Key concepts
This page explains the words ITS uses, in the form you see them on screen. Keep it open while you read the rest of the manual. A shorter alphabetical list is in the Glossary.
The declaration and its numbers
Serial number
Every declaration gets one serial number when it is lodged, and keeps it for life. ITS makes it up; nobody chooses it. It reads left to right:
| Part | Example in ZAJNBTD2609203 | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Country | ZA | The departure country (South Africa) |
| Office | JNB | The office of departure (Johannesburg) |
TD | TD | Always the letters TD: Transit Document |
| Date | 260920 | The day it was lodged, as year, month, day: 20 September 2026 |
| Counter | 3 | The third declaration from that office that day |
A serial number is 14 to 18 characters long, because the counter has no leading zeros. Declarations lodged before 14 August 2026 carry an older, 23-character form such as ZAJNBTD0000000720260813; they are still valid and still found.
The date in the serial is ITS's own clock, in UTC. The Created column and the detail page show the time in your browser's time zone. A declaration lodged late in the evening UTC can show the next day in the list. Neither is wrong.
Verification code
A 26-character code printed under the QR code on the Transit Document, such as XEH50AT56M7Z5CJ91C2YK6738G. It is one per declaration and the same on every version. Anyone who has seen the paper can use it on the Verify page to check that the document is genuine. It cannot be guessed, and it opens nothing beyond what is printed on the paper.
The code ignores upper and lower case, and accepts the letters I, L, O and U in place of the digits 1 and 0.
Version
A declaration is never edited in place. Every act appends a new, signed version: lodging is version 1, and each stamp, correction, attachment or cancellation adds one more. The number climbs during an ordinary journey, not only when somebody corrects the document. Version 15 of 15 means you are reading the latest of fifteen.
Signature
ITS signs every version. The This version card on a declaration shows Signed (unverified) when a signature is present, or Unsigned. Verify signature checks it in your browser against the keys ITS publishes, without changing anything. The answer is Verified, Not verified, Unsigned, Cannot be checked here or Check failed.
The journey
Stamp
One customs act, recorded against the declaration by the administration that performed it. The portal names five kinds: Departure, Release, Exit, Transit entry and Discharge. Each stamp names the office where it happened, as a country code and a three-character office code, for example ZW/BBG (Beitbridge, Zimbabwe). See How ITS works.
The time on a stamp is when ITS received it, on ITS's own clock, not when the officer signed.
Corridor
The countries the consignment has passed through or been sent to, worked out from the stamps. Nobody declares it in advance; each country names only the next one. Via ZW, ZM, TZ under the corridor lists the transit countries so far.
Holder
The country that currently holds the declaration: it recorded the goods and has not yet stamped them out. The portal shows it as Held by. Between one country's exit and the next country's entry, nobody holds it, shown as Between administrations. A completed transit is held by nobody.
State
Where the declaration stands: Registered, Departed, In transit, Arrived, Discharged or Cancelled. See Statuses and colours.
Transit window
The dates within which the transit should be completed, set on the declaration (section G). Window closes 4 Oct 00:00 on the detail page is its end.
Overdue
A declaration still open after its transit window has closed. The Overdue now figure on the Overview counts them.
The parties and their numbers
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Declarant | The person or company that lodged the declaration (TD box 34). Their TIN opens the Track page. |
| Consignor (exporter) | Who sends the goods. |
| Consignee (importer) | Who receives the goods. Their TIN also opens the Track page. |
| Transporter | Who carries the goods. |
| TIN | Taxpayer Identification Number. ITS records it exactly as the customs system sent it and checks no format. |
Guarantee, seal and tracking
Guarantee
The bond that covers the duties and taxes on the goods while they are in transit. It is issued by a guarantee platform in the departure country. ITS asks that platform and shows one of four verdicts:
| Shown as | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verified | The platform confirms the reference |
| Invalid | The platform says the reference is unknown, expired, exhausted or revoked |
| Declared, unverified | Nobody could be asked: no platform is registered for the departure country, or the declaration carries no reference. Treat it as a claim |
| Could not be checked | Somebody could be asked and gave no usable answer. Nothing has been said either way |
Seal
The seal fixed on the load, recorded on the departure stamp: METALLIC (a normal mechanical seal) or electronic (ELECTRONIC on screen), which can report its position.
Cargo tracking
For a consignment with an electronic seal, ITS asks the seal platform where it is when you open the page. The answer is shown and never stored: Tracked (with a position), No electronic seal (a metallic seal, which is normal) or Position unavailable (there is a seal but no usable answer).
Where you stand
Scope
The declarations and figures your organisation may see. The Secretariat's scope is the whole continent. A State Party's scope is the declarations touching its own territory: lodged there, stamped there, named next, or bound there. A REC's scope is the same for its member states. A declaration outside your scope is simply absent: it is never shown as refused, and never named.
Organisation
The Secretariat, a State Party or a REC. Every account belongs to exactly one, and cannot switch.
Announcement and acknowledgement
When a version is added, ITS announces it to each administration on the corridor, and that administration's system acknowledges it. The Who has been told list on the History tab shows each acknowledgement.
Digest
A fingerprint of an attached file. ITS stores the digest, not the file, and checks every download against it. See Attachments.
Words this manual avoids
The portal and its documents sometimes use other names. This manual uses the first column.
| This manual says | You may also see |
|---|---|
| Declaration | eTD, transit declaration, Transit Document, TD |
| Transit Document (the printed form) | leaflet, PDF, transit document |
| Stamp | endorsement, act |
| Release | depart |
| Lodge | register, issue, file |
| Discharge | close, closure |
| Failed transmission | rejection, refusal |
| State Party | member state, country, administration |