Bill of Lading Request

The request for a Switch bill of lading can only be made by the original seller of the goods, trading agent, and buyer. The original agreement between the seller and trading agent is switched between the trading agent and the buyer. The ocean carrier or freight forwarder must approve the switched bills after carefully processing the differences in the original and switch bill of lading.

After the perusal, only carriers or freight forwarders have the authority to sign the bill of lading. Once the switch bill of lading is approved, the initial bill of lading is taken out of circulation so that only one set of documents remains in effect.