How to Write an FCA Clause in Your Sales Contract (Template Included)

FCA puts delivery at a named place the buyer selects, but the three letters alone do not settle the deal. They do not say whether delivery happens at the seller's premises or somewhere else, which point inside that place counts, or who unloads the goods on arrival there. It is drafting guidance, not legal advice.

What the document is for

The FCA clause is not a standalone form. It is the delivery section inside a sales contract. Under FCA, the seller delivers the goods to the carrier or other person nominated by the buyer at the agreed place and point, and risk of loss or damage passes to the buyer at that place and point.¹ The clause turns that rule into an address, a point inside that address, a delivery form, and a split of clearance duties. FCA suits any mode of transport, including multimodal shipments.² The named place identifies where risk transfers to the buyer and from when costs are for the buyer's account.³

Required fields explained

Work through each field in order.

The named place, and the point inside it

Write the full address, then the point inside it where delivery occurs, such as a named depot, bay, or cargo area. "FCA Bangladesh" names a country, not a place of delivery, and a city name alone leaves a carrier choosing between several gates and terminals.

Which of the two delivery forms applies

State which form governs the deal. If the named place is the seller's premises, the seller fulfils the delivery obligation by loading the goods onto the buyer's collecting vehicle.¹ If it is elsewhere, such as an airport cargo terminal, the seller delivers the goods to the carrier or the buyer's designated person, ready to be unloaded from the vehicle used to reach that location.¹

The Incoterms version

Write "Incoterms 2020" in full, in the same sentence as the rule and the named place: "FCA (named place) Incoterms 2020". A clause that says only "FCA" invites a dispute about which edition applies.

The carrier or other nominated person

Name the carrier or other person nominated by the buyer, or state how and by when nomination will be given. An unnamed carrier leaves the seller with goods ready and no one authorised to receive them.

Delivery and risk wording

State the delivery event and the risk transfer in one sentence each, using the form that matches the named place. For a premises delivery, delivery occurs when the goods are loaded on the buyer's collecting vehicle. For another named place, delivery occurs when the goods reach that place, ready for unloading and at the disposal of the carrier or the buyer's nominated person.³ That place identifies where risk transfers and from when costs are for the buyer's account.³ Do not add a second risk point.

Export clearance, import clearance, and onward carriage

State each duty expressly. In either form, the seller is responsible for completing the export formalities, and the buyer is responsible for arranging transport and import formalities.¹

Delivery window, notice, and goods identification

Add the date the goods will be ready, or a short window, and how the seller will notify the buyer. Tie the notice to a named contact and method. Name the goods, quantity, and marks, and cross-refer to the order number or packing list.

The optional on-board bill of lading agreement

Incoterms 2020 allows for a bill of lading to be issued after loading under FCA.³ That is an arrangement the parties must agree expressly, not a default. If the seller needs that document, add a row recording the agreement; otherwise leave the row out.

Template (table or downloadable)

Copy the table below into the contract and fill in every row. Replace bracketed text; do not leave it in the signed contract. Choose only one delivery form row, and delete the other once the choice is made.

If either side must still ask who loads, who unloads, or who clears the goods for export, the clause is not finished.

Filled example

The example below is illustrative only. Adapt every entry to your own contract, and take advice on the governing law.

Example clause. Delivery is FCA the buyer's nominated carrier depot in the cargo area of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Incoterms 2020. The seller will transport 6,000 woven cotton shirts, order number EX-1187, on the seller's vehicle to that depot, export cleared, and deliver them there ready for unloading and at the disposal of the buyer's carrier, on or between 18 and 20 November. The seller will notify the buyer by email two working days before the goods are ready. Delivery occurs, and risk passes to the buyer, when the goods reach the depot ready for unloading and at the disposal of the carrier. Unloading, onward carriage, and import clearance are for the buyer's account.

The example uses the other-place form. The seller does not unload the goods at the depot, and does not arrange the onward journey. For a premises deal, the seller would load the goods on the buyer's collecting vehicle instead.

Common errors

Naming a city instead of a place and point. A city contains many depots and gates. Write the address and the point inside it.

Leaving the delivery form unchosen. Without a chosen form, FCA does not say who loads and who unloads. At the seller's premises the seller loads, while at another named place the goods arrive ready for unloading.¹ Pick one form.

Expecting the seller to unload at another named place. At another named place, the seller delivers the goods ready to be unloaded.¹ Unloading there falls to the carrier.

Expecting the buyer to load at the seller's premises. Under the premises form, the seller loads the buyer's collecting vehicle.¹ Assigning loading to the buyer contradicts the form named.

Borrowing a vessel-loading risk point from a sea-only rule. FCA suits any mode, including multimodal shipments, while FOB applies only to maritime or inland waterway transport.² Do not add a vessel-loading risk sentence.

Assuming the seller arranges onward carriage or import clearance. Under FCA the buyer arranges transport and handles import formalities.¹ Expecting the seller to book the main journey or clear imports needs a different rule, or an express change.

Copying the example without adapting it. A row left with the example depot, order number, or dates intact points at the wrong place. Replace every example entry before signing.

FAQs

Who issues this document?

No single authority issues an FCA clause. The buyer and seller agree it together as part of their sales contract, and it takes effect when that contract is signed. The Incoterms 2020 rules supply the meaning of FCA; the place, form, carrier, and dates are the parties' own drafting.

Which fields are mandatory?

The named place and point, the Incoterms version, the chosen delivery form, the carrier, the delivery and risk wording, and the clearance split are the minimum. The delivery window, notice method, and goods identification are also needed in practice.

Can it be digital?

A clause can sit inside a contract in electronic form, provided the contract as a whole meets the form, signature, and record requirements of its governing law and both sides agree to that form. Incoterms 2020 does not itself impose a paper form, so the governing-law check decides whether the electronic form holds.

What errors cause delays?

Vague places and points, an unchosen delivery form, an unnamed carrier, and a missing Incoterms version cause most delays. Each leaves a practical question unanswered on the delivery day: where to go, which form applies, who loads or unloads, and which edition governs.

Next steps on Exportain

Compare the FCA wording with the neighbouring clause in How to Write an EXW Clause in Your Sales Contract, how FCA sits beside the other rules in Incoterms for Shipments From Bangladesh, and the sea-only rule in the CIF rule. When ready to source, browse suppliers or post an RFQ.