What is Arrival Notice?
An arrival notice is the communication a carrier, NVOCC or destination agent sends to the consignee and notify party advising that a shipment is about to arrive or has arrived at the port, airport or inland point of destination. It typically shows the bill of lading or air waybill number, vessel or flight, estimated or actual arrival date, discharge port, container and seal numbers, cargo description, free time and the charges payable before release, such as destination terminal handling, documentation and any collect freight. It is a commercial notice rather than a document of title or a customs release, and it does not itself authorise delivery. Release still depends on surrender of an original bill of lading or the conditions of a sea waybill or telex release, payment of charges and customs clearance. Ocean, air and rail carriers each issue their own formats, and house and master arrival notices may both circulate on a consolidated shipment.
Why it matters for forwarders
The arrival notice starts the practical clock for the import side: brokers use it to prepare the customs entry and transporters use it to plan collection inside free time. In the US, if entry is not filed within 15 calendar days of arrival, goods can be moved to a general order warehouse at the cargo owner's expense and, if still unclaimed, sold after six months. Late or misaddressed arrival notices are a common root cause of demurrage and detention disputes, so forwarders should confirm notify party contacts at booking and track that the notice was received. In the US, the FMC's demurrage and detention billing rule limits who can be billed, requires invoices within 30 days of when charges were last incurred, and gives billed parties at least 30 days to dispute. Check the charges on the arrival notice against the quotation and the agreed Incoterms rule before paying, because destination charges are often billed to the wrong party.