Ivory Coast BSC
BSC is a mandatory document for all ports in Ivory Coast
We also have many exporters regularly obtaining BSC for Côte d’Ivoire from us. Our exceptional team is ready to support exporters and freight forwarders in 
United States 24/7. Contact us now for a Free Consultation.
Here are some of the companies we work with
We’ve provided the CTN certificate for over 20 countries to clients worldwide since 2005.
What is BSC?
BSC is a mandatory loading document for all shipments to Ivory Coast. It is required for Abidjan, Baobab Marine Terminal, port of Sasandra, San Pedro or any other port. It is also known as CTN.
It was determined as a regulation in 2005 by the Ivorian Customs Officials. Failing to present the BSC document will lead to severe consequences and a hefty fine.
Procedure
According to this law, every cargo purchased from abroad and transported for commercial, business, in some cases, diplomatic and personal purposes require a Loading Certificate called BSC – Bordereau de Suivi des Cargaisons.
The shipper or the freight forwarder is responsible for acquiring the BSC waiver certificate from the authorized representative.
- Bill of Lading – a Draft copy can be used to generate the draft BSC. Original copy has to be provided with the date of issue before the validation.
- 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.
- Certificate of Origin
- Local Certificate of Insurance (Local certificat d’assurance) – The importer must get it from Ivory Coast, regardless of the shipment type.
- FDI document (Fiche de decleration a l’importation) – The importer will get it from Ivory Coast regardless of shipment type.
To monitor all Côte d’Ivoire volumes, the Office Ivoirien des Chargeurs, in 2003 (OIC – the Ivorian Shippers Council) introduced a Bordereau de Suivi de Cargaison (BSC) – a cargo tracking note. The order urged Shippers to apply for BSC with an exceptional decision of creating CTN/BSC at the destination port.
However, allowing the recommendations of the National Workshop, in 2013, all shippers were informed that the exceptional decision of creating a Cargo Tracking Note at the destination in the Ivorian seaports was repealed. As a result, customs clearance is not possible without the BSC at arrival, and cargo can be returned.
- According to Ivory Coast Customs regulations, all cargo to Ivory Coast must be accompanied by a BSC certificate.
- The BSC certificate must be validated five days before the vessel arrives at the latest.
- The cargo won’t be cleared and will be sent back to the origin if the BSC certificate is not provided.
- Shipments that arrive without BSC or with false information on the BSC get charged twice the certificate cost plus the regulation charge determined by the Ivory Coast National Port Officials.
- Customs Declaration amendments are subject to a fine of 2500 USD per Bill of lading. This amount will be debited to the agency that requests the correction.
FAQs related to Ivory Coast BSC Certificate
BSC is another name for a waiver document. It stands for Bordereau de Suivi de Cargaison.
A shipment to Burkina Faso in transit through Ivory Coast only needs a Burkina Faso ECTN certificate.
FDI is the short term for Fiche de Decleration a l’importation. In English, it means the Import Declaration Form. All shipments to Ivory Coast must get an FDI certificate.
The Consignee from the Ivory coast Customs office can apply FDI document.
The FDI document is issued for each shipment/Bill of Lading separately. The FDI will contain shipment details such as weight, value, shipment term, loading and arrival port names which must match the pertaining shipment documents.
You can find other documents that are necessary to apply for Ivory Coast BSC. Below is the FDI certificate sample copy/
FDI Sample
No, BSC is unique and reserved only for one shipment. Every shipment must have a validated BSC number.
No. Ivory Coast BSC certificate number is not required to show on the Bill of Lading.
As long as the expiry date is not surpassed, the Local certificate of Insurance can be purchased in advance and be used for multiple cargo shipments. However, you will have to get a new FDI document for every cargo shipment individually.
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.