Frequently asked questions
This page explains the practical steps for your account, request, case, payment, VAT, invoice, attachments, feedback and final advice. For an existing case, always check ‘What do you need to do now?’ first. Personal contact is a last resort only.
Account and sign-in
Do I need to create an account first?
No. You can start an advice request from the website. If secure access is needed, your business email address is used for it. If you are already signed in, you stay signed in.
I am already signed in. Do I need to sign in again for a new request?
No. Start the new request from My account or My cases. Your verified account email is used automatically and known business details are prefilled where possible.
Can I have several cases in one account?
Yes. Every request gets its own case number. Active and closed cases remain separately available in My cases.
Where do I find my account and cases?
Use My account for new requests and account management. Use My cases for status, payment, messages, attachments, feedback and final advice.
Can I delete my account?
Yes, through Account management when no blocking condition applies. You will no longer be able to sign in afterwards. Data subject to legal, tax or professional retention duties may be retained in pseudonymised form under the retention policy.
Submitting an advice request
What questions can I submit?
For example ADN, dangerous goods, documents, procedures, safe working, work or installations, incidents and near misses. Choose the closest service; the scope will be aligned first if necessary.
What if my question is larger than the selected service?
Additional work is not carried out silently. If another service, a wider scope or a higher price is required, this is agreed with you first.
What information should I provide?
Only information required for the assessment. Include vessel name, ENI or other identifiers only when substantively or formally relevant. Add confidential documents in the secure case only when needed.
What does urgent mean?
Urgent requests receive priority within actual availability and may have a pre-disclosed surcharge. It does not guarantee an exact time of completion.
When does the stated lead time start?
After the engagement is confirmed, the required payment reservation is completed and the information needed to start is available.
Is the service online only?
Online delivery is the default. A visit on board or at a location can be agreed separately when it adds substantive value and is practically possible.
Your case and its status
What is a case?
The secure place for one advice engagement. It contains the original request, current status, your next action, payment, messages, attachments, feedback and final advice.
How do I know what to do now?
At the top of every open case you will see ‘What do you need to do now?’. Follow that single next step. If it says you do not need to do anything, do not send an extra message.
What does ‘Action needed: confirm the engagement’ or ‘Awaiting payment’ mean?
The request exists but the engagement is not yet finally confirmed. Open the payment section, check the summary, confirm the engagement and complete the payment reservation.
What does ‘We are reviewing your question’ mean?
The engagement is confirmed and the safety adviser is working on it. You do not need to do anything unless the case explicitly asks for more information.
What does ‘More information needed’ mean?
Specific information is still required. Answer only the concrete request in the case and add an attachment if needed.
What happens when a case is completed?
The final advice remains available in the case. A closed case may move to the archive and is retained according to applicable retention periods.
Payment, reservation, VAT and invoice
Are prices inclusive or exclusive of VAT?
The service price is agreed excluding VAT. The final total depends on the current billing and tax details.
What is a payment reservation?
When the engagement is confirmed, no more than the agreed total is authorised or reserved. This is not yet the final charge.
When is the money finally charged?
After substantive handling, the safety adviser sets the final price within the reserved maximum. Only that final total is captured.
What if less work was needed than the reserved maximum?
Only the lower final amount is captured. The unused part is not charged and is released according to the processing time of the payment method or bank.
Can the final price exceed the reserved maximum?
Not without a new agreement. A higher total is agreed first and may require a new payment authorisation.
How is VAT determined for the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg?
The billing country and tax details are decisive. A valid and verified EU VAT ID may be required for business customers in Belgium, Germany or Luxembourg where a reverse-charge treatment applies.
What applies to a business customer in Switzerland?
Swiss billing and tax details are used. If a Swiss VAT number is required, it must belong to the business billing details.
My VAT number is wrong or invalid. Must I cancel the reservation?
Not automatically. Use ‘Correct billing and VAT details’ in the active case. Once validly verified, the same reservation can be used as long as the corrected total does not exceed the existing reservation.
What if I also change my billing country or address?
Tax is recalculated using the current details. If the total becomes higher than the existing reservation, capture is blocked and a new authorisation is required first.
Where do I receive my invoice?
Invoice documents are sent to the billing email address provided. Relevant payment and invoice references remain linked to the case.
Can a payment be refunded?
A refund is an exceptional action after a completed payment. If there is a concrete reason that cannot be resolved through the normal case steps, use the restricted help channel in that case.
Messages and attachments
Can I freely message the safety adviser?
No. For explanations, use this FAQ and ‘What do you need to do now?’ first. The personal help channel is only for blocking technical issues, necessary payment/invoice corrections, essential case errors or explicit information requests from the safety adviser.
What if the safety adviser explicitly asks for more information?
You can then answer that specific request directly in the case. This reply is not subject to the normal FAQ-first restriction.
Why can I not send several unanswered messages?
To prevent duplicate and loose administrative questions. Only one unanswered customer message can be open at a time, and customer-initiated support is also limited.
Does the safety adviser receive my case message by email?
The adviser receives a notification containing the case number. The actual content deliberately remains in the secure case environment.
What files can I upload?
PDF, JPG and PNG files up to 10 MB per file. Only add documents required for the assessment.
Can I add photos or screenshots?
Yes, as JPG or PNG. Relevant images can form part of the final case record or advice.
Draft, feedback and final advice
What does ‘Draft — not released’ mean?
It is not yet final safety advice and must not be treated as final until formally released.
How do I provide feedback on a draft?
Use the feedback step shown in the case and provide only necessary corrections or clarifications within the agreed scope.
What if my feedback is outside the agreed scope?
An extension is not carried out silently. The additional scope and any new price or engagement are agreed first.
When is the advice final?
Only when the case shows final release. The newest finally released version is the current version.
Where do I find the official PDF?
In the case under the final advice. You can open or download the official PDF there.
What happens to older advice versions?
Earlier final versions may remain available as history. The newest finally released version is authoritative.
Privacy, security and retention
Who can view my case?
You only see cases linked to your secure account. The safety adviser has controlled access for professional handling and necessary case administration.
Why is not all case content included in emails?
To limit exposure of confidential information. Emails contain, where possible, only a case number, status or notification and direct you to the secure environment for content.
Do I need to provide unnecessary personal data?
No. Use only business and substantively necessary details and avoid personal information or confidential documents that are unrelated to the assessment.
Why are some records retained after completion?
Legal, tax, contractual or professional retention duties may apply. The privacy notice and retention policy describe the criteria used.
Where can I read more about privacy?
On the public privacy page, which covers purposes, legal bases, retention, service providers, security and your privacy rights.
Still not resolved?
Return to your case. Only if a technical problem blocks you, a necessary payment/invoice correction cannot be completed through the provided steps, there is an essential error in the case, or the safety adviser explicitly asks for information, may you use the restricted help channel there. General explanation questions belong in this FAQ.
Back to My casesUse the secure case environment for case content. This FAQ explains the process and does not replace substantive ADN safety advice.