What is the Equatorial Guinea ECTN certificate?
The Equatorial Guinea ECTN certificate is the electronic cargo tracking note required for sea cargo discharged in Equatorial Guinea, at Malabo on Bioko Island, Bata on the mainland and Luba. It records the shipper, consignee, cargo description and declared values so customs can check the shipment before it arrives. One validated ECTN covers one Bill of Lading.
New to the ECTN? Read what an ECTN is, 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 Equatorial Guinea ECTN
One instrument, several names. For Equatorial Guinea the filing is the ECTN — Electronic Cargo Tracking Note. The same certificate is also referred to as CTN (Cargo Tracking Note), BESC, BSC, and 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.
Equatorial Guinea ECTN: Malabo, Bata and Luba
The Equatorial Guinea ECTN covers sea cargo discharged at Malabo on Bioko Island, Bata on the mainland and Luba. One validated ECTN covers one Bill of Lading; tell us the port of discharge when you send it. Equatorial Guinea is a different country from Guinea Conakry, which requires a BESC, and from Guinea Bissau, which requires a CEE; check the destination on the Bill of Lading.
When to file the Equatorial Guinea ECTN
File the Equatorial Guinea ECTN before the vessel leaves the port of loading, so that validation is complete before it reaches Malabo, Bata or Luba. Send the Bill of Lading as soon as the booking is confirmed.
Who files the Equatorial Guinea ECTN
The shipper, the exporter or the freight forwarder at the port of loading files the Equatorial Guinea ECTN, in coordination with the consignee.
How to get the Equatorial Guinea ECTN, step by step
According to the customs regulations of Equatorial Guinea, 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, the commercial invoice and the freight invoice if freight is not on the invoice.
- ▪We check that parties, packages, weights and values match across the documents and prepare the draft ECTN.
- ▪You approve the draft before the vessel leaves the port of loading, so that the ECTN is validated before arrival.
- ▪The validated Equatorial Guinea ECTN travels with the cargo for clearance at Malabo, Bata or Luba.
Equatorial Guinea ECTN: validity and amendments
A validated ECTN 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 Equatorial Guinea ECTN?
Cargo arriving without a validated ECTN is generally not released at Malabo or Bata: 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 Equatorial Guinea ECTN 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.
Is the Equatorial Guinea ECTN Mandatory?
Yes. Sea cargo discharged at Malabo, Bata or Luba needs an ECTN. One validated ECTN covers one Bill of Lading, and some agents call the same document a BESC or BSC.
How Long Does the Equatorial Guinea ECTN Take?
The Equatorial Guinea ECTN starts when the booking is confirmed and the Bill of Lading is sent, with the commercial invoice and the freight invoice if freight is not on the invoice. The documents are then compared, the draft ECTN is prepared, the draft comes to you for approval, and validation is completed before arrival at Malabo, Bata or Luba.
The date that sets this order is the vessel leaving the port of loading: filing and draft approval have to come before it. A late draft approval holds an Equatorial Guinea file most, followed by differences in parties, packages, weights or values between the documents.
Which Port of Discharge Goes on the Equatorial Guinea ECTN Application?
Name Malabo, Bata or Luba as the port of discharge when you send the Bill of Lading. Malabo is on Bioko Island and Bata is on the mainland, so this also shows where the cargo is going.
Shipping to Equatorial Guinea from Turkey
The shipper or freight forwarder files for cargo leaving Turkey. If you apply before the vessel leaves the port of loading, validation is complete before arrival at Malabo, Bata or Luba.
How Many ECTNs for Cargo Split Between Malabo and Bata?
One validated Equatorial Guinea ECTN covers one Bill of Lading, so the count follows the Bills of Lading, not the ports: separate Bills of Lading for Malabo and Bata each need their own ECTN.
Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Conakry or Guinea Bissau: Which Certificate?
The three countries are different and so are their documents. Equatorial Guinea requires an ECTN, Guinea Conakry a BESC and Guinea Bissau a CEE. For cargo to Malabo, Bata or Luba the right document is the Equatorial Guinea ECTN, so check the destination on the Bill of Lading before applying.
When Is the Equatorial Guinea ECTN Number Issued?
The number is issued at validation and cannot be supplied in advance. If a carrier or consignee asks for it earlier, an Equatorial Guinea file has no number to give yet.
What to Check on the Equatorial Guinea ECTN Draft
The certificate records the shipper, consignee, cargo description and declared values, and Equatorial Guinea customs checks the shipment before arrival. Compare those four items with the Bill of Lading and the invoice line by line, and approve the draft before the vessel leaves for Malabo, Bata or Luba.
Why File Through GetCTN
We prepare the draft Equatorial Guinea ECTN from your Bill of Lading and invoices, with the Malabo, Bata or Luba discharge port stated. You approve it before the vessel leaves the port of loading, so the ECTN can be validated before arrival. For cargo split between Malabo and Bata, each Bill of Lading gets its own ECTN.
Equatorial Guinea ECTN certificate questions
What is the Equatorial Guinea ECTN?
The ECTN is a compulsory Electronic Cargo Tracking Note (ECTN) for shipments to Equatorial Guinea. 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 ECTN?
The core documents are: Bill of Lading, Commercial Invoice, Freight Invoice, and Export Customs Declaration. Additional destination-specific paperwork may be requested during validation — our desk confirms the exact list for your shipment.
When must the ECTN be issued?
File before the vessel leaves the port of loading, so that validation is complete before it arrives at Malabo, Bata or Luba. One validated ECTN covers one Bill of Lading.
What happens if cargo arrives without a valid ECTN?
Cargo arriving at Malabo, Bata or Luba without a validated ECTN faces clearance delays, fines and storage charges, and can be refused clearance until a valid certificate is presented.
Can a validated ECTN 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 Equatorial Guinea ECTN certificate also called BESC or BSC?
ECTN is the name printed on Equatorial Guinea’s certificate; some agents also call it a BESC, BSC or CTN. They mean the same document, one per Bill of Lading.