What does DAP stand for?

Delivered At Place (DAP) is short for an agreed upon location of delivery. It is term used in international trade which entails that the seller is responsible for all costs and risks until delivery at the final destination. It is important to define that point of delivery as exactly as possible to avoid costly legal disputes.

The unloading and the associated expenses are usually the responsibility of the buyer. There are also delivery contracts where transportation is finished after unloading. This is mostly the case with airfreight because it would be associated with a lot of effort for the buyer, or may even be impossible, to unload the freight himself.

With a Delivered At Place shipment the seller has the sole responsibility until the shipment reaches its destination. He is charged with the packing, documentation, organizing an export licence, paying the loading charge and doing the transportation. At the moment when the wares are arrived at the agreed upon location and are ready for unloading, the buyer takes over the responsibility including the unloading and the customs declaration.

Delivered at Place is part of the Incoterms. The Incoterms (International Commercial Terms) are voluntary agreements to interpret provisions of trade contracts in international trade. They were developed by the International Chamber of Commerce to regulate costs and the transfer of perils.

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