How to complete the IATA Shipper's Declaration, box by box
The IATA Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods (DGD) is completed box by box with the shipper and the consignee, the aircraft limitation, the shipment type, the description, quantity and packing instruction of each dangerous good, and the signed certification, and DGAssistant prepares it from the data of each air consignment. The operator receives two signed copies and checks them against the packages before accepting the consignment.
Edition and chapters behind this guide
This guide follows the 2025-2026 edition of the ICAO Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (Doc 9284), in the text published in the Spanish Official State Gazette (BOE no. 300, 13 December 2024). The core is Part 5, Chapter 4, on documents, together with Part 3, Chapters 2 and 4 (Dangerous Goods List, limited quantities), Part 4, Chapter 1 (several goods in one outer packaging), Part 7, Chapter 1 (acceptance by the operator) and Attachment 3 (variations). Corrigendum No. 2 (7 May 2026) only amends one detail on radioactive material in Chapter 4.
Airlines work with the IATA DGR, which is based on these Instructions. Paragraph numbers here are those of the Instructions, not of the DGR, and refer to Part 5, Chapter 4 unless stated otherwise. Before shipping, review the DGR edition in force and the variations of your operator.
The Instructions impose no layout: any form is valid if it carries all the required information (4.1.2.1). The box names below are those of the IATA form, printed in English on the free DGAssistant template; in the table, Form marks the boxes that do not come from Chapter 4.
The form, box by box
| Box | What goes in it | Part 5, Chapter 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Shipper, Consignee | Name and address of each | 4.1.3 |
| Air Waybill No. | Number of the air waybill of the consignment | Form; 4.2 |
| Page … of … pages | Consecutive numbering if there are several pages | 4.1.2.3 |
| Shipper's Reference Number | Your own reference; optional | Form |
| Aircraft limitations | Keep Passenger and Cargo Aircraft or Cargo Aircraft Only; delete the other | 4.1.5.8.1 c) |
| Airport of Departure, Airport of Destination | Optional on the form | Form |
| Shipment type | Keep Non-Radioactive or Radioactive; delete the other | Form; 4.1.5.7 |
| UN or ID No. | Number preceded by UN or ID | 4.1.4.1 a) |
| Proper Shipping Name | Name of the entry and, where required, the technical name in brackets | 4.1.4.1 b) |
| Class or Division (subsidiary hazard) | Primary hazard, with the compatibility group in Class 1; subsidiary hazard in brackets | 4.1.4.1 c), d) |
| Packing Group | Group assigned, if any | 4.1.4.1 e) |
| Quantity and type of packing | Number of packages, type of packaging and net quantity per package | 4.1.5.1 |
| Packing Inst. | Packing instruction applied, except for radioactive material | 4.1.5.8.1 a) |
| Authorization | Special provisions to be cited, approvals and exemptions | 4.1.5.8.1 b), 4.3 |
| Additional handling information | Special handling instructions and emergency contact | 4.1.5.8.1 d) |
| 24-hour emergency contact telephone number | Number required by some variations | Attachment 3 |
| Certification, Name of Signatory, Date, Signature | Fixed text; the signatory adds name, date and signature | 4.1.6 |
For radioactive material it is advisable to add the telephone number of the consignee, to speed up delivery (4.1.3). If an air waybill is issued, it must state that the dangerous goods are described in an attached transport document and, where applicable, that the consignment is restricted to cargo aircraft (4.2).
Aircraft limitations: how to decide
The answer is in the Dangerous Goods List (Table 3-1): columns 10 and 11 give the packing instruction and the maximum net quantity per package for passenger and cargo aircraft, and columns 12 and 13 do the same for cargo aircraft only. For UN 1090 Acetone, Class 3, Packing Group II:
| Net quantity per package | Aircraft limitation | Packing Inst. |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1 L, as a limited quantity (Part 3, Chapter 4) | Passenger and cargo aircraft | Y341 |
| Up to 5 L | Passenger and cargo aircraft | 353 |
| More than 5 L and up to 60 L | Cargo aircraft only | 364 |
| More than 60 L | Over the maximum per package | None |
A package within the passenger limits may also fly on a cargo aircraft: either apply the cargo instruction with the Cargo Aircraft Only label, or state the passenger instruction without that label (note to 4.1.5.8.1 c)). When instruction and quantity coincide for both types of aircraft, the label should not be applied.
