Required documents: COC, ECTN/BSC, bill of lading and bank domiciliation

What is the complete list of required documents?

All documents must be drawn up in French or Arabic. An English-only commercial invoice or certificate of origin will be sent back, and that alone can cost you a week.

Why is bank domiciliation so critical — and why does it come first?

The domiciliation must exist before the goods leave China. This is the single most common and most expensive mistake in the whole process.

Domiciliation is the registration of the import operation with your Algerian bank, which is required for foreign-exchange payment. Algerian customs checks it against the shipment date. If the goods sailed before the domiciliation was recorded, the file is irregular.

• The domiciliation is tied to a specific proforma invoice, so the value and the description must match the final commercial invoice.
• Any change in the vehicle, the price or the configuration after domiciliation means restarting the process.
• Do not let a supplier push you into booking freight before the domiciliation is confirmed in writing by your bank.

What is the COC, and why does it take so long?

The Certificate of Conformity (COC) certifies that the vehicle meets Algerian technical and regulatory requirements. It is not a form you fill in — it is issued by an approved inspection body after a physical pre-shipment inspection, and it typically takes 10–15 working days.

• The inspection happens in China, before loading. Once the car is on the water, no inspection body can issue it.
• It covers identification, conformity of the model to the declared specification, and the technical characteristics used for the duty calculation.
• The COC is where a wrong engine displacement gets caught — and a wrong displacement changes your duty rate from 15% to 30%.

Allow real calendar time for this. A COC requested the week before sailing will delay the whole shipment, and the freight booking is not refundable.

What is the ECTN/BSC number and where does it go?

The ECTN (Electronic Cargo Tracking Note), also called BSC in some corridors, is an electronic cargo tracking document required for shipments to Algeria. Its number must be printed on the bill of lading.

• It is obtained before departure, from the carrier or an authorised agent.
• If the number is missing from the BL, the cargo can be blocked at destination until the BL is reissued — a slow and costly correction.
• It is a cargo document, not a vehicle document. It does not replace the COC or the certificate of origin.

What happens at destination: D10 and form 846

On arrival, the file becomes a detailed declaration (D10), lodged with Algerian customs. Once duties and taxes are settled, customs issues the clearance certificate (form 846).

• Form 846 is the document you take to the registration authority — you cannot register the car without it.
• Customs may inspect the vehicle physically, particularly where the declared value is close to or below the reference value.
• Since 1 January 2026, proof of payment of the new-vehicle tax is no longer required at clearance (article 147 bis of the stamp duty code), which shortens this stage.

Frequently asked questions

References consulted

• Algerian Customs — import procedures
• Ministry of Commerce
• Official Journal of Algeria

Continue the guide

• 🚢Importing a car from China to Algeria: the complete guideFrom order to registration plate: taxes, required documents, sea freight, customs clearance and real lead times. The entry point to all our guides.
• 🧾Customs duty and taxes on importing a vehicle15% up to 1,800 cc, 30% above, 19% VAT, TIC, 2% solidarity levy and 2% customs fee: the official 2026 rates and a detailed DZD calculation.
• ⛔The diesel import ban: what is coveredWhich diesel vehicles are genuinely targeted, since when, on what legal basis, and what remains allowed (petrol, hybrid, electric, LPG/CNG).
• 📉The 50% reduction for engines up to 1,800 ccThe exact conditions of the regime: under 3 years old, one per individual every 3 years, own foreign currency — and the rates repayable on resale.