Export letter of credit procedure

In LN, the export letter of credit procedure entails maintaining and processing letters of credit (L/C) from the seller's perspective.

These types of letters of credit are used:

  • Export letters of credit - for international trade
  • Domestic sales letters of credit - for trade within the same country

The following steps reflect the normal flow. However, if the letter of credit requires adjustment, at various stages in the procedure you may be required to change the data or to set the letter of credit to an earlier status. See To change letter of credit data or status

Step 1. Initial letter of credit

Based on the purchase and sales agreement between the buyer and the seller, the seller specifies the contents of the letter of credit that he will ask the buyer to issue at the buyer's bank. The initial status of the letter of credit is Preliminary.

Export letters of credit are maintained in the Export Letter of Credit (tcgtc0650m000) session, and domestic sales letters of credit in the Domestic Sales Letter of Credit (tcgtc0650m200) session.

Step 2. Link document to letter of credit

An authorized user links the relevant document to the letter of credit. This is to ensure that the document is processed in accordance with the terms of the letter of credit.

See Link and unlink letters of credit.

Step 3. Approve letter of credit

After linking the document or documents to the letter of credit, an authorized user approves the letter of credit by selecting Approve on the appropriate menu of the Export Letter of Credit (tcgtc0650m000) or the Domestic Sales Letter of Credit (tcgtc0650m200) session.

Approving the letter of credit is mandatory. To continue the letter of credit procedure the user must approve the letter of credit.

If required, users can change approved letters of credit with specific statuses by selecting Unapprove on the appropriate menu.

See To change letter of credit data or status.

Step 4. Set to Definitive

To continue the procedure, the user must set the status of the letter of credit to Definitive. This allows the linked documents to be approved, or, in case of contract deliverables, to be activated.

Document compliance checks are performed to verify if the document meet the requirements of the letter of credit. See Compliance checks for documents linked to letters of credit.

Usually, at this point the seller asks the buyer to open a letter of credit at the buyer's bank as per the contents of the Definitive letter of credit.

Step 5. Set to Received

When the letter of credit is received from the buyer through the advising bank, the seller checks if:

  • He can meet the requirements of the letter of credit (L/C).
  • The L/C is in accordance with the sales and purchase agreement.

If yes, the user must set the status of the letter of credit to Received.

Step 6. Set to Returned

If the letter of credit (L/C) received from the buyer requires amendment, the user must:

  1. Unapprove the letter of credit.
  2. Modify the letter of credit.
  3. Set the status to Returned.
  4. Return the letter of credit to the buyer.

If amendments are not required, the user can accept the letter of credit.

Step 7. Set to Accepted

If acceptable, the user must set the status of the letter of credit to Accepted. This status allows the linked document to be released to Warehousing.

When the document is released to Warehousing and when the shipment related to the document is confirmed, document compliance checks are performed to verify if the document and the shipment meet the requirements of the letter of credit. See Compliance checks for documents linked to letters of credit.

Step 8. Set to Sent

Set the status to Sent to indicate that the required documents are presented to the advising or confirming bank and that the goods are sent.

Step 9. Set to Paid

If the payment received against the sales invoices for the sales order lines linked to the letter of credit is equal to the maximum amount of the letter of credit, the status of the letter of credit is automatically set to Paid.

Users can also manually set the status to Paid.

Step 10. Set to Closed

After payment has been received, you can set the status to Closed.

Note
  • The previous steps reflect the normal flow. However, if the letter of credit requires adjustment, at various stages in the procedure you may be required to change the data or to set the letter of credit to an earlier status. See To change letter of credit data or status
  • Users can set the letter of credit to Canceled at any stage in the procedure.