Documents Required for DAP Shipments: Complete Checklist

A DAP shipment fails on paper more often than on the road. The goods can arrive at the named place on time and still sit there, because the import papers are not ready, the transport document names the wrong consignee, or one figure reads differently on the packing list from the invoice. This checklist splits every document by the side that must prepare it.

It is written for buyers importing from Bangladesh in the USA, the UK, the EU and the UAE.

Why this checklist matters

Under DAP, the seller delivers the goods at a named place of destination, placed at the buyer's disposal on the arriving means of transport, ready for unloading, and risk passes to the buyer at that arrival moment, before unloading.¹ DAP works for any mode of transport, including combinations of modes.¹ The buyer then unloads the goods, carries out import clearance and pays duty and taxes.¹ The set is therefore two-sided: the seller's papers prove the export and carriage, and the buyer's papers release the goods.

Two DAP features shape the set. DAP requires no insurance from either side, so there is no insurance document in the standard set, and any cover must be agreed separately.¹ Only CIF and CIP oblige the seller to buy insurance for the buyer, at different levels of cover.² And the seller does not unload: the former DAT rule was renamed DPU in Incoterms 2020 to mark that single difference, that under DAP the seller does not unload while under DPU the seller does.²

The named place is the boundary for every document. It must be stated explicitly, with the full address and the dock or gate, since a city name alone leaves the delivery point open.³ Where only a city is given, the seller may select the point that best suits its purpose, usually the cheapest option, such as a cargo terminal.⁴ Read the Incoterms guide for how DAP sits beside the other ten rules.

Before you start

Agree the set in writing before booking: the term in full, as "DAP [named place], Incoterms 2020", with the place and the exact delivery point named separately where they differ; the mode or modes, since each mode needs a different transport document;¹ the payment method; the document list; and the number of originals and copies required. State whether any insurance is agreed, who buys it, and for which leg.¹

Build every document from one set of data, starting with the invoice, and copy its details into each later document. Name one checker on each side. Confirm the buyer's import readiness before the goods move: broker appointed, licences checked, classification and duty estimate in hand. A buyer that cannot import-clear promptly may bear the risk while the goods sit in customs control, and the seller cannot deliver as contracted.⁴

The full checklist (numbered, printable)

Print this section and tick each line only when the document has been checked against the invoice. The diagram below shows the same split at a glance.

Part A: documents the seller prepares

The seller carries out export clearance and any transit formalities, and must assist the buyer, at the buyer's cost, in obtaining documents needed for import formalities.¹

1. Commercial invoice. The seller issues and signs it, showing seller and buyer, a detailed goods description, quantity, unit and total price, the DAP term with the named place, the currency, and the invoice number and date.⁵ The seller must also provide any other evidence of conformity the contract specifies, such as an analysis certificate.⁴ Check description, quantity and value against the contract.

2. Packing list. The seller issues it, showing the quantity of each item, the weight and dimensions of each package, the packaging details and the marks and numbers on the packages.⁵ Every figure must reconcile with the invoice and the package count on the transport document. Where wooden packing is used, check whether a fumigation certificate is required, confirming treatment to the ISPM 15 phytosanitary standard.⁵

3. Transport document and shipping instructions. The carrier issues the transport document on the seller's instructions: a bill of lading for sea, an air waybill for air, a CMR note for road, the rail equivalent for rail, or a multimodal document for two or more modes.⁵ A bill of lading serves as receipt, contract of carriage and document of title, while an air waybill is non-negotiable and cannot transfer ownership.⁵ Give the carrier a shipper's letter of instruction with the routing, handling and documentation requirements.⁵ Do not name the buyer as consignee: the seller should be consignee, since it is the seller who must arrange for its forwarder to take possession of the goods and arrange onward transport.⁴

4. Delivery notice and proof of delivery. The seller must give the buyer any notice the buyer needs to receive the goods, and must provide, at its own cost, any document the buyer needs to take possession of them.⁴ That may be a signed receipt, and where the buyer must import-clear first, a copy of the transport document may be needed as evidence of the export and shipment date.⁴ Agree the arrival-notice method before shipment, and keep the handover receipt with the notice.

5. Certificate of origin. The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) or a chamber of commerce and industry issues it for export goods from Bangladesh.⁶ It verifies where the goods were manufactured or processed, and matters for preferential tariff rates and destination import requirements.⁵ Confirm which form the destination authority, a preference arrangement or the payment terms require, and obtain it before shipment. Check that exporter, consignee, goods and Bangladesh as country of origin match the invoice.

6. Bill of Export, EXP form and export enclosures. Goods must not be loaded or stuffed in containers for export unless a Bill of Export, also called a shipping bill, has been submitted to Customs and approved, stating the goods, value, exporter, foreign buyer and transport operator.⁶ Its enclosures are the export letter of credit or, where there is none, the export contract, purchase order or export guarantee approved by the negotiating bank; the signed invoice; the packing list; the EXP form certified by an Authorized Dealer bank; the certificate of origin; the VAT registration certificate; and the Taxpayer Identification Number.⁶ Check the set before the goods go to the carrier.

