UCP 600 Article 14: how a bank examines documents
What the article is for
Article 14 is the examination standard in UCP 600. It tells the issuing bank, a confirming bank, and a nominated bank that has agreed to act how to look at a presentation on its face. It does not ask the bank to investigate the goods, the factory, or whether the applicant is happy with the shipment. The credit, the documents, and the rules are the record. A Bangladesh desk that starts from the sales contract, or from a phone call with the importer, is already outside the examination the article describes.
The five banking days
Article 14(b) gives each of those banks a maximum of five banking days following the day of presentation to decide whether the presentation complies. The count does not start on the day the documents arrive. If the credit expires, or the last day for presentation falls, during those five banking days, the period is not cut short. “Banking day” is a defined term in Article 2. A Friday or a holiday on which the bank is closed is not added by guesswork. The bank’s own calendar controls the count, and the notice in Article 16 has to leave before that period ends.
Shipment date and the 21 days
When the credit does not state its own presentation period, Article 14(c) requires the documents within 21 calendar days after the date of shipment, and never later than the expiry date. Those are calendar days, not banking days. The shipment date is taken from the transport article that applies, often the on-board notation on a bill of lading under Article 20. A credit that states “documents within 10 days of shipment” replaces the 21-day fallback. It does not replace expiry. A presentation can be inside 21 days and still late if the credit has already expired.
Data that need not be identical
Article 14(d) is the rule bankers misquote most often. Data in a document need not be identical to data in that document, in any other stipulated document, or in the credit. They must not conflict. A short form of the goods on a packing list can be acceptable when it does not fight the credit. A different port, a different quantity, or a beneficiary name that is not the same party is a conflict, not a shorthand. Article 14(e) is separate: the goods description on the commercial invoice must correspond with the credit, while other stipulated documents may use general terms that do not conflict.
What the desk should not do
Non-documentary conditions are disregarded. A credit that says the goods must be of a stated quality, without asking for a document that shows it, does not create a document check. Documents the credit did not ask for may be returned. They are not a reason to refuse the documents that were stipulated. This note does not decide a live presentation. The credit text, UCP 600, and any ISBP edition the credit actually names still have to be read. ISBP 821 is not substituted for ISBP 745 merely because the credit is silent.
Source
ICC, UCP 600, Article 14. Publication page: iccwbo.org. This page is an operational summary, not a reprint. Open the cited source.
Frequently asked questions
How many banking days does Article 14(b) allow?
The issuing bank, a confirming bank, and a nominated bank acting on its nomination each have a maximum of five banking days following the day of presentation. Expiry during that window does not shorten it.
What if the credit states no presentation period?
Article 14(c) requires presentation within 21 calendar days after the shipment date, and in any event not later than expiry.
Must data match word for word?
No. Article 14(d) says data need not be identical, but they must not conflict with the credit, the same document, or any other stipulated document.