What is the Guinea Bissau ECTN (CEE)?
The Guinea Bissau CEE is the electronic cargo tracking note required for cargo to and from Guinea Bissau since 28 October 2011, under the decision of 8 August 2011. It is issued at the port of loading and validated for the Guinea Bissau Shippers’ Council (CNC-GB). The authorities confirmed the requirement again in 2016 and 2021: cargo that arrives in Bissau without a validated certificate is blocked for delivery.
The CEE is Guinea Bissau’s form of the cargo tracking note; CTN meaning in shipping explains the document 30 African and Middle East destinations ask for in one form or another.
Other names for the Guinea Bissau CEE
One instrument, several names. For Guinea Bissau the filing is the CEE — Certificado Electrónico de Embarque. 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.
Guinea Bissau ECTN: the port of Bissau
Guinea Bissau’s seaport is Bissau. The CEE is required for every Bill of Lading discharged there, and for cargo shipped out of Guinea Bissau. Tell us the port of discharge and the final destination when you send the Bill of Lading.
Official Guinea Bissau ECTN (CEE) sources
The Guinea Bissau CEE is validated for the Guinea Bissau Shippers’ Council (CNC-GB).
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When to file the Guinea Bissau ECTN
File the Guinea Bissau CEE at the port of loading, before the vessel sails. After pre-validation you have 5 days to send the original Bill of Lading, signed and stamped, with the place and date of issue and the shipped-on-board date; otherwise the system cancels the certificate and a penalty fee applies to recover it.
Who files the Guinea Bissau ECTN
The shipper, the exporter or the freight forwarder at the port of loading files the Guinea Bissau CEE. The consignee in Bissau does not file it, but cannot take delivery of the cargo without it.
How to get the Guinea Bissau CEE, step by step
According to the customs regulations of Guinea Bissau, 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, the freight invoice and the export customs declaration.
- ▪We check that parties, packages, weights and values match across the documents and pre-validate the Guinea Bissau CEE (ECTN) at the port of loading.
- ▪Within 5 days of pre-validation, send the original Bill of Lading, signed and stamped, with the place and date of issue and the shipped-on-board date.
- ▪The validated Guinea Bissau CEE travels with the cargo for delivery in Bissau.
Guinea Bissau CEE: validity and amendments
A validated CEE 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 Guinea Bissau CEE?
Cargo arriving without a validated CEE is generally not released at Bissau: 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 Guinea Bissau CEE 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 Guinea Bissau CEE Mandatory?
Yes. The Guinea Bissau CEE has been mandatory since 28 October 2011 for shipments to and from the country. Cargo that arrives in Bissau without a validated certificate is blocked for delivery.
How Long Does the Guinea Bissau CEE Take?
A Guinea Bissau CEE has two stages. The first opens when the Bill of Lading, commercial invoice, freight invoice and export customs declaration arrive, and it ends with pre-validation at the port of loading. The second opens at pre-validation and closes when the original Bill of Lading is in, within the 5-day limit. The validated CEE comes after that second stage.
The original Bill of Lading is what holds a Guinea Bissau file most often: unsigned, unstamped or without the shipped-on-board date, it does not close the stage. The application itself has to be made before the vessel sails from the port of loading.
Port of Loading Pre-validation and the Validated Guinea Bissau CEE
Pre-validation happens at the port of loading, once parties, packages, weights and values match across the documents. It does not end the Guinea Bissau file: the certificate that travels with the cargo for delivery in Bissau is the validated CEE, reached only after the original Bill of Lading is in.
Shipping to Guinea Bissau from Turkey
For cargo from Turkey, obtain the CEE at the port of loading before the vessel sails for Bissau. After pre-validation the signed and stamped original Bill of Lading has to follow within 5 days, or the certificate is cancelled.
What Must the Original Bill of Lading Show for the Guinea Bissau CEE?
The Bill of Lading sent after pre-validation has to be the original, signed and stamped. It must show the place and date of issue and the shipped-on-board date. A draft Bill of Lading does not meet this Guinea Bissau step.
What Happens if a Guinea Bissau CEE Is Cancelled?
If the original Bill of Lading misses the 5-day limit, the system cancels the CEE and a penalty fee applies to recover it. Ask for pre-validation knowing when the signed original will be in your hands.
How Are Guinea Bissau CEE Corrections Handled?
On a Guinea Bissau file, corrections to the draft before filing cost nothing, while any change to the information or documents after pre-validation incurs a penalty fee. That covers a single weight or party name as well.
Does Cargo Leaving Guinea Bissau Need a CEE?
Yes. The CEE applies to shipments to and from Guinea Bissau, under the decision of 8 August 2011, so cargo shipped out needs one as well as cargo arriving in Bissau.
Are the Guinea Bissau CEE and the Guinea Conakry BESC the Same Document?
No. Guinea Bissau requires a CEE, Guinea Conakry a BESC and Equatorial Guinea an ECTN. The country names look alike, so check the destination on the Bill of Lading before applying; cargo for Bissau needs the CEE.
Is the Guinea Bissau CEE Still in Force?
The authorities confirmed the 28 October 2011 requirement again in 2016 and 2021. ANTASER notices of 28 May 2016 and 17 January 2021 repeat that cargo without a validated certificate is blocked in Bissau.
Why File Through GetCTN
We match parties, packages, weights and values across the four Guinea Bissau documents before pre-validation, because any change after it incurs a penalty fee. For the 5-day step we check the original against what the CEE needs: signature, stamp, place and date of issue, shipped-on-board date. The charge for a CEE validated for the CNC-GB and our service fee are quoted as two separate lines before filing.
Guinea Bissau ECTN and CEE questions
What is the Guinea Bissau CEE?
The CEE is a compulsory Electronic Cargo Tracking Note (ECTN) for shipments to Guinea Bissau. 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 CEE?
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 CEE be issued?
At the port of loading, before the vessel sails. After pre-validation the signed and stamped original Bill of Lading must follow within 5 days, or the certificate is cancelled.
What happens if cargo arrives without a valid CEE?
Cargo that arrives in Bissau without a validated CEE is blocked for delivery by the local authorities until it is regularised, on top of storage and demurrage charges.
Can a validated CEE be modified after issuance?
Any change to the information or documents after pre-validation incurs a penalty fee. Ensure all weights, values and party details match your cargo manifests and Bill of Lading exactly before submitting.
Is the Guinea Bissau ECTN the same as the Guinea Bissau CEE?
Yes. Searches for the Guinea Bissau ECTN mean the CEE (Certificado Eletrónico de Embarque), the name printed on the certificate. It is one certificate per Bill of Lading.
Since when is the Guinea Bissau ECTN mandatory?
Since 28 October 2011, under a decision of the State Secretary of Transports and Communication of 8 August 2011. It applies to shipments to and from Guinea Bissau.