Payment, Foreign-Exchange Deadline and Repeat Shipments

For most export operations, the basic settlement deadline is 180 calendar days. From 1 March 2026, for exports of certain types of agricultural and specialised machinery, the NBU increased it to 270 days. The director compares the export date, payment schedule and actual receipt of revenue with the terms of the specific contract.

An entrepreneur can sell directly to a foreign buyer, through a distributor, agent or marketplace. Direct sales provide more control over price and the client. A distributor takes part of the margin but may handle local sales and logistics. The owner compares net profit and the amount of work required from the company's team for each option.

Before the first shipment, the owner compares the buyer's registration data, website, address, bank, business history and the people conducting negotiations. For a large contract, the director may request financial documents or trade references. The longer the period from shipment to payment, the more important the buyer's solvency becomes.

After several shipments, the owner has actual statistics: logistics cost, delivery time, bank charges, returns and claims. On this basis, the director can increase the margin, change carrier, move to different delivery terms or find a local distributor. For regular sales, the manager handles the buyer, the accountant sees the foreign-currency revenue, and the director approves the price and major deviations from standard terms.

UBC can prepare the first export transaction: contract, price calculation, banking terms and document package for the shipment. The owner receives a basis that can be repeated for later sales and scaled as the number of foreign buyers grows.

Logistics, Customs and Documents

For customs clearance, the declarant uses information about the goods, UKT ZED code, price, country of origin, transport and commercial documents. The package depends on the goods themselves and the country. A certificate of origin, veterinary, phytosanitary or other special documents are used where the rules for the specific products require them.

The invoice should correspond to the contract: product name, quantity, price, currency, party details and delivery terms. The bank sees the payment together with the foreign trade agreement and transaction documents. The currency and bank details are agreed before shipment so that the buyer has exact data for payment.

After the goods are exported, the director or responsible manager keeps the customs declaration, transport documents, invoice, acceptance confirmation and banking documents. The accountant uses them to account for revenue and taxes. A complete package also helps resolve discrepancies with the buyer concerning quantity, deadlines or payment.

Payment may be in advance, after delivery or divided into parts. For a new buyer, the owner determines the part of the price to be received before shipment, taking into account the contract amount, delivery period and buyer's solvency. For a large transaction, the parties may use banking instruments to protect payment.

Buyer, Price and Foreign Trade Agreement

First, the director determines the goods, country and buyer. For the EU, market-access conditions, duty, rules of origin and specific requirements can be checked through the official Access2Markets service. For other countries, the owner uses official customs and trade sources of the buyer's country. These data show whether the sale remains profitable after delivery and market-entry costs.

The price includes production or purchase of the goods, packaging, transport, customs clearance, insurance, bank charges and an intermediary's commission where applicable. The director leaves the required margin in the price. After this calculation, it is easy to compare arranging delivery independently with selling under terms where the buyer pays most of the logistics costs.

Incoterms terms allocate delivery obligations and costs and supplement the agreement on the goods, price and payment. The parties separately agree the goods, quantity, quality, price, currency, payment period, documents, claims and the law governing the agreement.

It is convenient for the owner to calculate the first export price from the desired amount that should remain after all costs. If the goods are sold for EUR 10,000, the director subtracts production cost, packaging, delivery, insurance, customs broker, banking expenses and intermediary commission. The balance shows the real profit and the discount limit in negotiations with the buyer.