New UCR no. Requirements for Export Shipments from Egypt

Further to our advisory of 18th March 2026 the Egyptian Customs Authority has announced that from 18th July 2026, all Export shipments originating from Egypt and exported via an Egyptian port must have a valid UCR (Unique Consignment Reference) number issued through the Egyptian customs single-window platform, Nafeza. This Valid UCR is to be provided to the selected carrier, along with the exporters Exporter Tax ID (9-digit business identification number in Egypt).

What does this mean for your bookings?

From 18 July 2026, providing the following details will be mandatory in all booking requests for exports from Egypt:

    ● Valid UCR number

    ● Valid Exporter Tax ID Bookings submitted without this information cannot be accepted.

Bookings submitted without this information cannot be accepted.

As your carrier, Ocean Network Express is required to collect and validate both the UCR number and the Exporter Tax ID through the Nafeza system.

Based on the validation result, Nafeza will confirm:

Based on the validation result, Nafeza will confirm:

    ● Whether a booking is permitted (booking confirmation will be issued only if the UCR is approved; otherwise, the booking may be declined), and

    ● Whether loading is permitted (after a booking is confirmed, Nafeza will advise if the cargo may be loaded for the specific booking).

Please note that, under the new regulation, some bookings may not be accepted and some confirmed bookings may later be prevented from loading, in accordance with instructions from Egyptian Customs.
Additionally, any subsequent updates or modifications to a submitted UCR will result in the immediate cancellation of your booking. Please ensure that the UCR you submit is final, accurate, and will remain unchanged until the shipment is fully loaded.

E-commerce and EDI bookings

Our e-commerce platform is currently being enhanced to support the new mandatory fields.

If you submit bookings via EDI platforms such as INTTRA or CargoWise, please include the UCR number and Exporter Tax ID in the remarks section for the time being, until those platforms confirm their system updates.

Need assistance?

If you have any questions or require support, please contact your local Ocean Network Express office.
Contact details are available at:
https://eua.one-line.com/office-location

We appreciate your cooperation and support as we implement this important regulatory change.