International Commercial Terms

The Incoterms® rules are an internationally recognized standard and are used worldwide in international and domestic contracts for the sale of goods. First published in 1936, Incoterms® rules provide internationally accepted definitions and rules of interpretation for most common commercial terms.

The rules have been developed and maintained by experts and practitioners brought together by ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) and have become the standard in international business rules setting. They help traders avoid costly misunderstandings by clarifying the tasks, costs and risks involved in the delivery of goods from sellers to buyers. Incoterms® rules are recognized by UNCITRAL as the global standard for the interpretation of the most common terms in foreign trade.

Please note that all contracts made under INCOTERMS® 2000 remain valid even after 2011. Moreover, although we recommend using Incoterms® 2010 after 2011, parties to a contract for the sale of goods can agree to choose any version of the Incoterms rules after 2011. It is important however to clearly specify the chosen version INCOTERMS® 2010, INCOTERMS® 2000 or any earlier version.

We recommend to all our customers that they are familiar with INCOTERMS® rules however due to copyright we are unable to publish INCOTERMS® 2010 rules and therefore ask you to use the following link to the ICC web site for further information in how to obtain these: www.iccwbo.org/incoterms