A forwarder sits between parties it did not choose, on documents it did not draft. The exposure is not one counterparty — it is every party named on the file, on every shipment, before the booking is confirmed.
Who to screen
- Shipper and consignee — the parties actually named on the transport document.
- Notify party and any agent in the destination country, who is often the party actually doing the collection.
- Carrier and the vessel or aircraft operator, where your booking puts you in the chain.
- Overseas agent or partner handling the leg you do not control.
- Any party who pays, when the payer is not the shipper. Third-party payment in a corridor under sanctions pressure is a standard red flag.
When to screen
| Moment | Why here |
|---|
| Before the booking is confirmed | Once the container is on the water your options are expensive. |
| Before the transport document is issued | The document is the evidence of the parties you accepted. |
| On any change to the named parties | A late consignee change is a pattern, not an admin update. |
| Before releasing cargo on a payment term | Release is the point where you lose the goods and keep the liability. |
Mid-shipment changes that should stop the booking
- Consignee changed after booking, especially to a party in a different country than the goods are routed to.
- Routing changed to transit a jurisdiction nobody mentioned at quote stage.
- Payment offered from a third party or a different legal entity than the shipper, with a request to keep it off the file.
- Cargo description altered after the packing list was issued.
- A request to remove or shorten the shipper name on the document.
None of these is proof of anything on its own. Together with a name that comes back on a list, they are the difference between a routine file and one you want a record of before you proceed.
Keeping the record
For each file: the names screened, the date, the lists used, the result, and who cleared it. That record answers the two questions you will actually be asked — did you screen, and what did you do about what came back.
Frequently asked
Is screening the forwarder's job or the customer's?
Both, separately. Your customer screens for their own exposure; you screen the file you are about to accept. One party doing it does not discharge the other.
How long does a name check take?
Seconds for the lists themselves. Our free check runs on this site, needs no account and shows the entries that come back for a name.
What this page does not do. It is an operational checklist, not legal advice, and it does not decide whether a specific shipment may proceed. Ownership checks and registry records are a separate step from list screening.
Run the free checkWhat the US$100 report covers