Freight from the USA
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Arrival Notice (Notice of Arrival)
In sea freight, an Arrival Notice (Notice of Arrival) is a shipping document in which international cargo recipients (consignees) are always waiting to ensure that shipping goods arrive in the destination country is the time to begin working on incoming import recovery.
Arrival notices are prepared and issued by ocean freight carriers' agents. They are addressed to consignees and notify parties (if any). They inform that goods exported from the U.S. are arriving and provide the arriving cargo details. They should also provide a list of shipping documents necessary for customs clearance, which is what everyone is concerned about. Arrival notices list destination charges.
International freight shippers should never forget that all international freight is subject to destination charges. Destination charges (sometimes called local charges) occur at the destinations. Therefore, destination charges are not considered freight charges. The charges are never included in freight quotes unless negotiated in advance. All destination charges are the responsibility of the consignee.
Suppose you ship goods from the USA overseas. In that case, no matter whether you're shipping commercial freight, household goods, or items for personal use, before getting your shipping goods to the destination, your consignee (cargo recipient) must pay destination charges. Typically, the costs include but are not limited by:
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Destination Country Government (Customs) related expenses, i.e., duty and taxes (if any), harbor fees, fee on entry filed by a destination customs broker, etc.;
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Destination terminal(s) handling charges (THC) and other charges and fees related to cargo de-consolidation and storage at the destination;
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'Door delivery' charges (if consignee requests a 'door delivery').
As a rule, an arrival notice will be emailed in a file attached. To avoid fraud, remember that a random email is not enough. Ocean freight carriers may email your consignee some notifications that goods shipping from the USA are coming to the destination. That's OK.
However, your cargo recipient has to insist on a legal arrival notice that has to look official and contains the following:
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The destination agent's letterhead with an address and contact information,
- Cargo details,
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Cargo location address and contact information, if different from above,
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LOT number associated with the cargo location or other references(s) related to the cargo identification,
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Brief instruction on the cargo recovery (required shipping documents, cargo recovery procedures, etc.),
- The destination charges breakdown.
Keep in mind that an arrival notice is NOT a freight release document. It informs the consignee about how to initiate the recovery of imported goods.
Typically, an international ocean freight carrier's agent is the one point of contact for your cargo recovery. They should do all the jobs related to your import recovery and charge you for the job on top of other applicable charges. Please respect the agent's job. They will do their best to recover your imported goods ASAP and release the cargo to you.
However, sometimes, you will need to deal with other parties. Here are the typical parties involved in the recovery of importing goods:
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A consignee (in respect of import recoveries called Importer of Records),
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Destination country officials (Destination country's Customs, Government agencies that may be concerned with imported goods, border protection officers, etc.),
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An international ocean freight carrier's agent,
- Destination country freight terminals representatives,
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A customs broker and importer of records works on import entree independently,
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Other parties that may be involved in the import recovery and delivery are domestic freight forwarders, bonded and local warehouses, local cartage companies, etc.
Most of the time, import recoveries in ocean freight are just ordinary routing processes. However, sometimes, it may become a complex, time, and money-sensitive issue. If you face a problem in recovering imported goods, then the first thing you should do is search for assistance from a licensed agent in your destination country's customs broker.
Always wait for and do not miss an arrival notice!
Usually, an arrival notice on your goods shopping from the USA should be issued several days before entering your destination country's commerce zone. You should have time to prepare everything for the import recovery.
An arrival notice should be emailed or faxed to the consignee and notify the party (if any). Your consignee should expect an arrival notice several days before the estimated day of arrival (ETA) for shipping goods from the USA. Do not miss the arrival notice! Upon receipt, begin working on it ASAP. Contact the ocean freight carrier's agent, shown on the arrival notice, immediately. Do not let it go out of your control. Remember, import recoveries are time-sensitive!
If, for any reason, you did not receive an arrival notice as expected, then contact the international ocean freight carrier's destination agent on the ETD. The agent's contact information is in your Sea freight Bill of Lading.
However, please remember that the agent may be notified about the incoming goods a few days before the ETD. If you'd like to contact them in advance, do not be frustrated that they are not updated on your shipping goods. Just send them a copy of your bill of lading, ensure everything is in order, leave them your contact information, and wait for their arrival notice.
DO NOT IGNORE OR DELAY WITH IMPORT RECOVERY
You decided to ship goods from the USA overseas. Then, remember that as soon as your goods exit the U.S. Commerce zone, the U.S. laws do not apply to your freight. Neither a U.S. freight forwarder nor an ocean freight carrier can manage your import recovery overseas. The ocean freight carrier's destination agent should guide you in the import recovery procedures. However, the agent is not a U.S. business. No one but your consignee can be aware of and work on issues that may arise and result in problems with your importing from the USA goods.
When shipping from the U.S. freight LCL, you usually do not need a customs broker for cargo recovery at the destination. The carrier's destination agent is a customs broker as well. However, if problems occur, you should search for an independent customs broker licensed in the destination country.
If, for any reason, you face a problem in the recovery of your U.S. import at the destination, we'd suggest:
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If the ocean freight carrier's destination agent does not contact you on/in a few days before ETA (Estimated day of arrival), do not wait. Contact them first! The contact information is in your bill of lading.
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Keep an eye on your junk email folder. Do not miss an important email from the agent. However, always request an Arrival Notice in legal format. It must be dated and contain the agent's letterhead, destination charges breakdown, etc. Phone calls or random emails are not enough.
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Respect the agent's business. Pay extreme attention to the information received from the agent, and follow the provided instructions. The agent's business is to release your goods to the consignee ASAP. Pay destination charges (sometimes called Local Charges) and possess your goods.
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If you experience problems with your import recovery, please get in touch with us. But please understand that if you cannot provide a copy of your arrival notice, we are most likely unable to work with an ocean freight carrier on your behalf. We will always need a copy of your arrival notice to track your shipping goods at the destination.
ALWAYS REMEMBER! IMPORT RECOVERIES ARE TIME-SENSITIVE! As quickly as you begin working on them, you are less likely to receive the deadline penalties: storage, demurrage, Customs penalties, etc.
