Consignee

What Is a Consignee?

A consignee is the party named in shipping documents (such as the bill of lading) as the recipient of goods, the person or company the shipment is being sent to and who is authorized to take delivery.

How the Consignee's Role Works

The consignee's details appear on the bill of lading, commercial invoice, and other shipping documents, and in most cases the consignee must present the correct documentation (or, for a negotiable bill of lading, the original document) to claim the goods at destination. The consignee is often, but not always, the buyer, sometimes goods are consigned to a customs broker, freight forwarder, or warehouse instead.

Consignee vs. Notify Party vs. Shipper

The shipper is the party sending the goods. The consignee is the party receiving them. The notify party (sometimes the same as the consignee) is who the carrier alerts when the shipment arrives, which matters when the actual consignee isn't the party actively managing the shipment's arrival.

Why the Consignee Matters

Errors in consignee details are a common cause of delivery delays and disputes, since carriers and customs will only release goods to the party correctly named and documented. Getting consignee information exactly right across all shipping documents avoids unnecessary holdups at destination.