The FIATA Forwarders Certificate of Receipt is the international proof of forwarders' liability.
The General Terms and Conditions of Forwarders of the country concerned are printed on the reverse side of a FIATA FCR: consequently, in Belgium, only those forwarders are authorised to deliver these documents, as those who undertake to apply FORWARD Belgium's General Terms and Conditions in their commercial transactions.
A FIATA FCR may be handed over to the principal by the forwarder as soon as he has taken possession of the goods.
By issuing a FIATA FCR, the commission agent confirms and acknowledges that he has taken charge of a specific consignment, in good external condition, and that he has received the irrevocable order to forward it to a consignee named in the document or to keep it at his disposal.
This order can only be destroyed when the original FIATA FCR is returned to the commission agent who issued it, and provided that the commission agent is still in a position to comply with the request for destruction or amendment of the original order at this time.
The FIATA FCR ascertains and certifies that the delivery of the goods has been made to a commission agent who guarantees the addressee’s right of disposal of the goods.
It is not a transport document, but an certificate of assumption of responsibility for the goods and an undertaking to send them to the consignee or to keep them at his disposal.
It mentions the name of the person who will be able to dispose of the goods.
It is therefore not tradable and cannot be transferred to third parties.
But it can be the subject of a payment modality.
The buyer may have the goods delivered to a forwarding agent designated by him.
The FIATA FCR can only be deferred within Belgium by effective members of FORWARD Belgium.
Upon receipt of the goods, the seller will receive a FIATA FCR. The buyer will only pay the seller upon presentation of this document.
The seller, who has handed over the goods to a forwarding agent, may request a FIATA FCR and stipulate that the goods may not be delivered to the buyer except upon presentation of this document, which the buyer will only receive in return for payment.
It is only in the latter case that the delivery of the goods to the consignee shall be subject to the presentation of this document.
It can therefore usefully be prescribed in a sales contract or a documentary credit.
A FIATA FCR may also contain indications of costs and freight or special instructions.
It shall be drawn up in a single original. If additional copies are required, they shall be issued on special forms, to which the words 'copy not negotiable' shall be overprinted.
Upon issuing a FIATA FCR, the forwarder must ensure:
Due to its international uniformity, the control of the professional associations and the declaration of indictment and irrevocable access, which it guarantees, this document offers all the necessary trade guarantees.
With a FIATA FCR, forwarders provide their customers with a document that greatly facilitates the prompt handling of cash.
Before making their first purchase, FIATA FCR users (reserved for members of FORWARD Belgium) must complete a user's memo and send it to the FORWARD Belgium secretariat.
After receipt of the user memo, FIATA FCRs - which are numbered sequentially - can be picked up or ordered at the FORWARD Belgium secretariat, Brouwersvliet 33 - 2000 Antwerp.
Forwarders who issue FCR documents are required to register them under their respective numbers in a special FCR register, which makes it possible to check for which consignments the FCR documents were drawn up and to whom they were transferred.
You can order the FIATA FCRs from the FORWARD Belgium secretariat via the online order form.
For additional information about the FIATA FCR, please contact the FORWARD Belgium secretariat.
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EXAMPLE FIATA FCR