The Netherlands recognises electronic bills of lading under new legislation

The Netherlands has adopted new legislation that recognises electronic bills of lading (eBLs) under national law. The law gives eBLs the same legal status as traditional paper bills of lading.

This means businesses can now use eBLs in both domestic and international trade with legal certainty. Electronic bills of lading can perform the same functions as paper versions, including acting as a document of title, a contract of carriage, and a receipt for goods.

Bills of lading are a key document in global trade. However, paper documents must be physically transferred between different parties, often across countries, which can slow down transactions and increase the risk of loss, errors, or fraud.

With eBLs, documents can be transferred electronically, reducing the need for physical handling and speeding up trade processes.

Laure Jacquier, Director General of ICC Netherlands, said, “With eBLs, documents can be transferred instantly, accelerating trade flows and reducing transaction times from days to hours. At the same time, eBLs improve security by minimising the risks of fraud, duplication and loss. They also support sustainability by cutting paper use and energy consumption.”

The new law also brings the Netherlands closer to international standards. Many countries are introducing similar laws based on the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR), which is a model law that allows electronic documents to have the same legal effect as paper documents.

The new Dutch law, however, only applies to bills of lading, not all transferable trade documents as envisaged by MLETR, with further legal changes needed to cover other types of documents. While this is a disappointing limitation, in general, the announcement is a positive sign of progress for legal reform in the digital trade realm.

ICC Netherlands said it will continue working with government and industry to support wider use of digital trade documents.