CNUT-IQS IT Gateway
Cargo Tracking Note Compliance Gateway
Conseil Nigérien des Utilisateurs de Transports Publics
Republic of Niger
Announcements
International Quality Solutions Corp. is contracted to provide cargo-tracking services for Conseil Nigérien des Utilisateurs de Transports Publics (CNUT), an agency within the Ministry of Transport.
Overview
The Republic of Niger, being a member of the ECOWAS region, holds important privileges regarding the movement of goods. The ECOWAS convention essentially allows importers to access the regional seaports at cost, without incurring additional taxes from the port countries. Further, goods may generally move freely across other member countries on their way to the destination country. It is upon entry into the destination country that the imports become subject to the typical import processes like Customs clearance.
While the movement of goods is relatively uninhibited, the destination country retains the oversight authority and regulatory responsibility for the shipments. For safety, security, and logistics reasons, the destination countries track shipments from their port of loading to the final destination.
The aforementioned rules and oversight generally apply to exports also except that the country of origin also tracks the shipments to the regional embarkation port.
Niger Republic Transit Shipment Tracking
Any import shipment arriving in West Africa by sea and destined for the Niger Republic is subject to the authority and requirements of Conseil Nigérien des Utilisateurs de Transports Publics (CNUT), an agency within the Ministry of Transport. The primary tool CNUT uses to monitor these Transit Niger shipments is the Cargo Tracking Note or BORDEREAU DE SUIVI DE CARGAISON (CTN or BSC are the English and French acronyms, respectively). The Note captures and forwards all pertinent shipment information to the Niger agencies awaiting the shipment’s arrival.
Fully compliant importers obtain a CTN/BSC at embarkation overseas and present the CTN/BSC both at disembarkation in West Africa and at the Niger border crossing. Obtaining a CTN/BSC after disembarkation in West Africa remains possible, however, severe non-compliance penalties are added to the standard fees.
The same law that compels CNUT to monitor transit shipments also clearly defines the CTN/BSC fees and non-compliance penalties. CNUT was given neither flexibility nor mechanism to adjust fees and penalties.
Further, an importer’s prior CTN/BSC non-compliance must be resolved before additional CTN/BSCs will be issued to that importer or their agents.
Regulations
CNUT (Conseil Nigérien des Utilisateurs de Transports Publics) was formed December 27th 1984 and, among other responsibilities, oversees import and export transit activities.
- The official CNUT website is available here
- The regulations that form the legal basis for CNUT and its operations have been compiled by CNUT and made available to the public here
In 2015 and 2016, the government of the Niger Republic amended the law to streamline both the requirements and fees for shipments transiting to Niger. The two primary decrees are available from CNUT here:
- INTERMINISTERIAL DECREE N°000130/MT/ME/F of 14th DECEMBER 2015 defines the tariffs and fees due at embarkation and the related non-compliance penalties
- INTERMINISTERIAL DECREE N°000129/MT/ME/F of 14th DECEMBER 2015 defines and requires the computerized, unified receipt
The CTN/BSC fee schedule is summarized under Tariffs. Neither CNUT nor IQS have legal authority to adjust, waive, ignore, or refund any tariff, fee or penalty required by law.
Noncompliance occurs when a CTN/BSC remains incomplete or incorrect after embarkation. In practice, embarkation ends 5 business days after the carrier issues the bill of lading meaning the CTN/BSC must be Approved by that date. Approved CTN/BSC documents must be validated before disembarkation to remain compliant. Any Noncompliant shipments must follow a Regularization procedure to become compliant. During Regularization, a valid CTN/BSC must be obtained and penalties must be paid.
Carriers and Shippers must confirm that cargos have proper CTN/BSC documentation. Each occurrence of loading and transporting a non-compliant cargo destined for Niger is subject to a fine of 1000 Euros or equivalent as stated in Article 3 of the above-mentioned decree
- Prior to disembarkation, carriers are required to submit manifest data for Niger transit shipments via the CNUT-IQS IT Gateway.
Tariffs
The required fees and penalties summarized below are defined in Niger Regulations.
- Embarkation is the process of loading the vessel at the port of origin. By rule of law, all CTN/BSC fees are due at embarkation. Embarkation extends 5 days after the bill of lading is issued. See the Process for details of how to obtain a compliant CTN/BSC at embarkation.
- Noncompliance: After embarkation, by rule of law, any CTN/BSC that is incomplete or incorrect is noncompliant. Further, any Approved CTN/BSC that cannot be Validated is noncompliant. Noncompliant shipments must become compliant via the Regularization process.
- Regularization: Process by which noncompliant shipments obtain a valid CTN/BSC and resolve their required noncompliance penalties.
- Noncompliance Penalties: For details see the Regulations.
- Disembarkation is the process of unloading the vessel upon arrival at a West African port.
