IBESC / Your shipping notebook / DJ
Djibouti
CTNCargo Tracking Note
Djibouti is located in the Horn of Africa on the Gulf of Aden and the Bab-el-Mandeb, at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. Djibouti is surrounded by the Indian Ocean to the east and bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the south and west, and Eritrea to the north.
From 15 June 2023, DJIBOUTI PORTS and FREE ZONE AUTHORITY announce the obligation for all import/export cargo to be accompanied by the Cargo Tracking Note (CTN).
Any shipment without a CTN will be penalised by the local authorities.
On 15/06/2023, the ECTN became mandatory for this destination at the port of loading. The ECTN number must be stated on the consignment note.
From 7 January 2024, it will be mandatory to state the ECTN number on the consignment note for all goods entering the ports of Djibouti.
Since 18 March 2024, an ECTN certificate has been mandatory for every shipment to Djibouti, including shipments that will later go to the Djibouti Free Zone.
Since 1 July 2025, the Djibouti authorities have imposed a fine on shipments arriving without a valid ECTN (Electronic Cargo Tracking Note) certificate.
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Documents and information required
Tick the documents you have ready. This checklist is a reminder, not validation of your application.
0 / 3 documents ready
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Procedure
Submit the required documents by email or online.
You will be sent a draft and an invoice, typically within the same day.
Once your payment has been received and you approve the draft, a validation will be sent.
Timeline:
The CTN must be validated before the vessel arrives at the destination.
The process can typically be done within 24 hours after receipt of payment.
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Timeline
- Le CTN doit être validé avant l'arrivée du navire à destination.
- Le processus peut généralement être effectué dans les 24 heures suivant la réception du paiement.
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Penalties
- Goods arriving at the port of landing without ECTN risk paying penalties and fines.
- Shipping Lines are required to insert the Unique ECTN number in the Bill of Lading and the cargo manifest.
- Failure to do so will be subject to penalties or fines.
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Ports
- DJIBOUTI
- DORALEH
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Additional information
- The ECTN must be obtained at the loading port and the ECTN number must be on each supporting bill of lading and the shipping line’s manifest.
- Once the draft ECTN document is approved, we can submit the ECTN document for pre-validation to get the ECTN number. This number can be transmitted to the shipping line in order to obtain the required BL number.
- A pre-validated ECTN document should be completed and validated within 5 working days. If not, the ECTN will be cancelled. All costs involved will be for the applicant’s account.