DAP, Delivered at Place, is the Incoterm where the seller bears cost and risk of bringing goods to the named destination place, ready for unloading, while the buyer unloads and handles import clearance, duties, and taxes. It works for any transport mode.
DAP buys the buyer a delivered price without customs entanglement on the seller side: the seller runs the chain to the named place, the buyer steps in for import formalities and unloading. If the seller is to clear imports too, the term is DDP.
The named place deserves precision: “DAP Chicago” and “DAP buyer’s warehouse, Chicago” allocate the inland leg differently. Import-clearance delays are a shared hazard: the goods sit at the buyer’s risk gate while its clearance runs, and demurrage allocation should be spelled out.
A DAP seller carries risk deep into the destination country, so it needs visibility to the final leg: vessel, discharge, holds, and inland movement all sit in its column until the named place. TrackingMCP’s end-to-end timeline in tracking serves the seller’s exposure, while the buyer watches the same feed to time brokers and unloading crews.
Incoterms allocate cost and risk between buyer and seller, but the sales contract controls. Confirm the rule, the named place, and the Incoterms edition in writing, and take advice for anything contentious.
DAP, Delivered at Place, is the Incoterm where the seller bears cost and risk of bringing goods to the named destination place, ready for unloading, while the buyer unloads and handles import clearance, duties, and taxes. It works for any transport mode.
Costs to the named place are the seller’s, but delays caused by the buyer’s import clearance shift risk and cost to the buyer under the rule. Contracts should allocate D&D explicitly to avoid the grey zone.
DPU, Delivered at Place Unloaded, adds unloading to the seller’s duties; under DAP the buyer unloads. Otherwise the terms are siblings.
Track to the named place →
Destination context →
More in Incoterms, rates & risk: Incoterms · EXW (Ex Works) · FCA (Free Carrier) · FOB (Free On Board) · CFR (Cost and Freight) · CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) · DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) · Spot rate vs contract rate · Force majeure · General average · Letter of indemnity (LOI) · Browse all 106 terms →