Letter of Credit Pre-Shipment Review: A Practical Exporter Workflow
A practical workflow for exporters to review the Letter of Credit and plan documents before goods ship.
Reviewed by LCCheck team (owner-approved) · 2026-10-12
Short answer
A pre-shipment review turns the Letter of Credit into a working plan before goods leave: confirm all amendments, build a document checklist from fields 46A and 47A, brief the forwarder, carrier and insurer on exact wording, and set the three key dates — latest shipment, presentation deadline and expiry.
| Timing | Before booking and before documents are issued |
|---|---|
| Output | Document checklist + date plan |
| Who to brief | Forwarder, carrier, insurer, inspection, chamber of commerce |
Workflow
- Gather the credit and every accepted amendment.
- Build a checklist from 46A, noting originals and copies.
- Map each 47A condition to the document that proves it.
- Send exact wording to each document issuer.
- Calculate the presentation deadline from the planned shipment date.
- Agree who checks the documents and when.
Common gaps
- Forwarder not told about 47A wording on the bill of lading.
- Insurance cover based on the wrong value.
- No buffer for courier time to the bank.
Sources
- ICC — UCP 600 (Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits)
- ICC Academy — avoiding Letter of Credit discrepancies
General guidance, not legal advice. Your bank examines documents independently.
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