What is the Togo BESC certificate (Togo ECTN)?
The BESC (Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons) is the electronic cargo tracking note for sea cargo imported into Togo through the port of Lomé. Togolese customs use it to check the shipper, consignee, cargo, weights and values against the Bill of Lading. Whoever holds the shipping documents can apply for it. Cargo without a valid BESC is not released at Lomé, and demurrage runs until one is presented.
New to the BESC? Read BESC meaning, 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 Togo BESC
In Togo the certificate is called the BESC (Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons). Carriers and importers also call it the CTN (Cargo Tracking Note); both names mean the same certificate. If your importer or carrier uses another name, send it to us with the Bill of Lading and we will tell you which document they mean.
Togo BESC certificate: Port of Lomé
The BESC is required for cargo discharged at Lomé and imported into Togo. Cargo that transits Lomé to another country, such as Burkina Faso, Niger or Mali, needs the certificate of its final destination; a Togo BESC is optional for it, and we can issue one on request. Tell us the final destination when you send the Bill of Lading.
Togo BESC sources
The Togo BESC is managed by the Conseil National des Chargeurs Togolais (CNCT).
- CNCT: management of the Togo BESC (online BESC, tariffs, account)
- InterCom Togo: obtaining the BESC (mandatory since 1 August 2015, STED Togo platform)
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Togo BESC: final B/L within 5 days
Togo counts the deadline from pre-validation. A draft Bill of Lading is enough to pre-validate the BESC. The Bill of Lading showing the place and date of issue and the shipped-on-board date must follow within 5 days. If 5 days pass without it, the certificate is deleted from the system.
Who files the Togo BESC certificate
Whoever sends the shipping documents can obtain the BESC: the shipper, the exporter, the freight forwarder or the consignee. The sales terms decide who pays.
How to get a Togo BESC
- ▪Send the Bill of Lading, the commercial invoice and the export customs declaration. A draft Bill of Lading is enough to start. Depending on the Incoterm, we also need the freight amount; under specific conditions, an email stating it is enough.
- ▪With complete documents, we prepare the draft BESC within 1 hour on average.
- ▪You check the draft and confirm it. Corrections at this stage are free.
- ▪We submit the confirmed draft for validation. Validation takes 1 to 24 hours.
- ▪Within 5 days of pre-validation, send the Bill of Lading showing the place and date of issue and the shipped-on-board date. After 5 days without it, the certificate is deleted from the system.
Togo BESC: validity and amendments
One BESC covers up to 5 containers on the same Bill of Lading, so a Bill of Lading with 12 containers needs three certificates. After pre-validation, the final Bill of Lading must arrive within 5 days or the certificate is deleted. Any amendment after pre-validation is subject to a penalty fee. Corrections to the draft before that step are free.
What happens without a valid Togo BESC?
Cargo is not released at Lomé without a valid BESC, and demurrage applies until one is presented. A missing, expired or incorrect BESC leads to shipment delays and increasing penalty fees.
What the Togo BESC costs
The price is fixed per certificate, and one certificate covers up to 5 containers on the same Bill of Lading: 1 to 5 containers take one certificate, 6 to 10 take two. You see the full price before anything is filed. Amendments after pre-validation carry a penalty fee on top. How ECTN charges are calculated.
Togo BESC: latest notices and articles
Is the Togo BESC Mandatory?
Yes, for sea cargo imported into Togo through the port of Lomé. It is the same document searched as the Togo ECTN. If your cargo only passes through Lomé on its way to another country, confirm with us before filing.
How Long Does the Togo BESC Take?
Togo runs on two stretches. The first starts with the documents: Bill of Lading, commercial invoice and export customs declaration, and a draft Bill of Lading is enough. The draft BESC is prepared, you confirm it, and it goes for validation. The second starts at pre-validation and has nothing to do with the arrival date: the final Bill of Lading must follow within 5 days. Two mismatches stop the first stretch most often: statistical value against FOB value, and declaration weight against Bill of Lading weight. A missing freight amount also holds the file when the Incoterm calls for it.
