Make a sharper handoff part of your routine. Use this worksheet on your next shipment to align the sales agreement, transport instructions, and evidence of handoff. Identify the gaps and give each one an owner before dispatch.
Edition: Incoterms® 2020 · Prepared 10 September 2026
Pin down the agreement
- Record the seller, buyer, shipment reference, goods, and planned transport modes.
- Write the agreed three-letter rule, the precise named place or port, and “Incoterms® 2020” together. Include the terminal, address, or loading point needed to remove ambiguity.
- Record ownership and payment terms separately. Incoterms rules allocate delivery obligations, risk, and costs; they do not determine when title passes. ICC’s Incoterms 2020 questions and answers.
Shipment reference: ____________________ Agreed term and place: ____________________
Mark the actual risk handoff
- EXW: goods are available to the buyer at the agreed place, before loading the collecting vehicle. FCA at the seller’s premises: delivery includes loading the buyer-arranged vehicle. FCA elsewhere: goods arrive on the seller’s vehicle, ready for unloading, at the disposal of the buyer’s nominated carrier or person. ICC: rules for any mode of transport.
- CPT / CIP: identify the carrier handoff that constitutes delivery. The destination to which the seller pays carriage is a separate point; paying freight to destination does not keep risk with the seller until arrival. Check the insurance obligation separately under CIP. ICC Academy: CPT or CIP.
- FAS / FOB: these are sea and inland-waterway rules. Identify the shipment port and nominated vessel: FAS delivery is alongside the vessel, while FOB delivery is on board. ICC Academy: FAS or FOB.
- CFR / CIF: delivery and risk transfer occur on board at the shipment port, although the seller pays carriage to the named destination port. DAP / DDP: delivery is at destination, ready for unloading. DPU: delivery follows unloading. ICC Academy: C and D rules.
Risk transfers when: ____________________ Evidence of that event: ____________________
Assign the document work
For this shipment, record who prepares, checks, receives, and retains each applicable item. This is a preparation list: the agreement, cargo, route, and authorities determine what is required.
- Sales agreement and commercial invoice: consistent parties, goods, and agreed term.
- Packing list: package count, identifying marks, and the weights or dimensions used for booking.
- Transport record: the relevant bill of lading, sea waybill, air waybill, or road/rail document; confirm who issues it and who can obtain release.
- Customs and origin records: identify the responsible party for export, transit, and import formalities and any applicable licenses or origin evidence. With DDP, confirm the seller can actually perform the import obligations in the destination country. ICC Academy: DAP or DDP.
- Insurance evidence where applicable: insured party, cargo, route, period, and the cover agreed for the shipment.
- Cargo-specific documents where applicable: dangerous-goods information, temperature instructions, inspections, or treatment records.
Document owner: ____________________ Release contact: ____________________
Close the handoff
- Confirm the receiving party, appointment, exact place, and how the shipment is identified.
- Agree how count, visible condition, exceptions, and receipt time will be recorded.
- Match the document used to prove delivery to the event that actually transfers risk.
- Give the next party the records it needs before dispatch; record unresolved discrepancies and who can resolve them.
Checked by: ____________________ Date / time: ____________________
This worksheet is an independent preparation aid. Read the applicable ICC rule and sales contract for the full obligations and exceptions. Incoterms® is a registered trademark of the International Chamber of Commerce. Confusion Corner Logistics is not affiliated with or endorsed by ICC.