Reference · 49 U.S.C. 80103 and 19 CFR 141.11
Bill of lading
The bill of lading is the carrier's document for the cargo. For goods arriving in the United States by common carrier, a bill of lading or air waybill presented by its holder is one of the accepted forms of evidence of the right to make entry (19 CFR 141.11).
- Negotiable
- To orderGoods delivered to the order of a consignee
- Nonnegotiable
- StraightGoods delivered to a named consignee
- US entry
- 141.11Evidence of the right to make entry
Negotiable and nonnegotiable bills
Under US federal law a bill of lading is negotiable when it states that the goods are to be delivered to the order of a consignee, and carries no agreement on its face that it is not negotiable. Naming a person to be notified of arrival does not limit that (49 U.S.C. 80103(a)).
A bill is nonnegotiable when it states that the goods are to be delivered to a consignee. Endorsing it does not make it negotiable, and the carrier must mark it “nonnegotiable” or “not negotiable” (49 U.S.C. 80103(b)).
At US Customs
19 CFR 141.11(a) accepts any one of these as evidence of the right to make entry for goods arriving by common carrier.
- A bill of lading or air waybill presented by the holder, endorsed where the law requires
- 19 CFR 141.11(a)(1)
- An extract from the bill, certified genuine by the carrier that brought the goods
- 19 CFR 141.11(a)(2)
- A certified duplicate bill of lading or air waybill
- 19 CFR 141.11(a)(3)
- A carrier's certificate naming the owner or consignee
- 19 CFR 141.11(a)(4)
Endorsing a nonnegotiable bill
The named consignee on a nonnegotiable bill of lading or air waybill may not endorse it to give someone else the right to make entry (19 CFR 141.11(a)(1)). The Incoterms page covers the separate question of who arranges and pays for the main carriage.
Related
Sources
- Title 19, Code of Federal Regulations, on eCFR, current to November 3, 2026.
- Statute: 49 U.S.C. 80103, via the Legal Information Institute, retrieved November 4, 2026.