HOW TO DETERMINE THE PRESENTATION PERIOD WHEN COPIES OF TRANSPORT DOCUMENTS ARE PRESENTED

QUESTION

Dear Mr. Old Man,

You are so grateful when sharing your precious knowledge. Please kindly help us to clarify the presentation period of copies of transport documents.

ISBP 745 notes that copies of transport not subject to 21 calendar days or any presentation period stated in the LC, unless the credit explicitly states the basis for determining such presentation period.

Please help us to understand more what ‘unless the credit explicitly states the basis for determining such presentation period’ means? which situation is mentioned here?

Thanks for your great advice as always

T.T

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ANSWER

Hi,

Thank you for your compliment!

Copies of transport documents are copies, which are not original and cannot be considered transport documents. Copies of transport documents covered by UCP 600 articles 19-25  are not subject to the default presentation period of 21 calendar days stated in UCP 600 sub-article 14(c) or any presentation period stated in the LC, unless the LC explicitly states the basis for determining such presentation period…

So, if the LC requires the presentation of a copy of a transport document and the intention is that the documents be presented within a specific period after a date which appears within that transport document, it may states in Field 48 as follows:

DOCUMENTS MUST BE PRESENTED WITHIN XX DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SHIPMENT AS EVIDENCED ON THE COPY OF THE [NAME OF TRANSPORT DOCUMENT].

I hope the above example makes the provision in ISBP 745 clear.

Kind regards,

Mr. Old Man