How to fill out a bill of lading
A bill of lading does three jobs at once, and that is why it is the document people get wrong. It is the carrier's receipt for the goods, it is evidence of the contract of carriage, and — unlike almost every other shipping document — it is a document of title. Whoever holds an original negotiable bill of lading can claim the cargo. Fill it in as though it were a delivery note and you can lose control of a container.
The 21 fields on a bill of lading
Taken from the document itself, in the order it prints them.
- Shipper / Exporter
The party handing the goods to the carrier, which is usually the exporter and occasionally the forwarder. Whoever is named here is a party to the contract of carriage.
- Document No.
- Carrier Name
The line actually carrying the goods, or the NVOCC issuing the bill. On a house bill this is the forwarder, and the underlying master bill will name someone else.
- Consignee
The most consequential box on the document. A named company makes it a straight bill, deliverable only to them. “To order” or “to order of [bank]” makes it negotiable, transferable by endorsement, and releasable only against an original. If you have not been paid, do not name the buyer here.
- Reference
- Notify Party
Who the carrier tells when the vessel arrives. Notifying somebody gives them no right to the goods, which is exactly why the buyer often sits here while a bank sits in the consignee box.
- B/L / AWB No.
Issued by the carrier, not by you. Every subsequent document for this shipment quotes it, so it is the number that ties the file together.
- Method of Dispatch
- Place of Receipt
Where the carrier took custody, which on a through movement is inland and earlier than the port. Different from port of loading, and the difference is where carrier liability starts.
- Vessel / Voyage
- Voyage No.
- Port of Loading
The port the vessel sails from. Must match the vessel and voyage — a mismatch here is what makes a bill unbankable under a letter of credit.
- Port of Discharge
- Place of Delivery
Where the carrier's responsibility ends, again possibly inland of the discharge port. Under a merchant haulage arrangement this is the port; under carrier haulage it is the door.
- Final Destination
- Payment Terms
Freight prepaid or freight collect. Prepaid means the shipper has paid and the consignee can collect without settling freight; collect means they cannot. It follows from the Incoterm, and contradicting the Incoterm here causes an argument at destination.
- Place of Issue
Where the bill was signed and released. Under a letter of credit this is checked against the credit's terms.
- Name
- Title
- Place
- Date
The line-item columns
One row per product. Columns can be hidden, renamed or added in the generator.
- Marks & Numbers
What is on the outside of the packages. Copied from the packing list rather than invented here, so the two agree.
- Container No.
Per container, with its seal. On a multi-container bill each box is listed, and each has to match what was physically loaded.
- Pkgs
- Pkg Type
- Description
“Said to contain” wording, because the carrier has not opened the boxes. Keep it general and consistent with the invoice: the carrier will refuse to sign a bill describing goods it cannot verify.
- Gross Wt
The weight the carrier signs for, and on a sea shipment it must agree with the verified gross mass declared under SOLAS. Two different weights in one file is a hold.
- Vol
A working bill of lading, prefilled with a sample shipment. Every field above is editable here, and it downloads as a PDF.
| Marks and Numbers | Container / Seal No. | No. of Pkgs | Kind of Packages | Description of Goods | Gross Weight (KG) | Measurement (CBM) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
RECEIVED by the Carrier the goods described above in apparent good order and condition unless otherwise stated, to be transported to such place as agreed, authorised or permitted herein and subject to all the terms and conditions appearing on the front and reverse of this Bill of Lading. In accepting this Bill of Lading the Merchant agrees to be bound by all such terms and conditions as if each had individually signed it.
Your entries are kept as you move between documents: the parties, ports, container and line items all carry across.
Straight, order, and why it matters
A straight bill of lading consigns the goods to a named party and cannot be transferred. An order bill is made out “to order” and passes by endorsement, which is what lets a bank hold the cargo as security while a letter of credit is settled. The choice belongs in the consignee box and it is a commercial decision, not a clerical one: naming the buyer on an unpaid shipment hands them the goods.
Originals and the telex release
A negotiable bill is usually issued in a set of three originals, and surrendering any one of them collects the cargo. That is why originals travel by courier and why losing one is a serious problem. A telex release, or a sea waybill in the first place, avoids the paper chase — but only use one where you are content that the goods can be collected without a document being presented.
Clean against claused
A clean bill records that the goods were received in apparent good order. If the carrier notes damage, shortage or defective packing on its face, it becomes claused, and a claused bill is normally rejected under a letter of credit. Packaging that will survive handling is therefore a documentary concern as well as a physical one.
+What is the difference between a bill of lading and a sea waybill?
A sea waybill is a receipt and a contract of carriage but not a document of title, so the goods are released to the named consignee on identification and no original has to be surrendered. Faster, and unsuitable whenever you need the cargo to secure payment.
+Who issues the bill of lading?
The carrier or its agent, on the basis of the shipping instructions you provide. You do not issue it yourself — what you prepare is the draft that tells the carrier exactly how it should read.
+Can a bill of lading be amended after issue?
Before the vessel sails, usually yes, for a fee. Afterwards it becomes difficult and sometimes impossible, and amending a bill already surrendered to a bank is a different problem entirely. Check the draft properly.
+What is a house bill of lading?
One issued by a freight forwarder or NVOCC to its customer, sitting underneath a master bill issued by the actual ocean carrier. It behaves the same way commercially, but your counterparty is the forwarder.
Judge it by the document, not the feature list.
Everything above is already on the form. Fill it in and download the PDF — no account needed.
Open the bill of lading generator