Airports and shipment type
Chapter 4 does not require the airports, and the form marks both boxes as optional.
If you keep Radioactive, no packing instruction is stated and the data follow their own sequence (4.1.5.7.1): radionuclide, physical and chemical form, maximum activity, category of package, transport index, dimensions for II-YELLOW and III-YELLOW, fissile material data, approval certificates, detail of each package, exclusive use and, for certain materials, total activity as a multiple of A2. The shipper also adds a statement on the actions expected of the carrier (4.1.5.7.2).
Nature and quantity of dangerous goods
The five identification elements keep a fixed order, with no other data among them (4.1.4.2): UN or ID number, proper shipping name, class or division, subsidiary hazard in brackets and packing group. Three real entries of Table 3-1 would look like this on a declaration for passenger and cargo aircraft:
| UN or ID No. | Proper Shipping Name | Class or Division (subsidiary hazard) | Packing Group | Quantity and type of packing | Packing Inst. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UN 1090 | Acetone | 3 | II | 4 fibreboard boxes x 5 L | 353 |
| UN 2789 | Acetic acid solution | 8 (3) | II | 2 fibreboard boxes x 1 L | 851 |
| UN 1993 | Flammable liquid, n.o.s. (contains heptane and xylene) | 3 | II | 3 fibreboard boxes x 2 L | 353 |
Entries with an asterisk in column 1 of the list need the technical or chemical group name in brackets straight after the proper shipping name, as in the last row. For a mixture, the two components that contribute most to the hazard are sufficient, and trade names do not qualify (Part 3, Chapter 1, 1.2.7). Empty uncleaned packagings, other than Class 7, carry a wording such as EMPTY, UNCLEANED; non-radioactive waste takes the word Waste in front of the name; and molten or stabilized substances add that qualifier if the name lacks it (4.1.4.3).
The quantity column has its own rules (4.1.5.1):
- General rule: number of packages, type of packaging and net quantity per package, for each different name, UN number or packing group, with no need to list the inner packagings.
- Identical packages: a multiple is sufficient, as in the table. Different quantities are shown group by group: 4 fibreboard boxes x 5 L, 2 fibreboard boxes x 2 L.
- Limited quantities with a gross mass limit, such as UN 2071 under Y958 (30 kg): gross mass of each package instead of net quantity.
- Class 1: net explosive mass with its unit, in addition to the net quantity.
- Other cases: empty uncleaned packagings give only number and type; salvage packagings, an estimate; goods in machinery or apparatus, the total of each dangerous good; chemical kits and first aid kits, the total net mass.
Several goods in one outer packaging
When different dangerous goods share an outer packaging (mixed packing), which the IATA form expresses as All packed in one, Part 4, Chapter 1 (1.1.8 and 1.1.9) requires that they do not react dangerously, that each inner packaging meets its own instruction, that all the instructions permit the outer packaging, that the package passes the tests of the most demanding packing group, that Table 7-1 requires no segregation, and that the value Q does not exceed 1. Q adds, for each good, its net quantity divided by the maximum per package on that type of aircraft, and the declaration states it rounded up to the first decimal (4.1.5.8.1 f)).
Worked example: one fibreboard box for passenger and cargo aircraft with 2 L of UN 1263 Paint and 1.25 L of UN 1090 Acetone, both of Packing Group II, instruction 353 and a maximum of 5 L. Q = 2/5 + 1.25/5 = 0.65, declared as 0.7. With 3 L and 2.5 L, Q would be 1.1 and the package would not be admissible.
Packing instruction and authorization
The packing instruction column takes the number actually applied, consistent with the aircraft limitation. Limited quantity instructions carry the prefix Y, and lithium batteries under Section IB of instruction 965 or 968 add the letters IB after the number (4.1.5.8.1 a)).
When they apply, the declaration must cite in the authorization column special provisions A1, A2, A4, A5, A51, A78, A88, A99, A176, A190, A191, A201, A202, A211, A212, A224 and A225 (4.1.5.8.1 b)). Copies of the approvals for goods under A1 or A2, portable tanks, alternative packagings, organic peroxides and self-reactive substances, and of any exemption, must travel with the consignment (4.3).
