Invoices, Courier Receipts, Copy BLs and Dual Agents – Untangling Four LC Questions

Intro

Every so often, a single email lands with more than one tricky LC question bundled together. That happened here when Priya wrote in with four different scenarios on invoices, courier receipts, copy BLs and bills of lading with dual agents.

Instead of sending four separate answers, I decided to walk through each case quickly, pointing to UCP 600 and ISBP 821 where relevant. Hopefully this helps not just Priya but anyone who encounters the same issues.

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QUESTION

Dear Mr. Old Man,

Greetings. Hope this email finds you well.

Request you to share your opinion on the below queries:

1/ Invoice is marked as SHIP TO and evidences applicant’s Name & address. It does not evidence applicant’s Name in any other place. Can we consider this as “Made Out to Applicant” to comply with UCP? Few staff opine that this can be considered, and the discrepancy need not be raised.

My opinion: To cite a discrepancy as Invoice not made out to Applicant. Please correct me if I am wrong.

2/ If LC calls for Courier Receipt as a transport document, as per UCP Courier Receipt to evidence sign by Courier company, pick up date and applicable freight charges.

A) Should it also specify Place of Receipt and destination?

B) Can we consider the consignee details as destination Place?

3/ I came across an LC where shipment by sea, Air or Courier were allowed. For sea shipment, copy BL is required; for Air shipment, original AWB; and for courier shipment, original courier Receipt. LC did not specify onboard date in copy BL to be considered for shipment/Presentation. We received two sets of documents, where copy BL presented for 1 set and original courier Receipt for the other. In the above case for checking Late Presentation, we considered the shipment date in courier Receipt. Is our approach correct?

4/ I came across a BL today where two agents were identified:

• At the signing place: ABC Ltd as agent for carrier PQR, and
• Near the onboard notation: XYZ Ltd as agent for Carrier PQR.

But the chop near the onboard notation evidence ABC Ltd.

Please share your views/opinion.

Thank you very much.

Regards,

Priya

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ANSWER

Dear Priya,

That’s quite a basket of questions you’ve sent me! I’ll walk through them one by one. The answers are not as detailed as they could be if we tackled them separately, but I trust this quick response will help.

1/ Invoice “made out to applicant”

Since the invoice already shows the applicant’s full name and address under “Ship To,” it can be regarded as made out to the applicant. No discrepancy here.

2/ Courier receipt requirements

UCP 600 article 25 says a courier receipt must:

(i) indicate the courier’s name and be signed/stamped by that courier; and

(ii) show a date of pick-up or receipt (this is deemed the date of shipment).

It doesn’t explicitly require the place of destination. However, in practice courier receipts always show both sender and receiver (From/To), which means the consignee’s address serves as the destination.

So my view:

1. A) The destination should appear, because otherwise the goods could not be delivered.
2. B) Yes, the consignee’s address can be considered the place of destination.

Note: If the LC requires a courier receipt only as evidence of sending documents (not goods), ISBP 821 para. A10 applies, and examination is limited to what the LC states, or else under UCP 600 sub-article 14(f).

3/ Copy BL, AWB, and courier receipt

ISBP 821 para. A6 clarifies that when an LC calls for a copy of a transport document, the UCP 600 articles on originals (19–25) don’t apply. A copy is examined only to the extent the credit requires, otherwise under 14(f).

So:

• The copy BL is acceptable, examined only to the extent the LC requires.
• The courier receipt, being an original, must comply with article 25. Its shipment date (if indicated) is decisive when checking for late presentation.

If the two sets of documents are treated as separate presentations, you may reject the set that contains a discrepancy.

4/ Two agents on the BL

If a bill of lading shows one agent (ABC Ltd) as agent for the carrier and an on-board notation signed by another agent (XYZ Ltd) also for the carrier, that’s fine.

This view is based on ISBP 821 para. E24, which deals with a similar situation where a correction on a BL may be authenticated by any named agent of the carrier — even if it is not the same agent that issued or signed the BL. The principle is the same: more than one agent may validly act on behalf of the carrier.

Best regards,

Mr. Old Man