7. Conditional documents: permits, inspection and insurance. Prepare these only where the product, contract or an agreed insurance arrangement requires them. For jute, jute goods and tea, an Export Registration Certificate is among the additional documents listed, and tea also requires a consignment-wise export permit from the Bangladesh Tea Board; phytosanitary and quality control certificates apply to the products the destination requires them for.⁶ An inspection certificate comes from an independent inspector only where the contract requires one. No insurance document is owed under DAP: if cover was agreed, obtain the policy or certificate as its own document and check the insured party, goods, voyage, sum, currency and claim route.

Part B: documents the buyer prepares

The buyer carries out and pays for all import formalities, including licences, permits, security clearance and pre-shipment inspection where the destination requires them.⁴

8. Import declaration and import licences. The buyer completes the import declaration at destination from the seller's documents, and obtains any import licence or permit the destination requires.⁴ Confirm the destination requirements before shipment, since the USA, the UK, the EU and the UAE do not ask for identical papers. Where a broker or forwarder will act for the buyer, give written authority in good time: in the USA a power of attorney may be required for a third party to act on customs clearance.⁵ Check that the notify party on the transport document can act on the carrier arrival notice.

9. Duty and tax payment evidence. The buyer pays the duties, taxes and other import clearance costs, and the unloading costs unless the seller paid them under the contract of carriage.⁴ Keep the payment evidence in the shipment file with the declaration. If the buyer fails to obtain a necessary import permit, it bears the risk of loss or damage from the agreed delivery date or period.⁴

10. Unloading plan and onward transport documents. The buyer unloads at the named place at its own risk and cost, unless the transport contract includes unloading costs for the seller, in which case the buyer still bears only the risks during unloading.¹ Book the dock, labour and equipment for the arrival window before the vehicle arrives, and confirm whether the carriage contract includes the unloading charge, so it is not paid twice. Where the named place is not the final destination, arrange the onward carriage documents for the remaining leg.

11. Consistency pass over the whole set. One checker on each side reads the finished set against the invoice: names, description, quantities, weights, marks, places, values and currency identical on the invoice, packing list, transport document, certificate of origin and Bill of Export. Fix any difference at the source document, reissue every document that copied the error, and recheck the set.⁵

Common failures and how to fix them

Wrong consignee. The buyer is named as consignee on the bill of lading or air waybill, and the seller's forwarder cannot take possession of the goods for the onward leg. Fix: name the seller as consignee and the buyer or broker as notify party, before shipment.⁴

Import clearance not ready. The goods wait in customs control, the buyer bears the risk, the seller cannot deliver, and storage costs follow. Fix: broker, licences and duty estimate settled before booking, and documents sent to the broker in transit.⁴

Vague named place. A city name alone leaves the delivery point open. Fix: full address, dock or gate and access details in the contract and on every document, and check the invoice, packing list and transport document against that place before handover.³

Insurance or unloading assumed included. Neither is owed under DAP. Fix: agree cover, leg and unloading labour in writing before shipment, and check the carriage contract for any unloading charge already included.¹

Data differs across the set. Fix at the source document, reissue every copy, and repeat item 11. Ask for the certificate of origin and Bill of Export copies before loading, since export approval must precede loading.⁶

Summary table: who prepares, who checks, when

Copy this table into the shipment file. There is no separate file to download: this table is the template. Add the contract number, the named place in full, the checker names and the check date for each line.

Compare this split with the sea-only CIF guide, the DAP price guide and the DAP risk guide. Work the buyer-side costs into the landed cost guide with your broker's figures.

When should this checklist be used?

Use it at three points: when the contract is agreed, when the goods are booked, and in a final pass before handover to the carrier. Run a fourth pass on arrival at the named place, checking the delivery notice, unloading plan and import file together, since arrival is when risk passes.

Who should complete it?

The seller prepares Part A, the buyer checks the set and completes Part B, and each side names one checker. A forwarder can prepare and check the carrier and clearance documents, a broker can complete the import declaration and duty payment, and an inspector can issue the inspection certificate where one is required. Each third party needs the contract, booking details and written authority. Responsibility stays with the seller for its documents, and with the buyer for import clearance.

What are the most common failures?

The buyer named as consignee; import clearance not ready on arrival; a named place given only as a city; insurance or unloading assumed included; and data that differs across the set. Each is fixed by correcting the source document and rechecking the set before handover.

Can a third party do it?

Yes. A forwarder can prepare and check the carrier and export clearance documents, a broker can prepare the import declaration and arrange duty payment, and an insurer or broker can arrange any agreed cover. Its work must still be checked by the named checker on the responsible side. A third party completing a document does not move the responsibility for it from the seller or the buyer.

Next steps on Exportain

Agree the document list at the enquiry stage, so every quotation is priced on the same DAP term, named place and document set, and ask each supplier to confirm who prepares each paper in Part A. Exportain is a B2B marketplace where buyers find Bangladeshi suppliers and post requests for quotation. It is not a party to the contract for the goods, and it does not inspect goods, book freight or clear customs. Read how to buy for the buying steps, then post a free RFQ on Exportain with the named place, mode and document list in the requirement.