Shipping to Bahrain is somewhat of a conundrum. On the one hand, shipping there is similar to shipping anywhere else. However, on the other, there are a lot of rules and regulations that govern shipping to this country. The best option is to enlist the help of international movers Bahrain and ask them for any specifics that might interest you. Other than that, you need to devise a proper plan before you even think of actually shipping the physical goods to Bahrain. Or you can do it without a plan and wing it but that is kind of ill-advised and not really recommended. We will present to you some guidelines that can be applied to shipping anywhere and some that concern Bahrain, specifically.
Shipping to Bahrain – The list
Here is a handy list of steps that you need to go through if you want your shipping to be easy. You don’t really need to follow them in order but it is better if you do so. Here are the steps:
- Get quotes
- Choose your freight forwarding company
- Prepare your documentation
- Confirm your shipment
- Book the freight
- Track your shipment
- Customs
- Reimbursement
Phew, that is a lot of steps. Well, you knew that professional shipping wasn’t that easy from the start. We will help you even further by breaking down these items. So, we need to start with:
Get Some Quotes
The absolute first thing that you need to do is request and obtain some quotes. For this, you will need to know all the details of your shipment. Things such as ship date, destination address and the dimensions of your cargo all need to be set before you can get your quote. Getting a quote is as easy as calling or emailing the companies that will be dealing with your shipments. They will ask you for information and you will provide them with accurate details. Then you get your quote. It is that simple.
You can even do this with a few clicks online but be wary that this might not be 100% accurate. For most shipments, a human touch is needed for maximum accuracy.
Choose Your Freight Forwarding Company
Once you have some quotes in hand, you know what you are dealing with. You have some negotiating power because you know how much your freight is actually worth. One simple fact is that there are more than a hundred thousand freight forwarding companies operating in the world. Choosing the right one for your needs might be a bit tricky. Here’s how you can do so.
You want your freight company to have the experience, lots of it in fact. If they have been through a lot of situations during the years, such as port shutdowns, cargo rerouting and so on, they will have the necessary know-how to deal with any problems that might arise in your shipment. You also need to check which services they offer and their customer experiences and reviews. Do this and you will have an awesome partner for your shipping endeavors. There are also ways to reduce shipping costs that are worth looking into. You might want to be on the lookout for anything that makes your shipment cheaper!
Shipping to Bahrain – Prepare Your Documentation
This is perhaps the most critical step. You need to pay extra attention to these documents. They need to be in perfect order. If they are not, you will be experiencing troubles in your shipments. The documents that you need to have are:
- Proforma invoice
- Packing List
- BoL (Bills of Lading)
- Form for dangerous goods
- Origin certificates
- Commercial invoice
- Bank draft
- Letter of instruction for shipping
Depending on the exact nature of your shipment, such as shipping by air, for example, there may be more documents that you need to prepare. Again, your best bet would be to contact your freight forwarding company and ask them for advice. If they do not know outright, they will point you in the right direction, at least.
Confirm Your Shipment
After all of the above has been completed, there are few things left for you to do. Before going to book your freight, you need to confirm your shipping details once more. Make sure that everything is double or triple-checked and that everything is as it should be. Things like B/L number, type, and the number of containers and all reference types and numbers are what you need to look for, especially.
Book The Freight
After you are a hundred percent sure that everything is in order, now is the time to actually book your freight. When shipping to Bahrain, you will have different routes for different carriers. Different transit times, too. You need to make sure that you select each of the services that your shipment needs. Services such as pick-up, port, delivery services and so on.
Cross-check them with the quotes that you’ve received earlier and made sure that everything is in order. All that you need to do after that is to confirm your date of departure and to confirm the availability of the shipping line.
Track Your Shipment
You will receive a confirmation email from your freight forward company, in which you can find the tracking number of your shipment. Some companies offer full, real-time, tracking and some do not. Depending on your needs, you can choose to go with either.
Shipping to Bahrain – Customs
Ah, the dreaded customs. All of the items in your shipment need to go through this process. You need to research beforehand on what are the exact customs policies in Bahrain. If you have done your research correctly, your shipment will not be detained long. However, if there are any issues, your shipment might be under customs care until you resolve them.
Reimbursement
There will be a bill that includes all the taxes and duties that your forwarder incurred. You will need to pay those, as well, directly to the forwarding company. This is a standard process but you might not include it in your initial planning and budgeting.