DPU і DAT

DPU – delivery “to place with unloading”

Delivered at Place Unloaded – delivery terms under which the sender assumes maximum responsibility for the transportation and unloading of goods at a specific destination. This can be not only a terminal at a port or airport, but also any address specified in the contract: the buyer's warehouse, logistics hub, client's site or another point agreed upon by both parties.

When using DPU, the seller is responsible for a number of important logistical tasks:

1. organization and payment for cargo transportation from the place of departure to the agreed destination;
2. preparation of packaging, packaging and labeling, folding of all export documentation;
3. passing export customs clearance;
4. delivery of goods and their unloading at the destination;
5. covering all costs associated with transportation until the cargo is handed over to the buyer.

Important point: the sender bears all risks until actual unloading at the destination, after which responsibility for the cargo passes to the buyer.

After the cargo is delivered and unloaded, the buyer's responsibilities are as follows:

1. the recipient accepts the shipment;
2. independently organizes import customs clearance;
3. pays duties, taxes and all local fees related to imports;
4. takes care of the further transportation, storage and distribution of goods within its country.

DAT – “delivery to terminal”

The term DAT (Delivered at Terminal) was relevant and used in the Incoterms 2010 rules and meant that the seller transports the cargo to a specific terminal (for example, to a port, railway station or airport), unloads it there, after which the obligations and risks passed to the buyer.

In Incoterms 2020, the term DAT has been officially replaced by Delivered at Place Unloaded, but the essence remains the same: the seller is responsible for delivery and unloading, and the buyer is responsible for import clearance and further movement of the goods. The main difference DPU і DAT is that more modern conditions allow you to specify any address, not just a terminal.

How do these conditions differ from other types of Incoterms?

To understand why DPU is advantageous compared to other delivery terms, it is enough to compare several of their main types:

• DAP (Delivered at Place) – the seller delivers the goods to the destination, but the buyer unloads them;
• DPU (Delivered at Place Unloaded) – the sender not only delivers the cargo, but also unloads it himself at the agreed location;
• DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) – in addition to delivery and unloading, the seller also takes on import customs formalities, as well as payment of all taxes (maximum responsibility).

In general, such cargo transportation conditions are especially relevant if:

• Risk control is important to both parties;
• transportation costs and responsibilities need to be clearly allocated;
• a convenient logistics scheme “from door to unloading point” is needed;
• The parties operate in markets where efficiency and transparency of order fulfillment are important.

Advantages for international freight transportation

Delivered at Place Unloaded – modern universal Incoterms rules that replaced DAT and became one of the most understandable and practical delivery terms for international contracts, establishing a clear line of responsibility: the seller is responsible for transporting the goods to the specified place and unloading them, and the buyer is responsible for further obligations related to the import and subsequent movement of the cargo.

The use of DPU in freight contracts has a number of practical advantages:

• high transparency of responsibilities: each party knows which stages they are responsible for;
• minimum logistical risks for the buyer: unloading of the goods and delivery to the agreed location is carried out by the seller;
• flexibility: can be used for all types of transport - air, road, rail, sea container transportation, etc.;
• suitable for complex international routes where it is important to allocate responsibilities and costs in advance.