Short answer
A delivery order is the document by which the carrier or its agent instructs the terminal or bonded warehouse to "release this cargo to this person." It is issued once the original bill of lading has been presented, or a telex release given, together with the freight and local charges having been settled; a container cannot be picked up from the terminal without one. The document may carry a validity period, and it must be renewed if that period expires.
What a delivery order is
In sea transport, once the cargo is discharged from the ship, it is not handed straight to the buyer. As a rule, the terminal or bonded warehouse will not release cargo in its custody without the carrier’s written release instruction — court orders and a customs authority’s liquidation action are among the exceptions. A delivery order (D/O) is the document carrying this release instruction. The carrier or its agent tells the party physically holding the goods, “release this consignment to this person.”
Under Turkish practice, a delivery order is not, as a rule, treated as a negotiable instrument and is not handled as a transferable document; its legal nature is debated in the literature. The ship’s delivery order used for partial deliveries is an exception to this. Nor does it substitute for the bill of lading — quite the opposite: a delivery order is most often issued in exchange for surrender of the bill of lading to the agent.
Another document often confused with it is the arrival notice: the agent’s notification that “your vessel has arrived, and here are your charges.” It does not confer any release authority.
Who issues a delivery order, and who can obtain one
A delivery order is issued by the carrying line or its Türkiye agent. For consolidated (LCL) shipments, the structure has two layers: the line issues the delivery order to the consolidator against the master bill of lading, and the consolidator then issues its own delivery order against the house bill of lading. The lower layer cannot be released until the upper layer is closed.
The party entitled to request a delivery order is whoever is named as consignee on the bill of lading; if the bill of lading is made out “to order,” it is whoever holds the right through an unbroken chain of endorsement. In practice this document is most often collected by the customs broker under a power of attorney.
What the agent typically asks for:
- A duly endorsed original copy of the bill of lading, or telex release confirmation
- The buyer’s authorisation document, signature declaration (formerly known as the signature circular), and power of attorney
- Freight and local-charge payment receipts
- The file and voyage number shown on the arrival notice
Delivery order requirements by bill-of-lading type
The type of transport document determines the conditions under which a delivery order is issued. A bill of lading can be issued straight, to order, or to bearer; all are originals, but not all are endorsable.
| Transport document | What is needed for a delivery order | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Bill of lading to order | Surrender to the agent of one endorsed original | As a rule, one copy is enough; once that copy is used, the others become void. Some lines requiring a full set (3/3) is a matter of their own practice |
| Straight bill of lading | Presentation of the original by the named consignee | Endorsement is not required; it cannot be transferred by endorsement, and can only be transferred through assignment of the claim |
| Telex release | Return of the originals to the carrier at the load port, and a release message between agents | A telex release is not itself a delivery order; it only removes the requirement to present the original |
| Express release | No original copy is issued at all | Release is made by verifying the identity and authority of the named consignee |
| Sea waybill | Verification of the buyer’s identity and authority | Not a negotiable instrument; cannot be endorsed |
| Electronic bill of lading | Transfer recorded via the platform | Both parties must be registered on the same platform |
By air, the AWB is not a negotiable, endorsable instrument; even though it is printed in three original copies, release does not depend on presenting an original but on verifying the identity and authority of the named consignee. If a bank is shown as consignee on the AWB, the bank’s release letter is required. By road, under a CMR, delivery is made directly to the consignee; if the goods have been placed into a bonded warehouse, a release instruction is still required.
If the original bill of lading does not arrive before the ship, there are two routes. The first is telex release: the seller returns the originals to the carrier at the load port. The second is for the line to issue a delivery order against a bank-avalised letter of indemnity (LOI); accepting an LOI is at the carrier’s discretion and creates extra cost. “There is no option but to wait for the original” is not true — raise this option while the vessel is still en route.
Payments that must be settled before a delivery order
The agent will not issue a delivery order until its own receivables are settled. Typical items:
- Freight — if arranged collect, it is paid on arrival; if prepaid, it has already been settled at the load side
- Destination terminal handling charge (THC)
- Documentation and delivery order fee
- ISPS security charge, container cleaning or repair items
- Any demurrage and detention accrued up to that point
- On some lines, an empty container return deposit
Amounts vary by carrier, port, equipment type and period. When requesting a quote, ask for the local-charge list in writing; comparing freight alone makes the charge at arrival unpredictable.