Handling information and emergency telephone
The additional handling information box takes any special handling instructions (4.1.5.8.1 d)). Chapter 4 also requires other statements after the description, without assigning them to a particular box, for example:
| Case | What must be stated | Paragraph |
|---|---|---|
| Protective overpack | That one has been used | 4.1.5.8.1 e) |
| Organic peroxides, self-reactive substances | Approval or sample, where applicable, and protection from sunlight and heat | 4.1.5.4, 4.1.5.8.3 |
| UN 2814, UN 2900, n.o.s. entries with a technical name protected by law | Name and telephone number of a responsible person | 4.1.5.5 |
Chapter 4 does not require the 24-hour telephone in general, but Attachment 3 does: the United Arab Emirates, Canada, France and the United States, among other States, demand an emergency number attended by someone who knows the goods, and several airlines ask for the words Emergency contact or 24-hour number before it, preferably in the handling box. Check the route and the operator before leaving it blank.
Certification, signature and copies
The certification is fixed text, like the warning on the form. The shipper declares that the proper shipping name fully and accurately describes the contents and that they are classified, packaged, marked, labelled and in proper condition for transport, and air transport adds the sentence "I declare that all of the applicable air transport requirements have been met" (4.1.6.1).
The shipper signs and dates it, and a facsimile is accepted where the law recognises it. If agreed with the operator, the data may be transmitted electronically (4.1.1), and the signature may be electronic or be replaced by the name of the authorised person in capitals (4.1.6.2). English should be used in addition to any language required by the State of origin (4.1.6.3).
Two copies go to the operator (4.1.1.2): one accompanies the consignment to its final destination and the other stays on the ground (Part 7, Chapter 1, 1.2.2). The shipper keeps its own copy and the additional documentation for at least three months (4.4).
When this declaration is not used
Three cases can go without this form:
- Excepted quantities (Part 3, Chapter 5): any accompanying document, such as an air waybill, mentions them and gives the number of packages.
- Lithium batteries under Section II of instructions 966, 967, 969 and 970: the air waybill, when used, carries the indication required by each instruction.
- UN 1845 Dry ice under instruction 954: alternative written documentation may replace it, with the UN number, the name, the number of packages and the net quantity in each.
Limited quantities, by contrast, do need the declaration (Part 3, Chapter 4, 4.7).
Common errors
Before accepting, the operator uses a checklist to verify the document, the quantity per package and the agreement of marks and labels with the declaration (Part 7, Chapter 1, 1.3). Review these points first:
- Changing the order of the description, or inserting other data in it.
- Omitting the technical name in an entry with an asterisk, or using a trade name.
- Keeping Passenger and Cargo Aircraft with a quantity above column 11, or with an instruction or a label that does not agree.
- Stating gross mass where net quantity is required, or omitting the Q value or rounding it down.
- Not reviewing variations on telephone, language or format: Canada, for example, requires red lines in the side margins, and Venezuela, Spanish and English.
- Handing over a single copy, or keeping none for the three months required.
A missing full stop or comma in the proper shipping name is not an error if it does not compromise safety (Part 7, Chapter 1, note to 1.3.2).
How DGAssistant resolves it
DGAssistant issues the IATA Shipper's Declaration from the data of the consignment, so most of the boxes above come from what you have already defined.
- Parties and products: you define them once and then select them. An air consignment with a road leg leaves with the multimodal declaration.
- IATA data: the wizard takes the air waybill and the airports, if you know them, with the name of the signatory and the date as required fields.
- Packing instruction and limits: the application chooses the instruction of each entry, first the one for passenger and cargo aircraft and, if the net quantity per package exceeds it, the one for cargo aircraft only, and it checks the quantity limits.
- Mixed packing: it calculates the Q value, rejects the package if the value exceeds 1 and prints it on the declaration.
- Special cases: overpacks with the contents of each one, Class 1 with its compatibility group and net explosive mass, and lithium batteries under instructions 965 to 970, with the air waybill statement for Section II. The authorizations column carries those you state and those the application adds.
- Issuing: the declaration comes out from the list of consignments or on closing the wizard, with the checklist and the package marking. Show Red Stripes prints the red hatching when your carrier requires it on plain paper.
The application also warns you if the document is incorrect and indicates how to resolve it. To see the process, watch the video tutorial and read the IATA section of the manual. To complete the form yourself, the free Word template is the same declaration, to fill in by hand or on a computer.