Pre-Shipment Document Review for Egypt

What does pre-shipment document review check?

Pre-shipment document review checks the invoice, packing list, transport document, certificate of origin where required, and permits against Egyptian requirements — for internal consistency, classification risk, and ACI alignment — before cargo is loaded.

• Consistency. Values, weights, and descriptions match across invoice, packing list, and transport document.
• Classification. HS code reviewed against the cargo and documents for reclassification risk.
• Permits. Cargo-specific requirements identified before loading, not after arrival.
• ACI alignment. The ACID and ACI data checked against the shipping documents — see ACI & Nafeza support.

What do we check, field by field?

We compare the same facts across every document. Most port problems come from one field that says something different on two documents, not from a missing document.

Scroll horizontally to compare all columns.

Pre-shipment checklist for Egypt-bound cargo

Use this list before the cargo is loaded. If any answer is "no" or "not sure", send us the draft documents and we will tell you what to correct.

1. The ACID has been issued, and the exporter has received it.
2. The ACID is printed on the commercial invoice and given to the carrier for the B/L or AWB.
3. The exporter's CargoX account is verified, and it knows which final documents to upload.
4. Names, addresses, descriptions, HS codes, quantities, weights, packages and values match on every document (table above).
5. The certificate of origin matches the invoice, where origin rules apply.
6. Any GOEIC registration, certificate or other approval for the product is in place.
7. Sea cargo: the ACI data was submitted at least 48 hours before shipment.

New supplier? See our CargoX registration guide for the exporter's verification steps, documents and fees.

What problems have we caught in real files?

These are redacted cases from Al-Rouby's files. Names, numbers and prices have been removed.

1. Incoterm mismatch. The Incoterm differed between the shipment documents. The Incoterm decides what the declared value includes, so the mismatch would have changed the customs duty. We caught it and had the documents aligned.
2. HS code confirmed by lab analysis. We requested a laboratory analysis of the cargo. It confirmed the correct HS code and its lower duty rate, and the same classification has kept the importer's duty cost lower on later shipments of the product.
3. Wrong digit in the ACID. We often find an ACID with a wrong digit on the shipping documents. This is critical: in our files it has led to customs holds and penalties for the importer, and sometimes for the shipping agent. We have it corrected with the carrier before arrival.

When should the document review happen?

As early as possible — ideally before booking, and at the latest before loading. Every day the review moves earlier removes a day of correction cost later, because origin-side corrections are trivial compared with port-side fixes.

1. Before booking. Draft documents reviewed while commercial terms are still flexible.
2. Before loading. Final consistency check before the file locks at origin.
3. Correction loop. Discrepancies corrected at origin, verified before the vessel sails.

What happens when the review finds an issue?

We report the finding with the practical correction — the exact change needed and who makes it — while the cargo is still at origin. The goal is a clean file at loading, not a list of problems at the port.

The reviewed file then carries directly into customs clearance, where standard shipments are cleared very quickly, while those requiring additional regulatory approvals depend on the specific authorities involved.

Content reviewed: 12 October 2026 · Al Rouby Customs Clearance & Logistics