- Compliant shipments are not subject to additional CTN/BSC fees or tariffs at disembarkation
- Noncompliant shipments must become compliant via the Regularization process.
- Banking and Financial Transaction Fees: Moving money and exchanging currencies incur costs that can vary depending on the method chosen. The CNUT-IQS IT GATEWAY offers multiple payment methods for convenience. However, the Regulations do not permit these kinds of transaction fees to be deducted from the total CTN/BSC tariff due. Regardless of the method of payment chosen, all banking and financial transaction fees are the responsibility of the CNT/BSC applicant and will be passed directly to the applicant.
- Currency: Unless otherwise noted, euros (EUR) are expected for any global payment. If payment is made within West Africa, then the West African CFA Franc (XOF) is also accepted. Payment options and instructions are available within the CNUT-IQS IT GATEWAY.
| Global Standard Fee | West Africa Fee Alternative | Noncompliance Penalty | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form Fee - Required for each Bill of Lading - No compliance penalty | 100 euros | 65,000 FCFA | |
| Less than Container Load (LCL) - Consolidation or Groupage. Less common. - Bill of Lading often says CFS/CFS, meaning the consolidator is responsible from the origin’s Container Freight Station to destination’s Container Freight Station - Noncompliance penalty is 100% | 50 euro, each | 30,000 FCFA, each | 100% |
| Full Container Load (FCL) - Most often this fee is appropriate for containers - Containerized vehicles are registered individually with the container number included for reference - Noncompliance penalty is 100% | 75 euro, each | 50,000 FCFA, each | 100% |
| Bulk Cargo (Vrac) - The weight is taken from the Bill of Lading when available. Otherwise the largest weight is taken from available cargo documents. - Noncompliance penalty is 100% | minimum of 50 euro, 5 euro per metric ton | minimum 30,000 FCFA, 3000 FCFA per metric ton | 100% |
| Vehicles - Containerized - Roll on, roll off (RoRo) - Noncompliance penalty is 100% | 75 euro, each | 50,000 FCFA, each | 100% |
Process
The primary objective of cargo tracking is to collect and forward shipment data to CNUT, the Niger Republic government agency responsible for overseeing shipments destined for Niger. The CNUT-IQS IT GATEWAY, also called the GATEWAY, is the tool used to collect and forward all shipping information required by law. In exchange for the information and payment, the GATEWAY issues the required compliance documents.
Importers and certain Exporters (or their agents) must follow this process to obtain Cargo Tracking Notes (CTN/BSC) which are the required documents for shipments that transit to and from Niger to other West African ports.
Notices:
All Niger Republic CTN/BSC applicants must agree to the CNUT-IQS IT GATEWAY Customer Agreement and rules and adhere to all Terms of Use of CNUT.ne, IQS.trade, and IQSTRADE.com. If, in the opinion of CNUT, its partners or affiliates, these terms have been violated, access to CTN/BSC services will be suspended.
Providing false or misleading information during the CTN/BSC application process violates the above-mentioned Customer Agreement and rules and Terms of Use, as well as Niger Republic law.
- Register with the GATEWAY. Users will choose login credentials and receive a customer identification number. Only licensed forwarders and carrier agents representing importers and exporters should register with the GATEWAY.
- Obtain an Approved CTN/BSC from the Gateway before the shipment is loaded onboard the ocean carrier. Customers submit the electronic application and pay the required Tariffs. After the payment is verified, the application will be reviewed by CNUT-IQS. If CNUT-IQS request corrections, the Customer has 5 days to re-submit their application. If the application remains incorrect or incomplete it will be canceled. Correct and on time applications will be Approved, allowing loading and embarkation. Prior to clearance and regularization, CNUT-IQS will Validate the CTN/BSC. CTN/BSC documents that fail validation are noncompliant. Noncompliant shipments must reapply for a CTN/BSC and are subject to penalties.
- Present the Validated CTN/BSC to CNUT officials for at the CNUT office in the country of disembarkation and at the CNUT office at the Niger border crossing.
Help
Detailed instructions for obtaining a CTN/BSC are available within the CNUT-IQS IT GATEWAY. For additional information regarding Importing and Exporting to Niger contact CNUT at cnut.ne.
Basic Definitions
- CNUT: Conseil Nigérien des Utilisateurs de Transports Publics. The agency within the Transport Ministry of Niger responsible for the oversight, compliance and regularization of shipments transiting to and from Niger.
- CNUT-IQS IT GATEWAY or (GATEWAY): Electronic platform used to apply for a CTN/BSC.
- CTN/BSC: Document required for all maritime imports and selected maritime exports
- CTN: Cargo Tracking Note or Electronic Cargo Tracking Note (ECTN)
- BSC: Bordereau de Suivi des Cargaisons ou Bordereau Electronique de Suivi des Cargaisons (BESC)
- Customer: The licensed forwarder or carrier agent that has registered with the GATEWAY and is processing CTN/BSC applications.