PTT — Permit to Transfer
A customs-authorized document that permits the movement of in-bond cargo from the port of arrival to another bonded location — typically a warehouse — before formal entry is filed.
What a PTT does
When imported cargo arrives at a U.S. port but hasn't yet cleared customs for consumption, it can't be released to its final destination. A Permit to Transfer gives the freight forwarder legal authorization to move that in-bond cargo from the port to another approved location — usually a bonded warehouse — where customs entry can be completed on a longer timeline.
In practice, the PTT is the paperwork that keeps the operation moving. Without it, cargo sits at the port burning LFD. With it, the forwarder can pull cargo to a warehouse where it's accessible, inspectable, and no longer accruing terminal charges.
Why PTT management is a time sink without software
Each PTT needs to be generated, matched to the specific shipment and driver, and reconciled when the driver returns the signed copy. Teams running this manually end up with filing cabinets of signed PTTs and a nightly reconciliation task — "which PTTs came back today, and which shipments do they match?"
The reconciliation isn't optional: unmatched PTTs are a compliance risk, and the paperwork trail is what you'll need if customs ever audits a transfer.
How Logixa handles it
Logixa generates the PTT when a shipment is dispatched and auto-matches the driver's signed photo to the correct shipment on upload — no end-of-day paperwork reconciliation. Every signed PTT is attached to its shipment record with a full audit trail.
See automatic PTT matchingSee how Logixa makes this part of your workflow concrete.
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