What is Arrival Notice?

Arrival Notice is a shipping document that is issued by a carrier, indicating that a shipment has arrived or is going to arrive at a specified location. Its main function is to serve as a notice to relevant parties such as customs brokers, truckers and consignees to prepare for the destination activities in advance. Arrival Notice is sent by the ocean freight forwarder, freight carrier, or agent to the consignee or Notify Party indicating the shipment's arrival date at a specific location (normally the destination). The concerning parties that are notified about the arrival are generally listed as the consignees in the Bill of Lading.

Key takeaways:

Communication from a carrier to the intended receiver that an international shipment is or will soon be available at its destination.

The exact structure of an arrival of notice will depend on the requirements put in place by the port where the goods are received and any laws or regulations that the port must comply with.

The purpose of an arrival of notice is to inform relevant parties that the goods have arrived at the port and are awaiting pickup.

The notice must be submitted in advance, allowing the port to assign berth locations to arriving vessels.

Other information may be requested on the arrival notice, such as the name of the vessel, the agency that is responsible for the vessel, and whether or not the vessel will need to load or unload at more than one berth, may be required.

Typically, a freight arrival notice will include contact information, a description of the goods received, the number of units that have arrived, and any charges to be settled at pickup.

What does Arrival Notice contains?

Commodity description,

Shipping details,

Destination country customs related charges,

Ocean freight carrier's agent's contact details,

LOT number associated with the arriving cargo,

Consignee Details

Notify Party Details

BL, SWB or AWB Number

Vessel/Flight Information

Cargo Information

Container or ULD Number

Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)

Actual Time of Arrival (ATA)

Port of Loading / Origin Airport

Port of Discharge / Destination Airport

Place of Receipt

Cargo Pickup Location

Freight Terms

Freight Charges

When should I receive my arrival notice?

An Arrival Notice should be emailed or faxed to the consignee and/or to the notify party (if any). Expect it on/in a few days before ETA in your shipping from the USA.

Notes:

The structure of an arrival notice depends on the requirements put in place by the port where the goods are received, as well as any U.S. laws (or U.S. customs) the port must comply with.

There is no official template for arrival notices. This means that the actual information you receive from your carrier may differ from this list. However, this list contains the most common information in an arrival notice.