FAQ | JaRo Sea & Air Services s.r.o.

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Frequently asked questiones

TRANSPORT CONDITIONS

I need to calculate shipping – which data is needed to do that?

For basic, indicative calculation we need to know answers to the following questions:
– where from? (city/town, post code). Post code is not needed if you dispatch from a seaport/airport.
– where to? (city/town, post code). Post code is not needed if we deliver to a seaport/airport.
– how much? (volume, weight, dimensions)
– what goods? (commodity)
– how? (maritime, air, railway transport). You can either add the required type of transport or the delivery date – we can propose the best transport solution including the type of transport for you.

Upon request, we can also outline the schedule for you including the departure and arrival dates.

Note: For dangerous goods, the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is also required.

I need to ship dangerous goods. Are you able to do that?

Yes. We need the Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) from you, and data on packaging together with the required transport type.
Note: For example batteries, category 1 (explosive substances), are always subject to the acceptance of the carrier (airline, shipowner, railway operator)

What are the packaging requirements for a particular type of transport?

Packaging which is an integral part of the goods throughout the transport, storage and, as the case may be, even the subsequent sale must have the following characteristics:

a) Protect the goods from damage, loss or from losing the value.
b) Protect the environment of the goods.
c) Facilitate transport, handling and storage.
d) Reduce transportation and storage costs.
e) Make it impossible, or at least difficult, to steal the content of the items.

What is a MSDS document?

Material Safety and Data Sheet. This is the so-called Safety Data Sheet issued by the manufacturer.
In general, it contains a summary of information (safety, environmental, toxicological, legal, etc.) for handling of hazardous substances/mixtures.
Key information for the transport of goods is the security classification (the so called UN/ID number), the hazard class (1-9) and the packing group.
Safety Data Sheet is determined by the European Union Directives – Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council (REACH) and amending Commission Regulation (EU) No 830/2015.

How do I know that it is dangerous goods?

Securely according to the MSDS. Section 14 (Transport) indicates whether it is the dangerous goods transport.

Can you transport goods outside the Czech Republic to third countries? E.g. from the USA to Sweden?

Yes. This is the so-called cross trade, sometimes also referred to as triangle trade – a trilateral trade where the buyer, the seller and the recipient are each established in another country.
The advantage of this service is saving of both the transport costs and customs clearance.

What are the advantages of particular modes of transport?

In short:

Maritime transport:
– price – advantageous transport costs for long distances
– high transport capacity
– standardized packaging – containers

Air Transport:
– speed
– reliability
– frequent lines
– friendliness
– predictable transport times (departure/arrival)

Railway transport:
– transport of high-tonnage shipments
– independence from road traffic and thus reliability of transport
– when transporting on the ‘Far East – Europe’ route up to 2x shorter compared to maritime transport

What is FCL and LCL? What is the difference between them?

These are the abbreviations used in maritime and railway transport:

FCL = Full container load
Your load will fill one full container (depending on size) and will be shipped from the sender directly to you. It is easier for subsequent handling and distribution.

LCL = Less than Container Load
Your goods are not large enough to fill the entire container. We will transport it together with other single-piece shipments, which will greatly reduce the transport costs.
In road transport, the FTL (Full Truck) and LTL (Less Than Truck) are used.

How many goods can be loaded into a container?

It depends on the type of container. The most commonly used three lengths are as follows:

20-foot Standard Container (20FT/20 DV) = 33.2 cbm
40-foot Standard Container (40FT/40 DV) = 67.7 cbm
40-foot High Cube Container (40 HQ) = 76.3 cbm
45-foot High Cube Container (45 HQ) = 85.9 cbm
45-foot High Cube Palletwide Container (45 HQ PW) = 89 cbm. Container with a loading surface the same as a standard truck = 33 pallets.

For all container types, you also have to take into consideration weight restrictions both in the country of dispatch and delivery.
More detailed information including container dimensions (inside/outside) can be found in the “useful information” section.

Note:
– Dimensions and limits may vary slightly for individual shipowners.
– Availability of different container types varies depending on the transport session.

DOCUMENTS FOR TRANSPORT AND CUSTOMS CLEARANCE

Which basic documents are needed for shipping and customs clearance?

In terms of the international transport of goods, ‘unified’ documents that legally constitute a contract for the transport of goods are used.

For specific transport types:
Maritime = Bill of Lading. Issued by shipowner/agent.
Air = Air Waybill. Issued by airline agent.
Railway: SMGS/CIM list. Issued by railway agent.
Road: CMR. Issued by the carrier.

