(1) The carrier may require a consignment note to be issued containing the following particulars:
1. place and date of issuance;
2. name and address of the sender;
3. name and address of the carrier;
4. place and date of taking over of the goods and place designated for delivery;
5. name and address of the consignee and special address, if any, for notification;
6. description in common use of the nature of the goods and the method of packaging, and, in the case of dangerous goods, their description as required by the regulations concerning dangerous goods, or, in the absence of such requirement, their generally recognised description;
7. number of packages and their special marks and numbers;
8. gross weight of the goods or their quantity otherwise expressed;
9. freight owed at delivery and any costs incurred up to the time of delivery, as well as a note concerning payment of the freight;
10. any amount of money to be collected on delivery of the goods;
11. instructions relating to customs and other official processing of the goods;
12. any agreement concerning carriage in an open unsheeted vehicle or on deck. Other particulars deemed useful by the parties may be entered in the consignment note.
(2) The consignment note is made out in three original copies signed by the sender.
The sender may require that the carrier also sign the consignment note. Reproductions of the personal signatures by means of printing or stamp will suffice. One copy is for the sender, one will accompany the goods and one is retained by the carrier.
(3) An electronic record fulfilling the same functions as a consignment note is considered equivalent to the consignment note, provided that the authenticity and integrity of the record are assured at all times (electronic consignment note). The Federal Ministry of Justice is authorised to provide, in agreement with the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community, by statutory instrument not requiring the approval of the Bundesrat, for the details of the issuance, carrying and presentation of an electronic consignment note, as well as for the details of the procedure for making subsequent entries in an electronic consignment note.