Central African Republic

Electronic Cargo Tracking Note

The Central African Republic (C.A.R) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by 6 countries: by CHAD to the North, SUDAN and SOUTH SUDAN to the East, by the DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO to the South-East, the REPUBLIC OF CONGO to the South-West and by CAMEROON to the West.

In 2010, the Central African Republic Ministry of Finances and Budget issued a decree that all cargo arriving at their borders must have a Cargo Tracking Note (CTN) or Bordereau de Suivi des Cargaisons (BSC).

Some shipping lines may not load cargo without the CTN number.

Port

• BANQUI (most suitable via the port of Douala in Cameroon)

Documents and Informations required

• Bill of Lading (Final B/L for validation)
• Commercial invoice ; currency must be mentioned in $ or €
• Freight invoice in the same currency (not needed in case the freight charges are mentioned on the commercial invoice)
• Export Customs Declaration (Optional)
• Country of Origin of the goods

Additional information

• Once the draft ECTN document is approved, we can submit the ECTN document for pre-validation to get the ECTN number. This number can be transmitted to the shipping line in order to obtain the required BL number.
• For validation of the ECTN document we need the final B/L.
• A pre-validated ECTN document should be completed and validated within 5 working days. If not, the ECTN will be cancelled. All costs involved will be for the applicant’s account.

Procedure

• Submit the required documents by email or online.
• You will be sent a draft and an invoice, typically within the same day.
• Once your payment has been received and you approve the draft, a validation will be sent.

Timeline

• The ECTN must be validated before the vessel arrives at the destination. No regularization at destination port.
• The process can typically be done within 24 hours after receipt of payment.

Penalties

• Goods arriving at the port of landing without ECTN risk paying penalties and fines.