What do all modes of transport have in common? It is the invoice (not invoice proforma) and a packing list.
As for the customs clearance, the need for additional documents depends on the commodity, the customs classification and the country of dispatch/receipt. The need for other preferential documents for the reduction of the duty rate (FORM A, EUR.1, etc.) depends on the latter two (customs nomenclature and country of origin/destination).

What is the difference between B/L Original and Telex?

Bill of Lading Original
The so-called Bill of Lading is a document for the shipment; it is also a record of the contract between the shipper and the shipping company as well as the proof of ownership of the shipment – name of the “owner” must be mentioned in BL.
Based on this document, we can release the goods from the port.

Bill of Lading TELEX RELEASE (also SURRENDERED/EXPRESS)
This document is not required to be presented to an agent/shipowner to release the goods – the goods are released on the basis of an e-mail copy. On the basis of the above mentioned facts, unlike BL, it is not tradable. The document is issued by the forwarding agent in cooperation with the sender/shipowner. It is suitable for cases where neither the sender nor the recipient changes during the shipping. An advantage is the cost savings for transporting documents as well as time saving.

CUSTOMS PROCEDURE

What is the customs nomenclature and what do I need it for?

It is a unique number used to identify the goods according to the International Nomenclature of the Harmonized System (HS). This system is used in more than 170 countries.
Any goods that can be transported across national boundaries are classified into a specific group according to Customs Tariff and marked with a unique number (this number is shown at the beginning of each line in the Customs Tariff).

According to customs classification one can determine the following:
– duty rate in %
– extraordinary political and trade measures (licenses, inspection reports, etc.)
– rules for obtaining the place of origin of goods
– import/export restrictions

How long does the import customs procedure take?

The customs clearance period is directly proportional to the careful preparation of documentation and related information (customs classification, etc.). Typically, goods are released for free circulation within 24 hours.

What is EORI?

The EORI (Economic Operator Registration and Identification) number represents a unique identifier for individual traders and other legal entities for contact with customs authorities. It is mandatory for all types of customs clearance and usually corresponds to a tax identification number (TIN).

What is BTI and what is it for?

This is a binding tariff information issued by a designated customs office in Prague.
Binding tariff information of some goods is stored in the European Commission’s database and is legally valid in all Member States, regardless of the Member State where it was issued.
BTI is generally valid for 6 years.

What is the fiscal customs procedures used for?

This is a customs free circulation procedure with exemption of value added tax (VAT) where the goods do not remain in the territory of the country where the customs procedure is carried out. The main advantage is saving of transport costs. This regime follows from the relevant EU tax legislation – this option is therefore only in certain countries.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

What is INCOTERMS and what is it used for?

INternational COmmercial TERMS is a document which has been prepared and published by the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris (ICC) since 1936.
The INCOTERMS rules indicate which of the parties is obliged to provide transportation or insurance, when the seller delivers the goods to the buyer and which costs are borne by each party. The INCOTERMS rules do not provide any information regarding the price of the goods or payment method. They do not deal with the transfer of ownership of goods or the consequences of breach of contract.

Insurance

What is the additional insurance of goods?

This is the insurance of the consignment to the extent specified by the ordering party beyond the minimum liability of the carrier.
This is determined separately for each type of transport and is generally limited by the liability per kg of gross weight.
On the other hand, additional insurance also covers risks and it provides settlement towards the insured value of the goods.
The insurance is negotiated only for one shipment of goods, for the entire transport route.
The insurance rate depends on the country of dispatch/destination, type of transport (air, maritime, road, railway) and product type (fragile goods, consumer goods, electronics, etc.).
More details, including limits for individual type of transport, can be found in the insurance section.

Is my goods automatically insured?

Yes; but only up to the limits of minimum carrier liability for each type of transport.
The limits are expressed in the abbreviation SDR (Special Drawing Rights), which means special drawing rights.
This is the monetary and accounting unit used within the International Monetary Fund.
Each type has a different SDR performance limit.

More details, including limits for individual type of transport, can be found in the insurance section.

Storage

How long can the shipment remain on the terminal before it "clears"?

Depending on the type of transport:

Maritime – up to 5 days including arrival date.
Airline – up to 3 days including arrival date.
Railway – up to 4 days including arrival date.
To release the shipment, the relevant customs document (SAD, T1) is needed; otherwise the consignments are impossible to be collected.

Can I store goods with you? What do you need then?

Yes, you can. Except for some dangerous goods.
For closer agreement, you need:
– type of commodity for storage
– dimensions of individual loading units (colli)
– weight of individual loading units (colli)
– number
– estimated storage time