What is the Benin BESC certificate (Benin ECTN)?
The Benin BESC certificate is the electronic cargo tracking note introduced by Order No. 077/MIT/DC/SGM/PAC/CTJ/SA of 10 August 2016. Articles 3 and 4 require every cargo discharged at the Port of Cotonou to be covered by a BESC, and Benin Customs made it a condition for the admissibility of customs declarations at Cotonou-Port by service note No. 4021/DGDDI/DLRI of 22 November 2017. Customs also use the BESC data when assessing the declaration. One validated BESC covers one Bill of Lading.
New to the BESC? Read BESC meaning, and CTN meaning in shipping for the cargo tracking note that 30 African and Middle East destinations ask for in one form or another.
Other names for the Benin BESC
One instrument, several names. For Benin the filing is the BESC — Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons. The same certificate is also referred to as ECTN (Electronic Cargo Tracking Note), and a request for one is a request for the other. If your importer or your carrier has asked for a name that is not on this page, send it to us with the Bill of Lading and we will confirm which filing they mean.
Benin ECTN: the Port of Cotonou
The Benin BESC covers every cargo discharged at the Port of Cotonou. Tell us the final destination when you send the Bill of Lading; vehicles loaded in containers are declared as containerised cargo with the container numbers on the Bill of Lading, otherwise the BESC is issued for RoRo.
Official Benin BESC sources
The Benin BESC is required by Order No. 077/MIT/DC/SGM/PAC/CTJ/SA of 10 August 2016.
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When to file the Benin BESC
Open the Benin BESC file as soon as the Bill of Lading is issued: a draft is enough to start, and the final Bill of Lading is needed for validation. Without a validated BESC the customs declaration at Cotonou is not admissible, so the cargo waits at the port.
Who files the Benin BESC certificate
The shipper, the exporter or the freight forwarder files the Benin BESC; the importer in Benin cannot lodge the customs declaration at Cotonou without it.
How to get the Benin BESC, step by step
According to the customs regulations of Benin, every cargo shipment purchased from abroad and transported for commercial, business, diplomatic, or personal purposes requires a validated Loading Certificate:
- ▪Send the Bill of Lading (a draft is enough to start; the final Bill of Lading is needed for validation), the commercial invoice, the freight invoice and the export customs declaration.
- ▪We check that parties, packages, weights and values match across the documents and prepare the draft Benin BESC.
- ▪You approve the draft; the BESC is validated with the final Bill of Lading.
- ▪The validated Benin BESC is presented with the customs declaration at Cotonou-Port.
Benin BESC: validity and amendments
A validated BESC is issued against one shipment: one Bill of Lading, one vessel, one voyage, one consignee. It does not carry over to your next shipment and it carries no renewal date. If the shipment changes, the certificate has to change with it — and what can be amended after validation, and at what cost, is set by the destination authority. Corrections to the draft before filing cost nothing, which is why we send you the draft first.
What happens without a valid Benin BESC?
Cargo arriving without a validated BESC is generally not released at Cotonou: customs clearance delays, storage and demurrage accruing daily, and regulatory fines until a valid certificate is presented. The demurrage is often the larger of the two numbers, and it is the one that grows while the paperwork is corrected.
What the Benin BESC costs
Two lines, quoted separately. The first is the statutory charge the destination authority sets for registering the certificate — it belongs to the authority, not to us, and it varies by destination and shipment profile. The second is our service fee for preparing the file, checking it against the published requirements, filing it and handling any query. Neither is a percentage of your cargo value. Both are fixed and shown before anything is filed, so the invoice you approve is the invoice you pay.
Benin BESC: latest notices and articles
Is the Benin BESC Mandatory?
Yes. Order No. 077/MIT/DC/SGM/PAC/CTJ/SA of 10 August 2016 requires a BESC for every cargo discharged at the Port of Cotonou. Since Customs service note No. 4021 of 22 November 2017, a customs declaration at Cotonou is not admissible without one.
How Long Does the Benin BESC Take?
The Bill of Lading sets the pace for Benin. The file opens when it is issued, and a draft is enough to start. The commercial invoice, freight invoice and export customs declaration then go in, and parties, packages, weights and values are compared before the draft BESC comes to you.
