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How Do You Amend a Bill of Lading? Process, Fees, LOIs

A bill of lading amendment is a change to the details on a B/L after the carrier or NVOCC has drafted or issued it. On the draft it is a correction. After issue, every original usually has to be returned or voided first, a fee often applies, and the filed customs manifest may need correcting.

Correction before issue, amendment after

Desks use the two words loosely, but timing separates them. Before a bill of lading is issued, the carrier sends a draft for the shipper to check, which Maersk calls the Verify Copy; Maersk says a change at that stage comes back as a new Verify Copy for approval. Nothing has been signed or released, so nothing has to come back. Once the bill is issued, a change is an amendment to a live document: the issuer withdraws the old version, produces a new one and often charges for the work.

The draft is the cheapest place to fix an error, though not always free. Maersk's amendment-charge FAQ says a charge may apply once the Verify Copy has been issued or the container has been loaded, with criteria that vary by origin country: for China-origin cargo after the Verify Copy is issued, for India from one day after loading. Its list of chargeable details doubles as a draft checklist for any carrier: document type and number of originals, shipper, consignee and notify parties, cargo description, package type and count, weight and volume, container numbers, and marks and numbers. Check each against the commercial invoice and packing list, and approve the draft in writing before the documentation cutoff.

After issue: every original comes back first

Original bills of lading are presented to take delivery, so a carrier will not put a second set into circulation while the first is live. Maersk says it can switch the consignee or shipper on an issued bill once the customer confirms the old set has been cancelled, destroyed or made void. Its 2023 guide to online amendments added the same pre-check: if an original has been issued, the customer confirms it was destroyed or surrendered before the change goes in. Hapag-Lloyd's switch bill indemnity form commits the requester to surrender the full first set.

The legal reason sits in the Hague-Visby Rules. Where they apply, Article III(4) makes the bill prima facie evidence that the carrier received the goods as described, and once the bill has been transferred to a third party acting in good faith, proof to the contrary is not admissible. A buyer or bank holding the old set can rely on what it says, so amending a negotiated bill needs the holder's cooperation, not only the shipper's. Sea waybills and telex-released bills have no paper in circulation, so the amendment is a data change at the issuer, but the release instruction at destination still has to match the new version.

House bill vs master bill: who amends which

On an NVOCC or consolidated shipment there are two bills, and each issuer amends only its own. The forwarder or NVOCC issues and amends the house bill for its customer. The ocean carrier issues the master bill to the NVOCC and amends it at the NVOCC's request. The real exporter and importer usually appear only on the house bill, so a change to those parties is often a house-only amendment, while the master keeps showing the destination agent.

Cargo facts are shared. Container and seal numbers, package counts, weights and the goods description appear on both bills and must reconcile, so a weight correction on the house usually needs a matching master amendment, requested by the NVOCC from the line and charged at the line's tariff. Customs filings follow the same split. Under 19 CFR 4.7(b), US Customs and Border Protection must receive the carrier's electronic cargo declaration through AMS 24 hours before the cargo is loaded at the foreign port, and an NVOCC licensed by or registered with the Federal Maritime Commission and holding an international carrier bond may transmit its own cargo declaration data directly. Each filer corrects what it filed.

Consignee, destination and switch requests

How the consignee changes depends on the bill type. On a straight bill or sea waybill the consignee is named, and changing it is an amendment with any original set voided. On an order bill, consigned 'to order' or 'to order of' a bank or the shipper, the consignee box is not rewritten: title moves by endorsing and handing over an original. Maersk's Transfer Bill of Lading service does this online, moving ownership of an original negotiable bill to another party on the booking; it does not apply to waybills.

A new port of discharge or place of delivery is a change of destination (COD), an operational request first. Maersk says a COD is sometimes not possible for operational reasons; where it is, the carrier confirms the costs and acts only after payment and confirmation that the original bill has been cancelled, destroyed or made void. Hapag-Lloyd's Germany tariff lists a change of destination fee of USD 400 per document on imports.

A switch bill exchanges the first set of originals for a new set, or sea waybills, naming a different shipper and consignee, typically in cross-trade. Hapag-Lloyd's switch bill indemnity has the requester warrant it is entitled to the goods, surrender the full first set and indemnify the carrier, and reserves the carrier's right to refuse a switch at its sole discretion.

What a bill of lading amendment costs

There is no industry-wide amendment fee. Each carrier sets its own by country and by timing, and NVOCCs set their own for house bills. Maersk says its charge criteria and fee vary by origin country, and that the export charge is invoiced as a Transport Document Amendment Fee. Hapag-Lloyd's Germany local charges sheet dated 1 October 2026 is one published example: EUR 125 per amendment after shipping instruction closing, EUR 200 per B/L for a switch bill including the new set, and, on imports, a EUR 395 cargo release fee per B/L that covers issuing a duplicate original against a letter of indemnity or bank guarantee and manifest changes after discharge.

On a house bill the costs stack. If a house change forces a master change, the forwarder pays the line's fee, decides whether to pass it on, and may add its own house amendment fee. Quote the charge to the customer before the amendment is lodged, not after the invoice arrives, and keep the request in writing: it is the forwarder's record of who asked for what.

