Lesson 6 / 11 · any mode of transport
DPU Delivered at Place Unloaded
The only rule where the seller must also unload the goods at destination. The seller carries the risk until the goods are unloaded at the named place; the buyer still handles any import clearance and pays duties and taxes.
Reviewed by: pending — expert review by TermVisa's editor (retired VP, international transport) in progress · Last updated
Scenario
A 25-tonne press trucked from Chemnitz and unloaded at a plant in Wrocław (road)
DPU Wrocław Incoterms® 2020
- Seller
- Machine builder, Chemnitz, Germany
- Buyer
- Automotive parts plant, Wrocław, Poland
- Transport
- Road — low-loader, Chemnitz → Wrocław (inside the EU)
The seller, a machine builder in Chemnitz, Germany, sells a 25-tonne press to the buyer, an automotive parts plant in Wrocław, Poland, under DPU Wrocław Incoterms® 2020, naming the buyer's plant. Transport is by road on a low-loader. The seller hires a mobile crane to lift the press off the trailer at the plant. Because both countries are in the EU, there is no customs clearance between them.
Illustrative scenario: companies are generic, and real contracts, carriers and countries add their own conditions.
The journey, stage by stage
Top bar: who pays for each stage. Bottom bar: who bears the risk of loss or damage. The red line marks where risk passes.
- Seller
- Buyer
- Depends on contract / carrier or port practice
- Point where risk passes
⚠ Risk passes only once the press has been unloaded at the named place in Wrocław.
- Loading at the seller's premises — Seller: Seller loads the press on the low-loader
- Main carriage — Seller: Low-loader Chemnitz → Wrocław, with abnormal-load permits; no customs inside the EU
- Unloading at the destination — Seller: Mobile crane at the plant: seller
Who does what in this scenario
| Party | What they arrange / do | Who pays (them / what they pay) | Risk they carry | Key documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seller / exporter | Organises the whole move including permits and the crane, and checks beforehand that unloading at the site is physically possible. | Loading, transport, permits, escort, the crane at destination. | Until the press is unloaded at the plant. | Commercial invoice (with the intra-EU VAT details), packing list with weights and lifting points, road consignment note. |
| Buyer / importer | Prepares the site (access, ground load, crane position) and takes over after unloading. | Nothing for transport; site preparation; VAT under the intra-EU rules. | From the moment the press is unloaded at its plant. | Delivery and unloading receipt. |
| Origin freight forwarder | Heavy-haul forwarder hired by the seller: route survey, permits in both countries, escort and crane booking. | Seller. | Its own errors, per its conditions. | Route survey, permits. |
| Destination freight forwarder | Usually the same heavy-haul forwarder handles both ends. | — | — | — |
| Road carrier (trucking company) | Drives the low-loader on the permitted route and times. | Seller. | Liable within legal and contractual limits (often well below a machine's value). | Road consignment note. |
| Cargo insurer | No obligation, but the seller carries the risk through unloading and should insure accordingly — including the crane lift. | Seller for its own interest. | Per policy (check heavy-lift conditions). | Seller's policy. |
| Customs broker (export) | No export declaration between EU member states (single market). Intra-EU VAT and statistical reporting apply instead — ask your tax adviser. | — | — | — |
| Customs broker (import) | No import clearance within the EU. If the same press went to a non-EU country, DPU would leave import clearance to the buyer. | — | — | — |
| Banks (letters of credit) | Payment often in milestones (order, delivery, commissioning), sometimes backed by bank guarantees. | As negotiated. | Credit and performance risk. | Delivery and unloading certificate. |
| Terminals and ports | No terminal on this road move; the plant's access and crane position are the critical points. | — | — | — |
✗ Common mistakes
- Choosing DPU without checking whether the seller can actually unload at the named place.
- Confusing DPU with DDP: under DPU the buyer handles import clearance and duties where they apply.
- Seller's insurance stopping before the crane lift, while the risk continues.
- No coordination of permit time windows with the plant's opening hours.
? What to ask before you sign
- Your freight forwarder (Seller) Have you surveyed the site for crane position, ground bearing and access?
- Your cargo insurer (Seller) Does my cover include the final lift at the buyer's plant?
- The buyer (Seller) Can the site receive a low-loader and a mobile crane on the delivery date?
- Your customs broker (Buyer) If this were a non-EU delivery, who would clear it and what would we owe?
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