Lose B/L Accidentally? Follow These Ways to Fix up!

If you engage in foreign business and often have cargoes shipped to oversea regions, you will definitely know the importance of Bill of Lading (B/L), a crucial document which ensures exporters to receive payment and importers to pick up goods successfully.

And what if you have your B/L lost? What should you do next?

B/L is a document issued by a carrier (or his agent) to acknowledge that the carriage contract and cargoes are accepted by the carrier or get loaded and delivered.

The mentioned burnt B/L in the case was a Master Bill of Lading, reissue process is far more complicated.

Generally, the reissue process is as follow:

? Publish the loss announcement of B/L on the local influential newspaper of the country where you have the B/L lost for continuous 3 days.

? Show your Goods Declaration for Exportation to the shipowner as a way to calculate the guarantee deposit according to actual cargo value. 

? Pay guarantee deposit, which is generally twice as much as the actual cargo value, and kept by shipowner for 1-3 years.

? Issue a Letter of Guarantee.

If you intend to counterfeit a B/L with the B/L scanning body because the complicated reissue process and unaffordable deposit, then you have to bear great risks.

All you have to do is to negotiate with the shipping company, and try to lower the required deposit amount. With your unceasing endeavour, your proposal to reduce the guarantee deposit may finally get ratified.

Lose backup B/L:

Issue a loss announcement to acknowledge that the lost backup B/L is invalid, in case that the B/L is purposefully used by others to pick up goods.

Freight B/L: 

It is the last situation to worry about because the Master B/L is still kept by shipping company. Now all you need to do is to contact the shipping company and ask for a telex release.

Although losing B/L is of rare occurrence, you are supposed to be more careful. And if you are in such trouble, don’t be panic, or intend to bluff it out with a fake B/L.