Companies Support
Handling letters of credit
A letter of credit – sometime known as ‘documentary credit’ – is basically a guarantee from a bank that a particular seller will receive a payment due from a particular buyer. The bank guarantees that the seller will receive a specified amount of money within a specified time. In return for guaranteeing the payment, the bank will require that strict terms are met. It will want to receive certain documents – for example shipping confirmation – as proof.
Letters of credit are most commonly used when a buyer in one country purchases goods from a seller in another country. The seller may ask the buyer to provide a letter of credit to guarantee payment for the goods.
The main advantage of using a letter of credit is that it can give security to both the seller and the buyer.
CChecking and submission of import / export documents as part of letters of credits or other payments arrangements.
There are many documents involved in international trade, such as commercial documents, financial documents, transport documents, insurance documents and other international traderelated documents. In processing the export consignment, documentation may be executed in up to four contracts: the export sales contract, the contract of carriage, the contract of finance and the contract of cargo insurance. It is therefore important to understand the role of each document and their requirements in the international trade.
The importance of correct paperwork cannot be overstated when it comes to import and export transactions.
The documents required to successfully complete an import and export transaction vary from country to country, but broadly they will cover the following: purchase order, letter of credit, shipment documents, certificates of origin, quality or inspection certificates, packing list, invoice and other specific requirements that change from country to country.
