Practical guide to the Incoterms 2020 rules

Rights and obligations on the goods in international trade

The Incoterms rules are used to define the rights and obligations of the selling and buying companies with respect to the delivery terms of the goods in an international sales transaction.

These rules are essential to agree on five key issues: the obligations and costs borne by the selling and buying parties, who is responsible for customs clearance and insurance of the goods, the place and time of delivery of the goods and the risks on them.

Since its first publication in 1936, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) regularly reviews these rules and adapts them to successive changes in the field of international trade. This contributes to legal certainty in international sale of goods transactions and to the standardization of their delivery terms.

This guide will help you to answer questions and choose the most appropriate Incoterms rule for each international sales transaction, making it a practical reference tool for professionals involved in foreign trade and for those who have to be trained in this subject.