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More Incoterms & Transport Documents

Telex Release

Also known as: Express Release

A telex release is an instruction, transmitted electronically from the load port to the discharge port, confirming that the shipper has surrendered the original bills of lading at origin so that the carrier may release the cargo to the consignee at destination without the physical presentation of paper documents. It lets goods be collected quickly when the original documents cannot travel with the shipment, avoiding demurrage caused by document delays. The mechanism is used when payment or trust between the parties makes holding the negotiable document unnecessary, effectively short-circuiting the paper chain while preserving carrier control over release.

The JFS takeLicensed customs broker · Filer 82G

The workaround for the problem originals create: the carrier is instructed to release without presentation because the originals have been surrendered at origin. Widely used, and a sign the shipment should probably have moved on a sea waybill in the first place.

Related terms

Bill of LadingA bill of lading is the foundational document of ocean freight, issued by a carrier to a shipper, that serves three distinct functions at once: a receipt confirming the carrier has taken the described goods into its custody, evidence of the contract of carriage setting out the terms of transport, and — when issued in negotiable form — a document of title whose holder controls delivery of the cargo.Sea WaybillA sea waybill is a non-negotiable ocean transport document that serves as a receipt for the goods and evidence of the carriage contract but, unlike a negotiable bill of lading, is not a document of title and does not need to be surrendered to obtain the cargo.

Reviewed by a licensed customs broker. Definitions are general information, not legal or customs advice for a particular shipment. Duty rates, tariff programs and agency requirements change frequently.