DDU incoterms: Meaning, terms and conditions

What does DDU mean?

Incoterms are published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), which revises and updates them every ten years. In 2010, four incoterms were removed from the list: DAF (Delivered At Frontier), DES (Delivered Ex Ship), DEQ (Delivered Ex Quay), and DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid). All of them were replaced by DAP (Delivered At Place) incoterm.

Although DDU incoterms are not official anymore since the ICC revised the incoterms in 2010, some businesses are still using them.

DDU stands for Delivered Duty Unpaid, and this incoterm specifies that the seller is responsible for managing the goods from the origin point to the delivery at a designated place in the destination country. He also pays for all transportation charges and assumes all the risks during transport. On the other hand, the buyer has to unload the goods and pay for import charges.

Like DAP incoterm, DDU is used for its simplicity and convenience, especially for the buyer who has few responsibilities. The seller is the one handling most of the shipping process, which offers cost transparency to the buyer who can budget effectively.

What are the buyers and the sellers responsibilities with DDU?

Let’s take a closer look at the responsibilities of both parties.

Seller’s obligations under DDU:

• Complete the packaging and labeling of items;
• Load goods onto a local carrier (truck, van, etc.) and pay the fees associated with this process;
• Transport and deliver goods to the shipping terminal;
• Handle the export clearance, which includes export duties, taxes, and customs clearance;
• Remove goods from the local carrier and load them onto the cargo transport, then pay the Origin Terminal Handling Charges (OTHC);
• Pay freight charges related to the import activity;
• Transfer the items to local transportation once they arrive at the destination port/airport and pay the Destination Terminal Handling Charges (DTHC);
• Deliver the goods to the final destination.

Buyer’s obligations under DDU:

• Unload the goods at the final destination;
• Handle the import clearance, which includes import duties, taxes, and customs clearance.

The risk of loss and damages to goods is transferred to the buyer as soon as the goods are delivered to the country of destination, alongside the ship.

When to use DDU Agreement?

Some businesses still use DDU incoterm because they are simply used to it. It could be because it was used in a long trade relationship, and since the conditions haven’t changed, neither did the incoterm. The situations in which you can use this agreement are similar to DAP incoterm ones. As a seller, you can use DDU incoterm when you want to have total control over most of the process.

To use DDU Agreement, traders should specify DDU incoterms 2000 to avoid misunderstandings between both parties.