargo tracking number (CTN, BESC, FERI, ECTN, etc.) as a mandatory pre-shipment requirement. Each country uses a specific nomenclature, although they all have similar functions: to control and track imports before they reach the port of destination.

Below is a table with the main countries that require waiver, along with the official nomenclature they use:

Country Waiver Nomenclature Meaning
Angola CNCA (National Council of Freight Forwarders) Mandatory cargo certificate
Benin BESC (Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons) Electronic tracking certificate
Burkina Faso BSC (Bordereau de Suivi de Cargaison) Cargo Tracking Certificate
Cameroon BESC Electronic Cargo Certificate
Republic of Congo ECTN (Electronic Cargo Tracking Note) Electronic Cargo Tracking Note
R. D. of Congo (Kinshasa) FERI (Fiche Electronique de Renseignement à l’Importation) Electronic Import Form (Ficha Electronique de Renseignement à l’Importation)
Ivory Coast (Ivory Coast) BSC (Bordereau de Suivi de Cargaison) Mandatory tracking document
Gabon BIETC (Bordereau d’Identification Électronique de Traçabilité de Traçabilité de Cargaison) Traceability document
Ghana CTN (Cargo Tracking Note) Cargo Tracking Note
Guinea Conakry ECTN Electronic Cargo Tracking
Equatorial Guinea ECTN Prior authorization required
Liberia CTN Mandatory certificate for cargo
Libya ECTN Electronic Cargo Note
Mali BSC Similar to Burkina Faso
Niger BSC Mandatory monitoring
Senegal BESC Mandatory document prior to boarding
Sierra Leone CTN Cargo tracking
Togo ECTN Requires prior approval
Countries that require waiver to import goods, Countries that require waiver to import goods, Antonio Vicente Aznar Juan

When is the waiver mandatory?

  • Prior to boarding. In most countries, if you do not have the waiver issued before loading, you could face:

    • Fines

    • Retention at destination

    • Additional costs (delays, storage)

Who manages it?

  • It is usually processed:

    • The exporter

    • The freight forwarder / freight forwarder

    • Through an accredited official representative of the country of destination.

Countries that require waiver to import goods, Countries that require waiver to import goods, Antonio Vicente Aznar Juan