DAP delivery at the agreed destination place

Definition

DAP (Delivered at Place) is the any-mode Incoterms® 2020 rule where the seller delivers when goods are placed at the buyer’s disposal on the arriving means of transport, ready for unloading, at the named place of destination. The buyer unloads and imports.

DAP Laredo or DAP US plant only works if the place is precise — “DAP border” is a dispute waiting to happen.

What DAP is

Risk and carriage costs to the destination place sit with the seller.

Key difference vs DPU: under DAP the seller does not unload; under DPU they do.

Why it matters (shipper / 3PL / carrier)

1.Shipper

As seller, you offer door-to-door without taking IOR/duties; as buyer, you control import and unloading at plant/DC.

2.3PL

Runs freight to the named place and aligns POD; entry filing stays with the buyer or their broker.

3.Carrier

Needs exact address, appointment, and free-time rules; detention lives in the freight contract, not the Incoterm alone.

Mexico–US use

1.Door-to-door

Seller manages freight to plant/DC.

2.Import

Buyer (or their broker) is importer of record.

3.Accessorials

Detention/unload: freight contract, not Incoterm alone.

Checklist

  1. Place

    Exact address.

  2. Unload

    Buyer.

  3. Duties

    Buyer.

  4. POD

    Closes delivery.

Common Mexico–US mistakes

1.“DAP border” with no address

Laredo/Nuevo Laredo/bridge is not a delivery place; name plant, yard, or DC.

2.Confused with DDP

Import duties and VAT are not on DAP; if sales promised “all-in duties”, that was DDP.

3.Seller unloading

That pushes toward DPU (or a contract rider); DAP leaves goods ready for unloading.

4.Weak POD

Without signature/timestamp at destination, detention and “never arrived” claims do not close in AP.

OCL and the file

OCL does not choose the Incoterm. It can stamp invoices and Carta Porte. Under DAP, bind place, POD, and destination charges to the trip ID before pay.

Sources and further reading

  1. Pillar: Incoterms® 2020.
  2. Siblings: DDP · FCA · POD.
  3. ICC — Incoterms® 2020 (official publication; registered trademark). OCL educational paraphrase.
Key takeaways5 points
  1. DAP = Delivered at Place: seller bears risk and cost to the named destination, ready for unloading.
  2. Buyer unloads and handles import clearance / duties.
  3. Any-mode: ideal on Mexico–US door-to-door without “duty paid”.
  4. If the seller must also pay duties/VAT, see DDP.
  5. ICC trademark — educational paraphrase.

Is vague DAP costing you detention?

We bind place, POD, and destination charges to the file.
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