Burkina Faso – ECTN / URN

What is Burkina Faso ECTN Certificate?

ECTN certificate is an obligatory document for shipments to BURKINA FASO. It was declared by the N°09/395/CBC/DG document on 30/10/2009.

As in other countries, to control the traffic and plan the transportation of imported goods, Burkina Faso also started the implementation of the ECTN certificate.

How can you get an ECTN Certificate?

The below documents are mandatory for the Burkina Faso ECTN certificate.

• Bill of Lading (Applications can be made with a draft copy.)
• Commercial Invoice
• Freight Invoice (It is not necessary If the freight value is indicated on the commercial invoice)
• Pink slip/Grey slip (for RORO shipments)

To start the certification process, you should share PDF copies of the documents through sck@scktr.com. There is no need to send hard copies for the issuance of ECTN certificates. However, please be sure to share the final documents, which will not have any more amendments later in the process. A penalty fee will occur for the modifications after validating the certificates.

What is the URN number?

URN stands for “Unique Reference Number”, which is written on the top of a validated ECTN certificate. That is to say; the certificate number should be indicated on the description part of the bill of lading.

The shipment is in transit to Burkina Faso via the port of another country. Do shippers need to issue another certificate for the discharge country?

Please note that Burkina Faso is a landlocked country. So, we remind you that it is better to check beforehand if any other certificate is necessary for the country of arrival. However, shipments in transit through Togo and Benin require a BSC certificate. On the other hand, a certificate is not needed for these countries if the shipment is in transit via Ghana or Ivory Coast.

In summary, you must issue two certificates if the discharge port is Lome (Togo) or Cotonou (Benin).