The House Bill of Lading (HBL) is issued by the NVOCC/Freight Forwarder to the customer and is a copy of the MBL, which is issued by the Shipping Line (Carrier) to the NVOCC/Freight Forwarder.

The Master Bill of Lading (MBL) is also known as a Straight Bill of Lading and is issued directly to the importer or for record-keeping purposes. The only difference between the HBL and MBL is the information about the shipper, consignee, and notify party, which will be different on the two documents.