What is mandatory chain reporting for parcel delivery services?

The chain reporting requirement applies to companies that fall under the ‘Parcel Delivery Act’. The chain shows the hierarchy of all principals and subcontractors involved in last‑mile parcel delivery.

The obligation will take effect later than initially planned. The exact date will be announced on this page as soon as it is known.

Chain reporting: who has to do what?

The main principal and the subcontractors have different obligations to fulfil.

The main principal

The main principal has to state the entire chain of subcontractors. This also includes the subcontractors of the subcontractors, all the way to the end of the order chain. They identify these subcontractors by their CBE number.

The declaration has to be up to date at all times.

The main principal carries out the complete chain reporting in CATENA, accessible via the BELparcel online service or the relevant web service. For more information, please visit the page ‘How do I carry out chain reporting?’

In CATENA, the main principal is called ‘notifier’.

Subcontractors

Within the framework of chain reporting, each subcontractor who subcontracts work himself is responsible for

• informing his principal about the CBE number of his own subcontractors
• informing his principal about the CBE number of the subcontractors of his subcontractors.

All companies in the chain are required to register their activities as a last‑mile parcel delivery service with BELparcel. They must provide their own principal with their CBE number.

Example from practice: When delivering parcels, who is responsible for what?

To illustrate how this declaration works and who is responsible for what, let's take a concrete example involving a sender and a chain of different service providers.

In this example, there are three subcontractors.

The parties involved and their obligations:

Let's assume that a parcel is transported via different companies before reaching its final destination. Here is an overview of the role and obligations of each party involved in the declaration:

1. The sender (e.g. an online shop):

• The sender commissions the first link in the chain, the main principal (party 1), to deliver the parcel.
• NO OBLIGATION: The sender himself is not subject to the Parcel Delivery Act. Therefore, he has no BELparcel reporting obligations.

2. The main principal (party 1):

• The company that receives the delivery order directly. This company is considered the main principal. It can carry out the last mile delivery itself or subcontract it to another company.
• OBLIGATION: The main principal is responsible for reporting the entire chain of its subcontractors in CATENA via the BELparcel online service.
  It identifies the subcontractors using their CBE number (identification number in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises).

3. The first subcontractor (Party 2):

• The direct subcontractor of the main principal (Party 1). The first subcontractor may himself subcontract part or all of the order to another company (Party 3).
• OBLIGATION: This first subcontractor is required to inform his own principal (party 1) of the CBE number of his subcontractors (party 3) and, where applicable, of the subcontractors of his direct subcontractors (party 4). In other words, he is required to inform party 1 of the chain he has established downstream.

4. The second subcontractor (Party 3):

• The subcontractor of Party 2. If this company subcontracts the delivery (to Party 4), it also has obligations.
• OBLIGATION: The second subcontractor (Party 3) is required to inform his principal (Party 2) about the CBE number of his own subcontractor (Party 4).

5. The last subcontractor (Party 4):

• In our example, this is the last link in the order chain, commissioned directly by Party 3.
• NO OBLIGATION: If the company itself does not appoint any subcontractors for this order, it has no obligation.