A practical, Indonesia-specific playbook for choosing FCA over EXW for seafood. How to name the place, handle export clearance and health certificates, control temperature at handover, and prove risk transfer for reefer shipments by air or ocean.
If you buy seafood from Indonesia and you’re still asking for EXW, you’re likely paying for it in delays, document gaps and the occasional melted pallet. We’ve seen it too many times. The reality is that EXW was designed for domestic pickup, not for regulated perishables leaving a country where the exporter of record must be Indonesian. FCA is the fix. Here’s the system we use to make FCA work smoothly for both air and ocean reefer shipments in 2025.
Why EXW breaks down for Indonesian seafood
EXW looks simple. Buyer collects at our gate. But Indonesian export control, quarantine and food safety rules make that simplicity a trap.
- Exporter of record. Under EXW, the buyer must clear export. In Indonesia, foreign buyers can’t act as exporter of record. Without an Indonesian EOR, the PEB export declaration won’t file and cargo won’t pass customs or quarantine.
- Health and catch documentation. For seafood, BKIPM health certificates and, for tuna to the EU, catch certificates, are tied to the Indonesian shipper. Under EXW, buyers expect to arrange docs through their forwarder. They can’t issue government health certificates or catch docs that must originate with the processor/exporter.
- Cold-chain accountability. If a buyer’s truck arrives warm, or the forwarder shows up late for airline cut-off, who owns the temperature excursion? Under EXW, the buyer does. But practically, everyone loses when product warms.
So is EXW practical for Indonesian seafood? Not for commercial shipments. It routinely creates customs deadlocks and broken cold chain. We only consider EXW for tiny sample pickups where no export is performed or for domestic Indonesian buyers. For export, choose FCA.
How FCA works in Indonesia for seafood
FCA puts export clearance on us, the Indonesian exporter, and lets you nominate your carrier. Risk transfers when we hand over to your carrier at the named place. That’s the key detail: the named place.
- FCA at seller’s premises. We load your carrier’s truck at our cold store. We handle export declarations and health docs. Risk transfers when the goods are loaded onto the buyer’s nominated vehicle.
- FCA at an airport/port terminal. We deliver to your carrier at the cargo terminal or CFS. We clear export and present cargo to the airline or consolidator. Risk transfers when cargo is accepted by your carrier at the terminal.
Which is better for reefer? In our experience, if your forwarder controls strong reefer trucking in Indonesia, FCA at our factory works. If your risk tolerance is low or the route is traffic-prone, FCA at the airport/terminal reduces the road leg under your risk and shifts it to ours. For fresh tuna by air, FCA airport is usually smarter.
Who handles export declaration and health certificates under FCA?
We do. Under FCA in Indonesia, the seller/exporter of record is responsible for:
- Export declaration (PEB) filing to Customs.
- BKIPM Health Certificate for Fishery Products.
- Additional veterinary or phytosanitary as required by destination.
- Catch Certificate for EU-bound tuna (and related flag-state validation).
- Certificate of Origin if requested.
Your nominated forwarder can’t issue these Indonesian government documents. We coordinate document issuance and attach them to your forwarder’s file before handover.
What should the FCA named place be for reefer cargo?
Ask one question: where can we document a clean, temperature-controlled handover to your carrier?
- Frozen IQF products like Grouper Fillet (IQF) or Mahi Mahi Fillet: FCA at our cold store is fine if your truck arrives pre-cooled and on time. We load at -18 to -20 C.
- Fresh-chilled or sashimi items like Yellowfin Saku (Sushi Grade) or Bigeye Loin: FCA at Soekarno-Hatta (CGK) or I Gusti Ngurah Rai (DPS) cargo terminal minimizes transit under your risk and aligns risk transfer with airline acceptance.
Practical tip. For air freight tuna from Jakarta or Bali, we prefer FCA “Airline Ground Handler X, Export Acceptance Counter Y” with the airline booking reference on the paperwork. That makes the handover moment crystal clear.
Exactly how to write FCA on your proforma/invoice
Keep it boring and precise. Use Incoterms 2020 wording and include temperature and monitoring details.
Examples you can copy:
- “Delivery term: FCA Indonesia-Seafood Cold Store, Serang, Indonesia, Incoterms 2020. Seller loads buyer’s nominated refrigerated truck. Export customs and BKIPM Health Certificate included. Handover temperature -18 C. 2 data loggers per pallet. Buyer to nominate carrier and pickup time ≥48 hours before collection.”
