Bill of lading vs AWB – differences and what to give your customs broker for UK clearance

One of the most common questions that reaches a customs broker just before goods arrive in the United Kingdom is: "What do I need to send you — a BL or an AWB?" The answer is simple in theory: it depends on the mode of transport. But the devil is in the detail. A Bill of Lading (BL) is not merely a shipment receipt — it is a document of title, meaning it represents ownership of the goods. An Air Waybill (AWB) serves a different purpose and does not confer the same rights. For road transport there is neither a BL nor an AWB — the CMR reigns supreme. And for rail transport between Poland and the UK through the Channel Tunnel, the CIM comes into play. Understanding these documents and how they relate to one another is essential to avoid a situation where your goods are sitting in Felixstowe and you cannot release them because the original BLs are missing — or arrived by sea rather than courier. This article explains everything a Polish exporter or importer needs to know in order to pass the correct transport documents to their UK customs broker efficiently.

What is a Bill of Lading and why it matters more than you think

A Bill of Lading (BL, BoL) is a maritime document that confirms: 1. The conclusion of a contract of carriage by sea between the shipper and the carrier 2. Receipt of the cargo by the carrier (receipt for goods) 3. Title to the goods (document of title) — whoever holds the original BL has the right to collect the goods from the port

That third element is precisely what distinguishes a BL from every other transport document in logistics. An AWB, CMR, or CIM is not a document of title — none of them automatically conveys the right to collect the goods. A BL in its original, negotiable form does.

Types of Bill of Lading

BL type	Description	Use case
Negotiable BL (Order BL)	Issued "to order" — title can be transferred by endorsement	Letter of credit transactions, trade with intermediaries
Straight BL (Non-negotiable)	Issued to a named consignee — cannot be transferred	Direct deliveries, transactions between related parties
Sea Waybill	Not a document of title — faster release without originals	Trusted trade partners, intra-group deliveries
Surrender BL	Original BL "surrendered" to the carrier at the port of loading	Eliminates the need to courier originals
Telex Release	Electronic release of originals by the carrier	Faster release, widely used in EU–UK trade

In Polish–British trade the most common types are Straight BL (for direct producer-to-consignee shipments) and Surrender BL / Telex Release (when the exporter wishes to speed up release and does not send physical originals).

What is an Air Waybill (AWB) and how it differs from a BL

An Air Waybill (AWB) is an air transport document — it confirms the contract of carriage by air between the shipper and the airline or freight forwarder. The key difference from a BL:

An AWB is not a document of title. Goods are released to the person named as consignee in the AWB — possession of the original document is not required. The cargo simply awaits the consignee at the air cargo terminal after arrival.

This makes air freight: - Faster for releasing goods (no waiting for originals) - Less secure financially in transactions with unknown counterparties (no title control)

MAWB vs HAWB — the distinction that matters for customs clearance

Document	Issued by	Covers
MAWB (Master Air Waybill)	Airline	The entire shipment from forwarder to forwarder
HAWB (House Air Waybill)	Freight forwarder	A specific consignment from shipper to consignee

In practice the exporter in Poland receives a HAWB from their forwarder, which is the document used for their own accounting and for customs clearance in the UK. The MAWB is a document between forwarders — the importer in the UK does not usually need to provide it to the customs broker, although in some cases (e.g. data discrepancies) the broker may request it.

What the customs broker needs for sea freight clearance in the UK

For FCL or LCL sea freight shipments to the UK, the customs broker needs the following documents:

Mandatory documents

1. Original BL or confirmation of Telex Release / Surrender
2. For a negotiable BL: 3 originals (usually 3/3 issued by the carrier) — at least 1 original must reach the carrier's agent in the UK to release the goods
3. For Telex Release: a message from the carrier to their agent at the destination port authorising release without originals

4. For a Sea Waybill: the consignee's name is sufficient — no originals required

5. Commercial Invoice

6. Must include: details of both parties, description of goods, quantities, value, currency, Incoterms, country of origin

7. Packing List

8. Physical description of each package, weights, dimensions

9. Arrival Notice from the carrier (optional)

10. Contains arrival details: ETA, container number, BL number, contact for the port agent

Additional documents (depending on the goods)

Document	When required
EUR.1 certificate of origin or Form A	When claiming tariff preference (TCA)
Health Certificate / Phytosanitary Certificate	Food, plant and animal products
Fumigation Certificate	Wooden packaging (ISPM 15)
CITES	Goods covered by the Washington Convention
CE Declaration of Conformity	Electrical equipment, machinery, toys

What the customs broker needs for air freight clearance in the UK

For air freight shipments the documentation is usually simpler, as there is no issue with "releasing" originals:

1. HAWB (House Air Waybill) — document from the importer's or exporter's forwarder
2. Commercial Invoice — as for sea freight
3. Packing List — as for sea freight
4. If required: MAWB (on request from the broker)

The customs broker can lodge the customs entry before the aircraft lands — based on the pre-arrival notification required since 2022 by the UK (Pre-Lodgement Model for air cargo to London Heathrow and other ports).

The problem with original BLs — the most common cause of delays

In practice the biggest source of delays in sea freight to the UK is the absence of original BLs when the goods have already arrived at the port. How does this happen?

1. The exporter in Poland sends the original BLs by courier — but the courier is delayed
2. The exporter's bank holds the original BLs (in letter of credit transactions — the BL passes through the bank as security)
3. The exporter did not know they needed to send originals and assumed a copy would suffice

What to do in this situation? - Ask the carrier for a Telex Release — if the exporter "surrenders" the originals to the carrier at the port of loading, the carrier will instruct their agent in the UK to release the goods without originals - Contact the carrier's agent at the UK port — in some cases goods can be released under a Letter of Indemnity (LoI) backed by the importer's financial security - For recurring shipments — negotiate with the counterparty to switch to a Sea Waybill or Surrender BL as standard

Demurrage (container detention charges at port) at UK ports can reach £100–200 per container per day. Every day spent waiting for originals has a cost.

CMR — road transport and what to do with it

For road transport from Poland to the UK via the Channel Tunnel or ferry (Dover–Calais, Harwich–Hook of Holland), the transport document is the CMR (Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road — the Geneva Convention).

A CMR is not a document of title — goods are delivered to the named consignee without the need to present originals. The CMR must contain: - Shipper and consignee details - Description of goods, quantities and weights - Carrier and driver details - Place and date of loading - Place of delivery - Information on freight costs (who bears the freight cost) - Special instructions (e.g. dangerous goods ADR)

For customs clearance of road freight, the customs broker does not need the original CMR — a copy is sufficient (usually sent by email or as a scan). Important: the CMR number is often cited in the MRN of the customs declaration as one of the reference documents.

CIM — rail transport

For rail transport (e.g. Poland–UK via the Channel Tunnel rail link), the transport document is the CIM (Convention internationale concernant le transport des marchandises par chemin de fer). Analogous to the CMR — it is not a document of title, and a copy is sufficient for the customs broker.