Waiver Certificate for Exporting to Africa: Complete Guide (BSC, ECTN, BESC)

What is the Waiver Certificate

The Waiver Certificate —also called BSC (Bordereau de Suivi de Cargaison), ECTN (Electronic Cargo Tracking Note) or BESC depending on the country— is a mandatory cargo tracking document for exporting to most West and Central African countries. It is required by the port and customs authorities of the destination country to control the goods entering through their ports, and must be issued before the vessel departs the loading port or, in most destinations, within a very short period after departure.

What Happens If Your Cargo Arrives Without a Waiver

It is the most costly mistake a novice exporter can make on African routes:

• Fines that in most destinations amount to thousands of euros per container.
• Blocking of the goods at the port until the document is regularized, with delay and storage costs accruing each day.
• In the most severe cases, customs may auction or reject the cargo.

The rule is simple: without a validated Waiver, your container will not be cleared at destination.

Countries That Require a Waiver Certificate

The exact list changes with each country's regulations, but consistently they require it, among others: Senegal, Costa de Marfil, Camerún, Guinea (Conakry), Guinea Ecuatorial, Mali, Burkina Faso, Níger, Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benín, Congo, República Centroafricana, Mauritania, Sierra Leona y Liberia. Each country has its own issuing authority, its format (BSC, ECTN, BESC, CTN…) and its validation timelines. On our Waiver Certificate page we keep the list updated.

Documents You Need to Process It

• Bill of Lading (B/L) of the shipment.
• Commercial invoice of the goods.
• Packing list.
• Export DUA (customs declaration).
• Depending on destination: freight certificate, insurance policy or buyer's import licence.

With complete documentation, issuance and validation can be completed within 24-72 hours. The problem is that any discrepancy between documents — a weight that does not match, a misspelled consignee, an incorrect HS code — triggers rejections and validation delays while the vessel is already sailing.

How We Process It at a3 Logistic

We have been shipping to West Africa from Barcelona for decades and we process the Waiver as an integral part of the export operation:

• We review the consistency of all documentation before requesting the certificate.
• We request it from the issuing authority of the destination country as soon as the B/L is available, to validate it within the deadline.
• We deliver the validated certificate and attach it to the shipment, ready for clearance at destination.
• If we also handle your maritime transport and the customs clearance, you have the entire chain under a single responsible party.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the exporter or the importer process the Waiver?

It depends on the country and the Incoterm, but in practice the responsibility for having a valid Waiver rests with the shipment: if it is not present, the cargo will not be cleared. Therefore, it is common for the exporter’s freight forwarder at origin to handle it.

How much does it cost?

The fee varies depending on the destination country and the type of cargo (container, groupage, vehicles, rolling cargo). It is quoted per operation together with the freight.

Can the same certificate be used for multiple containers?

The certificate is linked to the B/L. A B/L with multiple containers can be covered by a single Waiver; separate shipments require separate certificates.

Export to Africa Without Surprises

If you are shipping to any port in West or Central Africa, contact us before finalising the operation: we will check whether your destination requires a Waiver, which format is needed and we will have it processed and validated within the deadline.