The consignee is the person or company a shipment is sent to and who is entitled to take delivery at the destination. It is often the buyer, but not always.
A consignee is the party a shipment is consigned (sent) to: the person or company named on the transport document as entitled to receive the goods at the destination. The party sending the goods is the consignor, also called the shipper.
A factory in Vietnam ships furniture to a retailer in Canada. On the bill of lading, the factory is the shipper and the retailer is the consignee. When the ship arrives in Vancouver, the shipping line releases the containers to the consignee, or to a customs broker acting for it.
| Role | Who it usually is | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Consignor (shipper) | The seller or exporter | Hands the goods to the carrier and is named as shipper |
| Consignee | The buyer, its agent, or a bank | Is entitled to take delivery at destination |
| Notify party | The buyer, its customs broker or forwarder | Is told by the carrier when the goods arrive |
No. The consignee is whoever should receive the goods, which can be:
Give the full legal name, street address, city, postcode and country, plus a phone number and, where the destination country asks for it, a tax or importer number (such as an EORI number in the EU or UK). The consignee should match the commercial invoice and, for letter of credit sales, the exact wording the credit requires. A wrong or incomplete consignee delays customs clearance and can make it hard to release the cargo.
For customs and export control, the ultimate consignee is the party that will finally receive and use the goods, which may differ from the importer or the first consignee. US export filings, for example, ask for both the intermediate and the ultimate consignee.
Being the consignee does not by itself mean you pay freight or carry the risk; the Incoterm in the sales contract decides that. Under DDP, for instance, the seller handles import even though the buyer is the consignee.
The consignee is the person or company a shipment is sent to and who is entitled to take delivery at the destination.
The party named in the consignee box: usually the buyer, but it can be a bank, a third party, or 'to order' when the bill is negotiable.
The consignor (or shipper) sends the goods; the consignee receives them.
The consignee is entitled to the goods. The notify party is only told when they arrive; it is often the buyer or its customs broker.
Yes. A bank, a warehouse or the buyer's own customer can be the consignee, depending on how the sale is paid and where the goods should go.