FCA

FCA (Free Carrier) is the Incoterm under which the seller delivers the goods, cleared for export, to a carrier or other party nominated by the buyer at the named place. It is one of the most flexible and commonly used Incoterms because it works for any mode of transport (multimodal) and the delivery point can be set anywhere — the seller's premises, an inland terminal, or a port.

The delivery point matters because it determines who handles loading:

• FCA seller's premises — Seller is responsible for loading the goods onto the buyer's collecting vehicle
• FCA any other named place — Seller delivers when the goods are placed at the disposal of the buyer's carrier, ready for unloading

Under FCA, the seller must:

• Deliver the goods to the named carrier on the agreed date
• Handle export clearance in the country of origin
• Provide proof of delivery (typically the transport document)

Under FCA, the buyer must:

• Arrange and pay for main carriage from the named place
• Arrange cargo insurance (optional, but recommended)
• Handle import clearance and pay duties at destination

Incoterms 2020 addition — FCA now allows the parties to agree that the buyer's carrier will issue an on-board bill of lading to the seller after loading. This was added to address a practical mismatch with documentary letters of credit, which typically require an on-board B/L but are increasingly used with FCA (rather than FOB) because containerized cargo is delivered to terminals, not loaded directly onto vessels by the seller.

FCA is the ICC-preferred replacement for EXW in international transactions because the seller — not the foreign buyer — handles export formalities in the country of origin.