← All rulesCPT
Carriage Paid To
Group C · Main carriage paid · Any mode of transport
The seller contracts and pays for carriage to the named destination and clears the goods for export. Critically, risk passes much earlier — when the goods are handed to the first carrier, not when they arrive.
Where risk transfers
On handover to the first carrier at origin. This is the classic split between cost and risk.
Seller's cost & riskBuyer's cost & risk
Seller pays
- ▪Packaging
- ▪Export clearance
- ▪Main carriage to named destination
Buyer pays
- ▪Insurance
- ▪Unloading (unless in freight contract)
- ▪Import clearance and duties
- ▪Onward delivery
Insurance
No obligation. The buyer holds risk in transit while the seller holds the freight contract.
Customs
Export clearance: Seller
Import clearance: Buyer
Use it when
The seller has better freight rates but does not want to carry transit risk.
Watch out
Buyers routinely assume they are covered until arrival. They are not — an uninsured CPT buyer is exposed for the whole main leg.