Burkina Faso – ECTN / URN

What is Burkina Faso ECTN Certificate?

ECTN certificate is an obligatory document for shipments to BURKINA FASO. It is 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 implementation of ECTN certificate. 

How can you get an ECTN Certificate?

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

• Bill of Lading (Application can be done 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) 

You should share PDF copies of the documents through sck@scktr.com to start the certification process. There is no need to send hard copies for the issuance of ECTN certificates. Please be sure to share final documents which will not have any more amendments later on in the process. A penalty fee will occur for the amendments after the validation of 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 number of the certificate and it 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 if you check beforehand if any other certificate is necessary for the country of arrival. However, shipments that are in transit through Togo and Benin require a BSC certificate. If the shipment is in transit via Ghana or Ivory Coast,  a certificate is not needed for these countries. 

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