What Must the Final Bill of Lading Show for a Togo BESC?
The place of issue, the date of issue and the shipped-on-board date. A draft is enough to start; these details are looked for in the version sent within 5 days. The weight must match the export declaration, and shipper, consignee and notify party addresses must match the other documents. On shipper-owned containers, the tare weight must also appear.
How Many Togo BESC Certificates Do Your Containers Need?
The limit is 5 containers on the same Bill of Lading. 1 to 5 containers take one certificate, 6 to 10 take two, 11 to 15 take three. The price is fixed per certificate, so in Togo the certificate count sets the total, not the container count.
RoRo Vehicles to Lomé
Each RoRo vehicle needs its own Togo BESC number. Containers can share one certificate up to 5, but vehicles do not add up that way. Three vehicles on one Bill of Lading mean three numbers.
Cross-Trade Shipments and Address Matching
Togo wants shipper, consignee and notify party addresses to match on every document, and cross-trade shipments are the exception. Say that the shipment is cross-trade when you send the file, so the address difference is not read as a mismatch on your Lomé file.
Declaring the Freight Amount on a Togo BESC
In Togo the freight invoice is not needed on every file; it depends on the Incoterm. Under specific conditions, an email stating the freight amount is enough. Put the Incoterm in your first message, so the freight document is settled at draft stage.
Togo BESC Corrections: Free or Penalty?
Pre-validation is the line. Corrections to the draft are free. Any amendment after pre-validation carries a penalty fee on top of the certificate price. If the final Bill of Lading does not arrive within 5 days, correction is no longer the question: the Togo BESC is deleted from the system.
Shipping to Togo from Turkey
A draft Bill of Lading is enough for pre-validation, so you can file for Lomé before the final one exists. Plan the final Bill of Lading from Turkey with the 5-day limit in mind: without it the certificate is deleted.
Why File the Togo BESC Through GetCTN
GetCTN is a private company: we prepare and file the Togo BESC for shippers and forwarders, and the Togolese authority issues the certificate. The Conseil National des Chargeurs Togolais (CNCT) manages the Togo BESC. Before filing we set the export declaration against the invoice and the Bill of Lading, checking statistical value against FOB value and weight against weight, the two top causes of Togo BESC rejection.
Togo BESC certificate questions
What is the Togo BESC?
The BESC (Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons) is the electronic cargo tracking note for sea cargo imported into Togo through Lomé. One certificate covers up to 5 containers on the same Bill of Lading.
Which documents are required to obtain the BESC?
The Bill of Lading, the commercial invoice and the export customs declaration. Depending on the Incoterm we also need the freight amount; under specific conditions, an email stating it is enough. A draft Bill of Lading is enough for the draft certificate; validation needs the final one.
When must the BESC be issued?
A draft Bill of Lading is enough to pre-validate the BESC. The Bill of Lading showing the place and date of issue and the shipped-on-board date must follow within 5 days of pre-validation. After 5 days without it, the certificate is deleted from the system.
Is a Togo BESC needed for cargo in transit?
No. Cargo that transits Lomé to another country needs the certificate of its final destination. A Togo BESC for transit cargo is optional, and we can issue one on request.
What happens if cargo arrives without a valid BESC?
Cargo is not released at Lomé without a valid BESC. Demurrage applies until one is presented, and the shipment faces delays and increasing penalty fees.
Can a BESC be changed after pre-validation?
Yes, for a penalty fee. Any amendment after pre-validation is subject to a penalty fee, so check weights, values and party details against the Bill of Lading before you confirm the draft.
Who manages the Togo BESC?
The Conseil National des Chargeurs Togolais (CNCT) manages the Togo BESC. According to InterCom Togo, the Togo BESC certificate has been mandatory since 1 August 2015 and is issued for the State by Antaser Afrique through its STED Togo platform.
Is the Togo BESC certificate the same as the Togo ECTN?
Yes. Togo BESC, Togo BESC certificate, Togo ECTN and Togo CTN all mean the BESC (Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons) for cargo imported through Lomé.