
What is CTN?
CTN is no longer mandatory document for shipments to Ghana. It was implemented as a regulation in 2018 and terminated by the Ghana Customs Officials in August 2020.
The system that has substituted CTN is called ICUMS, Integrated Customs Management System. Find out more about ICUMS and other procedures during clearance in Ghana.
According to this law, every cargo that has been purchased from abroad and transported for commercial, business, in some cases diplomatic and personal purposes require a Loading Certificate called CTN – Cargo Tracking Note.
The shipper or the freight forwarder is responsible for acquiring the CTN waiver certificate from the authorized representative.
- Bill of Lading – an Original BL copy is mandatory.
- Commercial Invoice
- Freight Invoice – It is necessary if the freight cost isn’t on the commercial invoice.
- Export Customs Declaration – Details have to match with all documents if it is not cross-trade.
- Packing List – Reference of the doc, the date, the number of containers, the container numbers and the container type have to be mentioned.
- According to Ghana Customs regulations, all cargoes to Ghana must be accompanied by a CTN certificate.
- The CTN certificate must be validated five days before the vessel arrives at the latest.
- Shipments who arrive without CTN or with false information on the CTN gets charged twice the certificate cost plus the regulation charge determined by the Ghana National Port Officials.
FAQs related to Ghana CTN Certificate
A shipment to Burkina Faso in transit through Ghana only needs to get a Burkina Faso ECTN certificate, due to the suspension of the Ghana ECTN.
As per the recent regulations set by the Ghana Revenue Authorities, the ECTN has been put on hold since 26th August 2020 and is still on hold/not active. You do not need to obtain ECTN until further notice.
No, CTN is unique and reserved only for one shipment. Every shipment must have a validated CTN number.
Yes, Ghana Customs authorities have imposed BSC requirements for all commercial and Non-commercial shipments starting from April 2018.
Yes. Ghana CTN validation process is split into two parts. First, the certificate gets pre-validated, where the shipper is provided with the CTN number. Then we require an Original Bill of Lading copy with the CTN number so we can validate the certificate.
We need to see the Original BL copy depicting the CTN number. However, we do not require an original hard copy of any of your documents.
Ghana authorities cancelled the CTN requirement for vehicles older than 6 months from all countries. If the car age is younger than 6 months you will need to get a CTN certificate.
General FAQs
GetCTN is an independent consulting firm that helps clients obtain CTN certificates in many African countries. It is an international company with offices in the USA, UK, and UAE, and its sole business is CTN certification; it is not a freight forwarder, importer, or exporter.
The hard copy of the certificate isn’t necessary at all. Instead, the whole process is completed online.
A bill of lading (BL or BoL) is a legal document issued by a carrier to a shipper that details the type, quantity, and destination of the goods being carried.
A commercial invoice is a required document for the export and import clearance process. It is sometimes used for foreign exchange purposes. In the buyer’s country, it is the document their customs officials use to assess import duties and taxes.