Your approval does not finish the job, because Benin validates on the final Bill of Lading. A late final Bill of Lading holds validation back, and so does a mismatch between the documents. The outer limit is discharge at Cotonou.
Which Certificate Does Transit Cargo Through Cotonou Need?
Cotonou also discharges cargo for landlocked Niger and Burkina Faso. Cargo with final destination Niger needs the Niger BESC, and cargo for Burkina Faso needs the Burkina Faso ECTN. Their councils, CNUT and the CBC, both have representations in Cotonou.
The Benin order speaks of every cargo discharged at Cotonou, so confirm before loading whether a Benin BESC is needed as well. State the final destination when you send the Bill of Lading.
Can You Apply for the Benin BESC with a Draft Bill of Lading?
Yes for opening the file, no for validation. Benin needs the final Bill of Lading to validate, and that final document must carry the same details as the BESC draft you approved.
Which Bill of Lading Fields Must Match for the Benin BESC?
Weights, seals and the discharge port must match the cargo. Read the discharge port twice, since the Benin BESC exists for cargo discharged at Cotonou. A seal number that differs between the Bill of Lading and the certificate is one of the top rejection causes for Benin.
How Are Vehicles in Containers Declared on the Benin BESC?
A vehicle loaded in a container for Benin is declared as containerised cargo, with the container numbers on the Bill of Lading. Without those numbers, the BESC is issued for RoRo. Read that field on the Bill of Lading draft before you apply.
Why Does Cotonou Customs Reject a Declaration Without a BESC?
At Cotonou-Port the BESC is a condition of admissibility for the customs declaration. Customs also use the BESC data when assessing that declaration, so the value on the BESC and the value on the declaration should come from one commercial invoice.
Order No. 077 and Service Note No. 4021: What Each One Did
The two texts do different jobs. Articles 3 and 4 of the 2016 order required a BESC for every cargo discharged at Cotonou. Service note No. 4021/DGDDI/DLRI of 2017 tied that requirement to customs, making the BESC a condition for declarations at Cotonou-Port. If your buyer asks for the legal basis, cite both.
Shipping to Benin from Turkey
Apply as soon as the Bill of Lading is issued. For cargo leaving Turkey, the export customs declaration and the packing list also go in the Benin file.
Why File Through GetCTN
At Cotonou the test is whether the declaration is admissible, so we compare parties, packages, weights and values before the draft reaches you. Corrections at that stage, ahead of validation on the final Bill of Lading, cost nothing. Give us the final destination with the Bill of Lading and the Niger or Burkina Faso question is raised before loading.
Benin BESC certificate questions
What is the Benin BESC?
The BESC is a compulsory Electronic Cargo Tracking Note (ECTN) for shipments to Benin. It records loading and invoice details so customs can verify compliance ahead of the destination's filing deadline.
Which documents are required to obtain the BESC?
The core documents are: Bill of Lading, Commercial Invoice, Freight Invoice, Export Customs Declaration, and Packing List. Additional destination-specific paperwork may be requested during validation — our desk confirms the exact list for your shipment.
When must the BESC be issued?
As soon as the Bill of Lading is issued, and before the cargo is discharged at Cotonou: without a validated BESC the customs declaration at Cotonou-Port is not admissible.
What happens if cargo arrives without a valid BESC?
The customs declaration at Cotonou-Port is not admissible without a BESC, so the cargo cannot be cleared and stays at the port with storage and demurrage until a BESC is validated.
Can a validated BESC be modified after issuance?
Once validated, changes are generally restricted. Ensure all weights, values and party details match your cargo manifests and Bill of Lading exactly before submitting.
Is the Benin ECTN the same as the Benin BESC certificate?
Yes. Searches for the Benin ECTN mean the BESC (Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons), the name printed on the Benin BESC certificate. One certificate covers one Bill of Lading.
What is the legal basis of the Benin BESC?
Order No. 077/MIT/DC/SGM/PAC/CTJ/SA of 10 August 2016, which introduced the BESC in Benin, and Customs service note No. 4021/DGDDI/DLRI of 22 November 2017, which made it a condition for customs declarations at Cotonou-Port.