Incoterms 2020 and International Trade Courses in India
| Course | Best for | What it covers | Length and format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mastering Incoterms 2020 | Anyone who writes, reads or executes international sales contracts: procurement, logistics, export-import, finance | All eleven rules by group, risk and cost mapping, documentation, customs, cargo insurance, negotiation | 47 guided hours, self-paced |
| Certificate in International Trading | Export and import managers, trade operations executives, people starting an export business | The whole cycle: market entry, export and import process flows, Incoterms 2020, documentation, customs classification and valuation, trade controls and sanctions, payment methods, trade finance, currency and country risk | 45 guided hours, self-paced |
| International Cross-Cultural Procurement | Procurement teams sourcing from overseas suppliers | Global sourcing models, cross-cultural negotiation, structuring international logistics with Incoterms, import and export practice, trade law and sanctions | 46 guided hours, self-paced |
| Fundamentals of Shipping | Beginners in shipping and forwarding | The shipment lifecycle with a module on applying Incoterms 2020 in shipping and forwarding | 49 guided hours, self-paced |
The short answer
If your problem is Incoterms, take Mastering Incoterms 2020: it is the only course here built entirely around the eleven rules and how they interact with documents, customs and insurance. If your problem is running exports and imports end to end, take the Certificate in International Trading, where Incoterms is one unit of fifteen. If you buy from overseas suppliers, International Cross-Cultural Procurement teaches the rules in the context you will use them. If you are entering shipping, Fundamentals of Shipping gives you the rules as part of the shipment flow and you can deepen later.
What Incoterms 2020 are, and are not
Incoterms are rules published by the International Chamber of Commerce that define, for an international sale of goods, who arranges and pays for which part of the carriage, where the risk of loss or damage passes from seller to buyer, and who handles export and import clearance. They are incorporated into the sales contract by naming the rule and the place: "FCA Mundra Incoterms 2020".
They are not a contract of carriage, a payment term, a transfer of ownership, or a substitute for a well-drafted sales contract. Most Indian trade disputes about "who pays the terminal handling charge" or "whose insurance covers the container that fell off" come from a rule chosen out of habit rather than fit, or from naming a rule without naming the place precisely. That is what a proper course fixes.
The eleven rules, by group
- Group E, departure. EXW (Ex Works): the seller makes goods available at its premises; the buyer does everything else. Minimum seller obligation.
- Group F, main carriage unpaid by seller. FCA (Free Carrier), FAS (Free Alongside Ship), FOB (Free On Board): the seller delivers to the buyer's nominated carrier or vessel; the buyer pays the main carriage. FCA is the ICC's recommended rule for containerised cargo; FAS and FOB are for non-containerised sea freight.
- Group C, main carriage paid by seller, risk transfers earlier. CPT (Carriage Paid To), CIP (Carriage and Insurance Paid To), CFR (Cost and Freight), CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight): the seller pays the main carriage but risk passes when the goods are handed to the carrier or loaded on board. This split between cost and risk is the most misunderstood point in Indian trade practice.
- Group D, arrival. DAP (Delivered at Place), DPU (Delivered at Place Unloaded), DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): the seller bears cost and risk to the named destination; DDP includes import duties and clearance.
Mastering Incoterms 2020 is organised exactly this way: a module each on groups E and F, C, and D, followed by risk, cost and responsibility mapping, documentation and compliance, customs and tariffs, cargo insurance and risk transfer in practice, and negotiation.
Who needs this in India
- Export and import executives who prepare commercial invoices, packing lists and shipping instructions, and who need the Incoterm to match the letter of credit.
- Freight forwarders and CHAs who quote and execute against a rule chosen by someone else and absorb the mismatch.
- Procurement teams buying from China, Europe or the Gulf, where the Incoterm decides the landed cost and who owns the risk at sea.
- Finance and trade-finance staff who need the delivery term to line up with the payment term and the insurance certificate.
- Founders and MSMEs starting to export, who need the whole cycle rather than one rule.
Course by course
Mastering Incoterms 2020 (47 hours)
Seventeen modules: foundations of global trade and Incoterms, the legal architecture of international sale contracts, the 2020 overview and classification, groups E and F, group C, group D, risk and cost mapping, documentation and compliance, customs and tariffs, cargo insurance and risk transfer, negotiation and more. Written for procurement, logistics, export-import, finance and supply chain professionals. Course page.
Certificate in International Trading (45 hours)
Fifteen units covering the complete toolkit of cross-border commerce: the global trade environment and its institutions, export readiness and market entry, the export process flow, the import process flow, Incoterms 2020, trade documentation, customs classification and valuation, trade controls and sanctions, international payment methods, trade finance and banking, currency and country risk, cargo insurance and the use of trade agreements. Written for export and import managers and trade operations executives. Course page.
International Cross-Cultural Procurement (46 hours)
Eighteen modules for procurement teams working across borders: evaluating international markets, global sourcing models, cultural frameworks and communication styles, negotiating across cultures, building supplier trust, structuring international logistics with Incoterms, import and export practice, trade laws and sanctions, supplier audits and ethics. Course page.
Fundamentals of Shipping (49 hours)
A beginner's route through shipping and forwarding, with a dedicated module on applying Incoterms 2020 in shipping and forwarding alongside documentation, containerisation and the export-import workflow. If you are new to the sector, start here and move to the shipping and forwarding guide: shipping and freight forwarding courses in India. Course page.
What no course gives you
A course teaches the rules and the process. It does not give you an Importer-Exporter Code, which the Directorate General of Foreign Trade issues to the business, nor a customs broker licence, nor any statutory registration. If a provider implies that completing a course licenses you to trade or to clear goods, it is wrong. Our courses carry a Blue Ocean Academy certificate of completion; the Certificate in International Trading is a programme certificate, not a statutory qualification.
Formats and delivery in India
All four courses are self-paced on our learning platform with the guided hours shown, so they are the same in Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata or Kochi. Advisors are available in person at our New Delhi, Noida, Pune, Hyderabad and Kochi centres. Tuition is shown in Indian rupees on the course pages for visitors in India. Companies can run any of them in-house for an export desk or a procurement team; see corporate training in India.
Choosing, in four questions
- Is Incoterms your whole problem, or one part of it? Whole: Mastering Incoterms 2020. Part: Certificate in International Trading.
- Do you sell or buy across borders? Sell and ship: International Trading. Buy: Cross-Cultural Procurement.
- Are you new to shipping? Fundamentals of Shipping first.
- Do you need the certificate for a job application or for your own competence? Either way, the content is the same; the certificate is a Blue Ocean certificate of completion.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 11 Incoterms 2020? EXW, FCA, CPT, CIP, DAP, DPU, DDP (any mode) and FAS, FOB, CFR, CIF (sea and inland waterway).
Which Incoterm is best for exports from India? There is no best rule; it depends on who controls the logistics and who should carry the risk. For containerised exports the ICC recommends FCA over FOB. The course teaches how to choose.
Is there an Incoterms certification? Our Mastering Incoterms 2020 programme carries a Blue Ocean Academy certificate of completion. The ICC publishes the rules and runs its own training; there is no single global "Incoterms certification" that a trader must hold.
Which import export course is best in India? For the full export and import cycle, the Certificate in International Trading. For the contractual rules alone, Mastering Incoterms 2020.
Do these courses help me get an import export licence? No. The Importer-Exporter Code is issued by the DGFT to the business; the courses teach you how to trade correctly once you have it.
Talk to an advisor
Tell us whether you export, import or both, and which part of the chain you handle, and we will recommend one course. Speak to a course advisor, or see logistics courses in India and procurement courses in India.
