What is CIM Consignment Note?
The CIM consignment note is the standard transport document for international carriage of goods by rail under the CIM Uniform Rules, Appendix B to the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF 1999), administered by the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF). Under Article 6 of CIM the contract of carriage is consensual and the consignment note serves as documentary proof of it, using the uniform model agreed by the industry and published by the International Rail Transport Committee (CIT) in its GLV-CIM manual. An electronic consignment note with equivalent legal effect is permitted. It is not a document of title: the right to dispose of the goods rests with the consignor and passes to the consignee as set out in the Rules. Where traffic crosses into countries applying the SMGS agreement, a combined CIM/SMGS consignment note can be used so that one document covers the whole route.
Why it matters for forwarders
The consignment note determines liability, so the consignor's declarations on contents, weight and dangerous goods must be accurate, and the note evidences the declared quantity and mass only where the carrier itself loaded the goods. Carrier liability for loss or damage is limited to 17 units of account (SDR) per kilogram of gross mass short, higher than ocean regimes but lower than many cargo values. Compensation for exceeding the transit period is capped at four times the carriage charge, and actions are time-barred after one year in most cases. Dangerous goods must also comply with RID, Appendix C to COTIF, and the consignment note must carry the required dangerous goods particulars. On China-Europe routes, using the common CIM/SMGS note avoids reconsignment at the border between the two legal regimes.