Overview
The Malian Customs Authority has issued an official notification regarding the Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons (BESC) requirement for all shipments destined for Mali.
Key Requirement
All exporters and freight forwarders must obtain the BESC at the port of loading before shipment. This is a mandatory compliance measure.
Consequences of Non-Compliance
Failure to comply with this requirement may result in:
- Penalties imposed by customs authorities
- Clearance delays at the destination port
Recommendation
Stakeholders in the shipping industry are advised to take immediate action to ensure all Mali-bound shipments include proper BESC documentation to avoid operational disruptions and financial penalties.
Filing against this requirement
Our desk records a Mali BESC application as filed with three documents: the bill of lading, the commercial invoice and the freight invoice.
Mali is landlocked, so the filing turns on a detail the notice above does not mention: the customs entry point. Applications come back when the declared port of discharge is wrong — Dakar and Abidjan are the two that recur in our records. The other two frequent causes are a BESC number missing from the bill of lading, and a commercial invoice that does not list FOB, freight and ancillary costs as separate lines rather than a single total.
Current requirements are kept on the Mali BESC page.