- “Delivery term: FCA Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK), XYZ Ground Handling Export Terminal, Incoterms 2020. Seller delivers cargo to buyer’s nominated airline booking [Booking Ref]. Export customs, BKIPM Health Certificate and EU Catch Certificate (if applicable) included. Product temperature at tender +0 to +2 C with gel-ice. 1 data logger per box.”
If you’re unsure about the exact terminal name or handler code, send us your forwarder’s details and booking. We’ll insert the correct place name and acceptance counter. Need help with your first FCA wording? Contact us on whatsapp.
How to prove risk transfer at FCA handover
Auditors and insurers like paper trails. So do we. Here’s what we collect depending on the place:
- FCA at factory
- Signed truck checklist confirming pre-cool temperature and cleanliness.
- Loading photos and timestamp.
- Seller-issued delivery note (Surat Jalan) signed and stamped by driver.
- Carrier pickup receipt or forwarder’s FCR where available.
- FCA at airport/port terminal
- Terminal intake stamp or acceptance receipt from the ground handler or CFS.
- Airline tender receipt or warehouse receipt showing AWB/booking.
- Temperature probe reading at tender, noted on the receipt where possible.
When available, we add the data logger IDs to the delivery note and share a PDF of the logger reports after arrival. That closes the loop if anything is questioned downstream.
What origin charges sit with seller vs buyer under FCA in Indonesia?
Typical split we see in seafood:
Seller (included under FCA):
- Export documentation: PEB, BKIPM Health Certificate, EU Catch Certificate if required, COO where requested.
- Domestic handling to the named place: pick/pack, palletizing, labeling, delivery to airport/terminal.
- Cold storage until pickup or tender.
Buyer (through your nominated carrier/forwarder):
- Main carriage: ocean or air freight, including airline AWB charges.
- Forwarder origin service fees, cargo acceptance and terminal handling charged to the shipper account by your forwarder.
- Origin storage or no-show penalties after the agreed cut-off.
- Insurance and destination charges.
Note. Exact “origin THC” allocation can vary by airline, ocean line and your contract with the forwarder. If you want zero surprises, ask your forwarder for a written list of origin-payable fees under FCA and share it with us before booking.
FCA for air-freighted tuna from Jakarta or Bali
Yes, FCA works well for air. Two workable models we use weekly:
- FCA CGK/DPS terminal. You book the flight. We deliver to your airline ground handler, complete export clearance, and obtain acceptance. This is our default for fresh tuna loins and saku.
- FCA factory. You book a refrigerated truck and the flight. We load at our cold store and hand over to your truck. Use this when your forwarder has tight truck-airline coordination and you need flexibility on tender times.
In both cases, we print the airline booking on the delivery note and coordinate cut-off with your forwarder to avoid missed flights.
A practical FCA delivery checklist you can reuse
- Product spec locked: pack style, box weight, temperature set-point.
- Named place confirmed with full address and handler name.
- Buyer nominates carrier and booking reference at least 48–72 hours before pickup/tender.
- Export docs requested upfront: HC, COO, Catch Cert as needed.
- Temperature plan shared: set-point, data logger quantity and placement.
- Handover documents agreed: pickup receipt type, acceptance stamp location, photo protocol.
- Contingency window: 2–4 hours buffer before airline or CFS cut-off.
Common mistakes we still see (and how to avoid them)
- “EXW will be cheaper.” It rarely is once you factor failed export filings and rescheduling fees. Use FCA and ask your forwarder for a clean-cost comparison.
- Vague named place. “FCA Jakarta” isn’t enough. Name the cold store or the exact cargo terminal/handler.
- No temperature settings on the invoice. Write the set-point and logger plan on the PI. Auditors love it and operations won’t guess.
- Late buyer booking. For air, space at CGK/DPS can be tight during peak weeks. Book 3–7 days ahead for perishables.
- Missing catch certificate. EU-bound tuna without validated catch cert will sit. Flag this at inquiry stage for any Yellowfin Steak or Bigeye Steak program.
When EXW might still make sense
- Non-export samples picked up by a local courier.
- Domestic Indonesian deliveries to your Jakarta consolidator where you act as the exporter of record later. Even then, we usually prefer FCA domestic terminal for traceability.
Bottom line
If you remember one thing, remember this. In Indonesia, FCA isn’t a paperwork preference. It’s how you align export authority with cold-chain reality. Name a precise place. Put temperatures and data loggers in writing. Capture signatures at handover. That’s how you keep customs smooth and product quality high.
If you want us to draft your first FCA wording or sanity-check your forwarder’s origin charges, just ask. Questions about your project? Call us. If you’re still browsing product options, you can also View our products for spec details we can tie directly into your FCA paperwork.