Issuance Dates of Documents under UCP 600: What Does Sub-article 14(i) Really Mean?

In documentary credit practice, timing can make or break a presentation. One of the less talked-about rules in UCP 600 is sub-article 14(i), which deals with the issuance date of documents. Can a document be dated before the LC was even issued? And what happens if a document shows a date later than the day it was presented to the bank? Let’s unpack this with a couple of practical examples.

QUESTION

Dear Mr. Old Man,

Can you clarify sub-article 14(i) UCP 600 with regard to the issuance date of documents?

Thank you.

JB

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ANSWER

Hi JB,

Thank you for your question.

Sub-article 14(i) UCP 600 provides that:

“A document may be dated prior to the issuance date of the credit, but must not be dated later than its date of presentation.”

In practice, this means two things:

1. Documents dated before the LC issuance date are acceptable

Example 1:

• LC issuance date: 10 September 2025
• Bill of lading issuance date: 5 September 2025 (i.e., five days before the LC issuance date)

This is acceptable under sub-article 14(i).

2. Documents dated after the date of presentation are not acceptable

Example 2:

• LC states:
• Field 31D (Date and Place of Expiry): 10 September 2025
• Field 41a (Available with… by…): Bank N by negotiation
• Beneficiary presents documents to Bank N on 5 September 2025 (i.e., before expiry and within the presentation period).
• The bill of lading shows an issuance date of 9 September 2025 (i.e., four days after the date of presentation).

This is not acceptable under sub-article 14(i), because no document can be dated later than its presentation date.

• In theory: If Bank N is the confirming bank, it must refuse the documents due to this discrepancy.
• In reality: If Bank N is not the confirming bank but has a close relationship with the beneficiary, it may forward the documents by certifying compliance and dating the covering schedule later than the bill of lading date. The issuing bank, seeing documents presented within the allowed period, would not detect the discrepancy.

Of course, this practice is not correct under UCP 600, but it does happen in real-world operations.

Summary

• Sub-article 14(i) allows documents to be dated before the LC issuance date.
• It prohibits documents from being dated after their presentation date.
• While banks should strictly follow this rule, in reality, “workarounds” sometimes occur to accommodate close customers.

Best regards,

Mr. Old Man