FCA — Free Carrier (Incoterms 2020)
FCA — Free Carrier (Incoterms® 2020). Risk transfers when the seller delivers the goods, cleared for export, to the carrier (or another person nominated by the buyer) at the named place.. Freight NOT included. Insurance NOT included.Generate compliant FCA documents in 60 seconds. Free up to 3/month.
infoFCA at a Glance
Responsibilities
- Risk Transfer
- When the seller delivers the goods, cleared for export, to the carrier (or another person nominated by the buyer) at the named place.
- Cost Responsibility
- Seller bears costs up to delivery to carrier (including export clearance). Buyer bears all transport costs from that point onward.
- Transport Mode
- Any mode (road, rail, air, sea)
- Freight Included
- No — buyer arranges main carriage
- Insurance Included
- No — buyer arranges if desired
- Category
- Main Carriage Unpaid (F)
When to Use FCA
- For air freight and containerized sea freight
- When the seller can handle export customs clearance
- For multimodal transport (road + sea, rail + air, etc.)
When NOT to Use FCA
- When the buyer insists on controlling export clearance (use EXW)
- For bulk commodities loaded on vessel at port (use FOB or FAS)
articleFCA Explained — Practical Guide
What FCA Means in Plain Language
FCA (Free Carrier (Incoterms® 2020)) is an Incoterms® 2020 term in Category F — main carriage unpaid. Under FCA, the seller when the seller delivers the goods, cleared for export, to the carrier (or another person nominated by the buyer) at the named place.and does NOT pay for main carriage.
Step-by-Step: Who Does What
- Seller: Makes goods available at the named place.
- Export clearance: Seller arranges & pays for export clearance.
- Main carriage: Buyer contracts & pays carrier from named place.
- Risk transfers: When the seller delivers the goods, cleared for export, to the carrier (or another person nominated by the buyer) at the named place.. After this point, loss/damage is buyer's risk.
- Insurance: Buyer arranges own insurance if desired.
- Import clearance: Buyer arranges & pays for import clearance, duties, taxes at destination.
- Final delivery: Buyer unloads at destination.
Common FCA Mistakes to Avoid
- Using FCA for sea shipments — mode mismatch invalidates the term.
- Not naming the precise place/port — "FCA China" is invalid; use "FCA Shanghai" or "FCA Guangzhou".
- Assuming insurance is included when it's not — only CIP and CIF include seller-procured insurance.
- Confusing risk transfer with cost transfer — they happen at different points in C-terms.
- Missing "Incoterms® 2020" in contract — without edition, old 2010 rules may apply.
local_shippingCarrier Implementation Notes for FCA
local_shippingFedEx
- • Terms of Sale field: FCA + named place
- • Freight collect — buyer provides carrier account
- • Insurance: buyer's responsibility
- • Air waybill (12-digit FedEx / 1Z UPS / 10-digit DHL)
inventory_2UPS
- • Terms of Sale field: FCA + named place
- • Freight collect — buyer provides carrier account
- • Insurance: buyer's responsibility
- • Air waybill (12-digit FedEx / 1Z UPS / 10-digit DHL)
deployed_codeDHL
- • Terms of Sale field: FCA + named place
- • Freight collect — buyer provides carrier account
- • Insurance: buyer's responsibility
- • Air waybill (12-digit FedEx / 1Z UPS / 10-digit DHL)
downloadFree: Incoterms® 2020 Cheat Sheet (PDF)
One-page reference: all 11 terms, risk transfer points, cost matrix, when to use each. Perfect for your desk or forwarding team.
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