Delivery order, customs declaration, and the order of release
The process does not run on a single track but on two parallel tracks.
| Customs track | Document and payment track |
|---|---|
| Summary declaration | Arrival notice |
| Discharge, temporary storage, or placement into bonded warehouse | Presentation of the bill of lading, telex release confirmation, or LOI |
| Registration of the declaration — risk analysis and lane assignment happen simultaneously with registration | Payment of freight and local charges |
| Inspection (document and/or physical, depending on lane) | Issuance of the delivery order |
| Payment of duties, or their being secured |
Once both tracks are complete, the container is released. The most common planning mistake is holding off on customs procedures until the delivery order comes through. Preparing the declaration runs on the commercial invoice, packing list, bill-of-lading copy and GTİP (tariff code) — it does not wait for the delivery order.
The documents to be attached to the declaration are determined under the framework of Customs Law No. 4458 and the Customs Regulation; because the details can change, confirm the current position with your broker. Whatever the regulation says, the terminal and the bonded warehouse will not release the goods without the carrier’s release instruction. In other words, the need for a delivery order arises from the contract of carriage, not from customs law.
Validity, revision, cancellation and special cases
A validity date can be written on a delivery order. Once it expires, the terminal will not hand over the container; the document is renewed, and demurrage and storage accrued up to that point are collected. How long the validity lasts depends on the carrier’s and agent’s practice; do not look for a fixed number of days in the regulations. Obtaining a delivery order before transport has been arranged wastes that time.
Split delivery order. If a consignment under a single bill of lading is placed into a bonded warehouse and drawn out piece by piece, the line or consolidator issues a separate release instruction for each pull. Each portion can incur a separate document fee and must match the warehouse’s stock record.
Revision and cancellation. An error in the consignee’s name, address or tax number starts an amendment process. If the consignee needs to change entirely, the issue is resolved through the bill of lading, not the delivery order; if originals have already been printed, their return is required. Cancelling an issued delivery order depends on the carrier’s acceptance.
Electronic delivery order. Most carriers now issue release instructions through their own portal: once receipts and documents are uploaded, the instruction passes to the terminal electronically. Portal user authorisation is a one-time setup but can take a few days; handle it on the first upload.
On export. A delivery order is a document for the import side. On export, the goods are handed to the carrier, not taken from it; for this reason, no delivery order is issued on export.
How a delayed delivery order drives up demurrage, detention and storage
| Item | What it corresponds to | When the meter runs | Who invoices it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demurrage | The container’s stay at the terminal beyond free time | From discharge until the container’s gate-out from the terminal | The carrying line |
| Detention | Holding the container outside the terminal until it is returned empty | From gate-out until empty return | The carrying line |
| Storage | The terminal’s or warehouse’s storage service | For as long as the goods remain there | The terminal or warehouse operator |
Demurrage is also used, in ship chartering, to mean compensation for exceeding laytime; the usage here is container demurrage.
When a delivery order is delayed, the container is still inside the terminal: demurrage and storage meters run, but detention does not. Detention only begins once the container has left the gate. Demurrage and storage free-time periods are calculated from the discharge date, not the date the delivery order was issued; if the delivery order came two days late, those two days have run against these two items.
Some carriers apply demurrage and detention as separate free-time periods, others apply a combined free time (combined demurrage & detention). Confirm in writing at the quote stage which model applies: under the combined model, days spent at the port are deducted from the days available after the gate. Tariffs are mostly tiered; the daily charge rises the longer the wait.
Bottom line: the paperwork and payment for a delivery order should be planned around the loading date, not the vessel’s arrival.
Common mistakes
- Sending the original bill of lading late. On short-transit lanes (Black Sea, Eastern Mediterranean), the original often arrives after the ship; discuss telex release before loading.
- Leaving payment to the last day. Value date, currency purchase and internal approval chains can take several days; the delivery order does not get processed until the receipt reaches the agent.
- Mistaking a telex release for a delivery order. They are two separate documents.
- Mistaking the arrival notice for release authority. It is a notification, not an instruction.
- Missing the validity date. Renewal means both an extra fee and a delay.
- Not negotiating free time at the quote stage. Whether it is applied separately or combined should also be confirmed in writing at that stage.
- Filling in the consignee field on the bill of lading incorrectly. An error in the name, address or tax number starts an amendment process and delays the delivery order.
- Leaving the endorsement chain incomplete on a “to order” bill of lading. Entitlement cannot be proven until the endorsement chain is complete.
- Skipping the two layers in LCL. The consolidator cannot give you a delivery order before obtaining its own from the line.
- Leaving the LOI option to the last minute. Bank avalisation and the carrier’s approval take a few days; this time does not stop demurrage.
- Leaving carrier-portal authorisation until the arrival date. An electronic delivery order will not open until the user setup is complete.
- Not confirming the empty-container return location and deadline. The detention meter keeps running even after the delivery order has been obtained.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Regulations change; confirm the current position before acting.