On 1 January 2011 Incoterms 2010 (ICC Publication No. 715) will
enter into force, although there is nothing preventing their
immediate use, should the parties wish to do so. The foreword
states that the changes are designed to "take account
of the continued spread of customs-free zones, the increased use of
electronic communications in business transactions, heightened
concern about security in the movement of goods and changes in
transport practices".
The ICC has recognised that Incoterms 2000 have been
increasingly used for purely domestic sales and that trade blocs
have made border formalities less significant. Accordingly, the
cover of Incoterms 2010 now refers to the "ICC Rules
for the Use of Domestic and International Trade
Terms" and the rules now state that the compliance
with export/import formalities is only required where applicable.
This ties in with changes to the Commercial Code in the USA and is
designed to encourage the use of Incoterms in that part
