Arrival notice is a notification sent to the consignee (and/or notify party) that their shipment has arrived or is about to arrive. This is a critical operational document sent by the ocean carrier’s or airline’s destination agent. Its purpose is to alert the importer that their cargo has reached the destination port or airport and is ready for customs clearance and pickup.
The arrival notice is not a simple alert. It contains vital information:
- A breakdown of any destination charges that must be paid to the carrier before the cargo can be released.
- Vessel/flight details and Bill of Lading/AWB number.
- The specific terminal or warehouse where the cargo is located.
- The last free day, which is the deadline to pick up the cargo before costly demurrage (for containers) or storage (for loose cargo) charges begin.