Burkina Faso ECTN/URN
Mandatory document for all ports in Burkina Faso.
Ensure smooth operations and timely delivery of your cargo with the Burkina Faso ECTN. When shipping goods to Burkina Faso, you should not overlook the ECTN certificate.
As mandated by Customs Officials, the Electronic Cargo Tracking Note (ECTN) is a mandatory document for all shipments to Burkina Faso. Failing to present the ECTN document can lead to severe consequences and a hefty fine.
What is Burkina Faso ECTN/URN Certificate?
Every shipment of cargo to Burkina Faso must include a “Electronic Cargo Tracking Note,” known as an ECTN or BESC. In 2001, the Customs Officers of Burkina Faso made it a law.
It is a legal requirement and must be provided by an authorized agency; else, goods will not be permitted to enter Burkina Faso.
The Burkina Faso government has determined that beginning on April 20, 2023, all Burkina Faso transactions must include an ECTN Reference Number on the bill of lading for the products.
Certificate Requirements
Which documents are required for Benin Besc?
The following documents are mandatory for the Burkina Faso ECTN certificate.
- Bill of Lading (ECTN Reference Number must be written on it)
- Commercial Invoice
- Freight Invoice (It is not necessary If the freight value is indicated on the commercial invoice)
- Pink slip/Grey slip (for RORO shipments)
To start the certification process, send PDF versions of the required documents to info@globalctn.com. For the issuance of ECTN certifications, hard copies are not required.
Please make sure you send the final documents that don’t require revisions. After the certificates have been validated, a penalty cost will be applied for revisions.
General FAQs
Burkina Faso started using the ECTN certificate, just as other countries in Africa, to manage traffic and organize the transit of imported products. On October 30, 2009, it was announced via the N°09/395/CBC/DG document that all shipments to Burkina Faso must have an ECTN certificate.
All Burkina Faso transactions after April 20, 2023, must include an ECTN Reference Number on the Bill of Lading.
A validated ECTN certificate contains “URN,” which is an acronym for “Unique Reference Number,” written across the top of the certificate. That is to say, the certificate number has to be written on the Bill of Lading’s description section.
Please be aware that Burkina Faso is a landlocked country. We thus remind you that it is advisable to determine in advance if any additional certificates are required for the country of arrival.
It is necessary to have a ECTN certificate for shipments transit via Togo and Benin. On the other hand, if the shipment is passing via Ghana or the Ivory Coast on its way to these countries, a certificate is not required for Togo or Benin.
To sum up, you must obtain two certificates if the discharge port is Lome (Togo) or Cotonou (Benin)
A shipment going to Burkina Faso that transits via Ivory Coast only needs to get an ECTN certificate for Burkina Faso.
Due to the suspension of the Ghana ECTN certificate, shipments to Burkina Faso in transit through Ghana only require a ECTN certificate for Burkina Faso.
Each ECTN number is unique and limited to one shipment. Every cargo needs to get its own validated ECTN certificate.
The term “CTN” refers to “Cargo Tracking Note,” often also referred to as “Bordereau de Suivi Cargaison” (BSC) or “Loading Certificate,” and is a type of waiver document.
These waiver certificates are official maritime documents that describe the goods and its port-to-port passage. Several African countries want this in order to properly monitor, manage, and regulate their import and export commerce. Each CTN is required for import customs clearance at the port of entry and must be filed and validated.
Local Customs will forbid any shipments that are not covered by a valid CTN and charge the necessary cost prior to the presentation of the final CTN.