Bill of Lading for Bahrain

Bills of Lading on the U.S.–Bahrain Route

Ocean cargo from the United States rarely sails straight into Bahrain. Most containers are carried on mainline services to a larger Gulf hub, such as Jebel Ali or Dammam, and then moved by feeder vessel to Khalifa Bin Salman Port, or by truck across the King Fahd Causeway. The bill of lading has to reflect that journey correctly, because it is the document the importer, the bank and the port rely on to release the cargo in Bahrain.

Through bills and transshipment

Most shippers receive a through bill of lading from the U.S. port of loading to the final port of discharge in Bahrain, even though the container changes vessels on the way. Check that the bill shows Bahrain, not the hub port, as the port of discharge or place of delivery. Otherwise, the importer may face extra costs and paperwork at the transshipment port. If the goods finish their journey by road through Saudi Arabia, the arrangements and documents for that leg should be agreed with the forwarder in advance.

Master and house bills

When a freight forwarder or NVOCC consolidates cargo, the shipper receives a house bill of lading from the forwarder, while the ocean carrier issues a master bill to the forwarder. Bahraini banks and buyers usually accept house bills if the letter of credit allows them. Check the credit, because some require a carrier-issued bill. The release of cargo at the Bahraini end follows the bill that controls the goods.

Original bills, banks and release

Under a letter of credit, the full set of original bills is typically consigned to the order of the Bahraini issuing bank and passes through the banks before the importer can obtain a delivery order. Those originals should not be stamped or annotated beyond what the credit requires. When a buyer, government entity or tender asks for a certified copy of the bill of lading, the Arab American Chamber of Commerce certifies a copy, or the carrier’s non-negotiable copy, with the $35 same-day chamber stamp, and adds Bahrain Embassy legalization where required. The originals continue untouched through the banking channel.

Not an apostille document

Even though Bahrain has accepted apostilles since 2013, a bill of lading is a transport and customs document outside the Apostille Convention, so it is never apostilled. Before the bill is issued, check the consignee, notify party, port of discharge, container and seal numbers, number of packages and gross weight against the invoice and packing list. Corrections after sailing are slow and expensive.