When a letter of indemnity is needed

A letter of indemnity (LOI) is a written promise to cover the carrier's losses if it does something the bill does not entitle it to do. In amendment work it appears in three places: a switch bill; a new or duplicate set issued, or cargo released, without the full original set being surrendered; and delivery at a port other than the one on the bill. Hapag-Lloyd's Germany tariff, for example, ties a duplicate original issued without surrender to a letter of indemnity or bank guarantee, subject to the local customs authority allowing it.

The International Group of P&I Clubs publishes standard LOI wordings for delivery without production of the original bill and for delivery at a port or place other than the one stated; the clubs published revised versions in September 2023, prepared with input from BIMCO. Their circular warns that accepting an LOI in those circumstances prejudices a member's P&I cover, which then responds only if the club's board decides in its discretion that it should, and advises members to be fully satisfied with the financial standing of the counterparty. For a forwarder asked to sign one, read it as what it is: an open-ended guarantee.

Manifest, ISF and ENS: the filings behind the bill

A bill amended after the cargo declaration has gone to customs no longer matches what customs holds. For US-bound ocean cargo that declaration is due 24 hours before loading (19 CFR 4.7(b)(2)), so almost every post-loading amendment touches data already filed. The importer's filing moves too: 19 CFR 149.2(d) requires the Importer Security Filing to be updated if, after it is submitted and before the goods enter the limits of a US port, any of the information changes or more accurate information becomes available. A new consignee or ship-to party can be exactly that change.

In the EU, Article 129 of the Union Customs Code lets the declarant amend an entry summary declaration on application, but not after customs has said it intends to examine the goods, has established that particulars are incorrect, or the goods have been presented. Carriers treat late changes as manifest work: Maersk's 2023 amendment guide said amended documents are not issued instantly once the import customs manifest has been completed, and that an import fee may apply.

Air waybills: changes without originals

Air freight has no originals to recall. Under the Montreal Convention 1999, the consignor is responsible for the correctness of the particulars it inserts or furnishes for the air waybill and indemnifies the carrier for damage caused by incorrect ones (Article 10). Changing who receives the cargo is a right of disposition rather than a re-issue: Article 12 lets the consignor stop the cargo in transit, have it returned to the airport of departure, or call for delivery to a person other than the consignee originally designated, provided it does not prejudice the carrier or other consignors and pays the expenses.

That right ends when the consignee's right to delivery begins on arrival (Article 13), and revives if the consignee declines the cargo or cannot be reached. Article 12 also makes a carrier that follows the consignor's instructions without requiring the consignor's part of the air waybill liable to anyone lawfully holding that part. On a consolidation the ocean split applies: the forwarder amends its house air waybill and asks the airline to amend the master.

Common amendment mistakes

Five mistakes recur. Fixing the house bill and forgetting the master, so the two disagree at destination. Re-issuing before every original is back, leaving two live sets. Treating a new discharge port, or a new buyer on an order bill, as a typing fix when it is a change of destination or an endorsement. Amending the bill but not the ISF or entry summary declaration. And sending a superseded PDF after the re-issue, so the consignee presents the wrong version.

Version control is what stops the last one. In Zavin's Document Control, every issued house bill keeps a version history through Draft, Ready, Issued, Amended and Cancelled, with a snapshot saved each time it is issued. An amendment needs a written reason and unlocks only the fields chosen. When a customer emails that 'the consignee should read…', the request opens as an amendment for review with the customer's wording. Superseded copies are marked stale, and Zavin checks a document is the latest released version before it is sent.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a bill of lading be amended after it has been issued?

Yes, if the issuer agrees. The carrier or NVOCC will usually want every original returned, cancelled or voided before it re-issues, may charge an amendment fee, and may need to correct the customs manifest. A sea waybill or telex-released bill has no paper to recall, so the change is faster.

How much does a bill of lading amendment cost?

There is no standard fee: it depends on the carrier, the country and the timing. Hapag-Lloyd's Germany local charges sheet dated 1 October 2026 lists EUR 125 per amendment after shipping instruction closing, and Maersk says its criteria and fee vary by origin country. Changes made on the draft usually cost least.

How do I change the consignee on a bill of lading?

On a straight bill or sea waybill, ask the issuer for an amendment; if originals were issued, the old set has to be returned or voided first. On a 'to order' bill you do not rewrite the consignee: title passes by endorsing an original to the new party. For a house bill, ask the forwarder, not the shipping line.

Can you change the port of discharge on a bill of lading?

Sometimes, but it is a change of destination (COD), not a simple amendment. The carrier checks the change is operationally possible, confirms the costs, and acts after payment and cancellation of the original bills. If originals cannot be surrendered, expect to be asked for a letter of indemnity.

Do I need a letter of indemnity to amend a bill of lading?

Not for a routine correction. Carriers ask for one when the request carries risk for them: a switch bill, a new set or cargo release without surrender of the full original set, or delivery at a port other than the one on the bill. Read it as a guarantee, because it is one.

Is a bill of lading amendment the same as the Carmack Amendment?

No. The Carmack Amendment is a US federal law, codified at 49 U.S.C. 14706, that requires certain carriers to issue a receipt or bill of lading and makes them liable for actual loss or injury to the goods. A bill of lading amendment is a change to the document itself.