Customer verification

Before your first shipment.

Every new customer goes through a short verification step before the first booking. Here is why we do it, what we will ask you for, and how to send it safely.

Get an itemized quote Call (708) 846-9992

Updated About 4 min read

Why we verify

Three reasons, and none of them are about making you jump through hoops.

The first is the law. U.S. sanctions and export rules put the responsibility on every company in the chain to know who it is moving goods for and who is receiving them.

The second is the carriers. Steamship lines, airlines and trucking companies expect the forwarder tendering cargo to them to know the customer behind it. A booking made on thin information can be held or turned back.

The third is the freight itself. Your pallets travel next to other people's pallets, in the same container and the same terminal. One misdeclared shipment can hold up everything around it.

For an ordinary business with ordinary paperwork this is one short exchange of email, usually finished the same day.

When it happens

Before your first quote is accepted or your first booking is made. Nothing moves and no payment is taken until it is done, so it is worth starting early if you have a cargo ready date in mind.

After that we only come back to you when something important changes: a new legal name, a new address, a change in ownership, a different bank account, or a different company paying the invoices. We also refresh the file for active customers from time to time.

What we will ask for

Have these ready and the whole step goes quickly:

  • Full legal name of the business, plus any trade name or DBA you ship under
  • A physical business address, not only a P.O. box
  • Phone number, business email and website
  • Your EIN on a signed IRS Form W-9, or the equivalent tax form if the business is outside the United States
  • The state or country where the business was formed
  • Name and title of the person authorized to place orders with us
  • What the business does, what it ships, and the lanes you expect to run
  • Who pays our invoices, if that is a different company or department

Goods on our restricted list need their documentation before we can quote. See prohibited and restricted items.

Screening before a booking

Before we accept a booking, we screen the parties to the shipment against U.S. government restricted party lists: the customer, the shipper, the consignee, the notify party and whoever is paying. We do it on the first booking and on the ones after it. In almost every case you never hear about it.

When we ask for more

Some shipments need a closer look. Depending on the goods, the countries involved and the parties on the paperwork, we may ask about the ownership of the business, for a bank or trade reference, or for more detail about the end use and the end user of the goods. If we need something extra, we will tell you what it is and why.

We decline what we cannot verify. If the information does not hold together, or a party is a match on a government list, we say so plainly and we do not take the booking. If the gap is a missing document or a name that needs correcting, send it and we will pick back up.

How payment has to work

Payment has to come from the customer of record, meaning the business named on the quote and the invoice. We do not take payment from an unrelated third party, and we do not accept cash or cryptocurrency. ACH, wire transfer, check and card through our payment processor are all fine. The full payment terms are in our Terms and Conditions of Service.

How to send documents

Never through the forms on this website. The quote form and the tracking form here are for shipment details only. They are not the place for a W-9, an identity document or a bank detail, and we will never ask you to put one in them.

When it is time to share documents, a real person at BGL will email you from an address ending in @bglfreight.com, tell you exactly which documents are needed, and send a secure way to upload them. If a message claims to be from us and asks you to send documents or change payment details somewhere else, stop and call (708) 846-9992 before you act on it.

What to do next

You do not need any of this ready to start. Ask for a quote with the details you have and we will tell you what verification needs alongside it.

Sources

Screening lists and trade rules change. Checked September 2026. Check the current rule with the agency that publishes it.

Related pages: Terms and Conditions of Service and prohibited and restricted items.

Questions

Straight answers.

How long does verification take?

For a straightforward business with its paperwork in hand, usually the same business day. If we need something extra we tell you what it is when we ask.

Do I have to do this again for every shipment?

No. It happens once at the start, and again only if key details change, such as your legal name, address, ownership, bank account or the company paying. Shipment parties are screened on every booking.

Can I upload my W-9 through the quote form?

Please do not. The forms on this site are for shipment details. We will send you a secure way to share documents when it is time.

Do you work with individuals?

BGL serves business customers. Used personal effects and household goods are on our restricted list.

Ready when you are

Start with the shipment.

Share the basics and get an itemized quote in writing within 1 business day. We will tell you what verification needs alongside it.

Get an itemized quote (708) 846-9992 A real person, Mon to Fri, 8am to 6pm MST