Documents for a multimodal shipment: the full list

A multimodal shipment runs under one contract but is accompanied by a whole set of documents — transport, commercial and customs. A mistake or a missing paper stops the cargo at the border or in the port. We break down which documents accompany a multimodal shipment from Asia to Ukraine along the Middle Corridor and what each is for.

The three groups of documents

All documents fall into three main groups plus special ones:

Transport documents

Each mode has its own carriage document, and the whole multimodal shipment has a single one:

In the “1520 space” (Central Asia, the Caucasus, Ukraine) the SMGS note is used, in Europe the CIM, and for through carriage the common CIM/SMGS note.

The core multimodal document — MTD / FBL

The key document is the Multimodal Transport Document (MTD), often in the form of an FBL (FIATA multimodal bill of lading). It is issued by the operator (MTO) and covers the whole route — sea, rail, road — under one liability, instead of separate documents per leg. That is the essence of multimodality: see multimodal transport.

Master and House Bill of Lading (MBL and HBL)

A sea bill of lading has two levels. The Master B/L (MBL) is issued by the shipping line to the forwarder. The House B/L (HBL) is issued by the forwarder to the actual shipper.

In consolidation the line issues one master B/L for the whole container, while the forwarder issues a separate house B/L to each shipper whose cargo is inside. That is why with consolidated cargo (LCL) you receive an HBL. The multimodal FBL is a kind of house bill of lading, only for the whole route rather than the sea leg alone.

Commercial documents

• Foreign-trade contract — the basis of the deal;
• Invoice — value, delivery terms (Incoterms), details;
• Packing list — what, how much, in what packaging, weight and volume.

These are the basis for customs valuation and duty calculation.

Customs documents

• Customs declaration — in the country of export and import;
• Certificate of origin (Form A, EUR.1, CT-1, “Made in Georgia”) — for preferential duties under free-trade agreements (see Georgia’s free zones);
• TIR Carnet — for road transit under the TIR convention;
• Transit declaration (T1) — for customs transit.

Special and accompanying documents

• Insurance policy — cargo insurance;
• Phytosanitary certificate — for plant cargo;
• Veterinary certificate — for animal products;
• DGD / IMO declaration — for dangerous goods;
• Conformity/quality certificates — per market requirements.

Documents along the Middle Corridor → Ukraine

In practice along the Middle Corridor the pack comes together like this: contract + invoice + packing list → an MTD/FBL for the whole way → an SMGS rail note on the China/Central Asia leg → the Caspian crossing → rail across Georgia → a bill of lading on the sea leg from the Port of Poti → a CMR on the road delivery to Ukraine → customs declarations and a certificate of origin at the borders. One operator runs all of it.

Development prospects

Paperwork is going digital fast. Electronic documents are being adopted — eFBL (electronic FIATA multimodal bill), eCMR (electronic road note), the electronic CIM/SMGS note. This speeds up processing, cuts the risk of errors and lost papers and makes cargo trackable in real time. As the Middle Corridor digitalises, arranging a multimodal shipment will get even faster and cheaper.

Summary

A correctly assembled document pack is half the success of a multimodal shipment. As your multimodal operator, ABU JORJIA takes on the paperwork — from the MTD/FBL to customs declarations. Send a request and we will move your cargo to Ukraine end-to-end.

See also: EXW vs FOB · Liner / Feeder / NVOCC · DDP vs DAP · Volumetric weight · Cargo tracking · Container markings · Cargo insurance · Dangerous goods · Multimodal transport · Middle Corridor · Georgia’s free zones · Port of Poti · Consolidated cargo