Is your business looking to grow and conquer foreign markets? The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) can support you each step of the way.
Go directly to download:
- Basics of Trade
- Trade Opportunities
- Showcase your products
- Contracts
- Incoterms Rules
- Finance your Import/export
- Export Documents
- Intellectual Property
- Laws and Regulations
- Prevent and solve Disputes
- Going further
With a long history, thorough knowledge and unmatched expertise in international trade processes, our network of national committees and chambers of commerce in 170 countries, ICC is the partner of choice to support your quest for new markets opportunities.
Read through our guide to the 10 Key Steps of your internationalisation journey and familiarise yourself with the ICC rules, tools and services that are used every day in millions of international business transactions worldwide.
Master the Basics of Trade
Trading goods and services across borders comes with its own set of rules and practices. Whether you are importing or exporting products – or looking to establish a commercial presence in a foreign market – mastering key trade processes will give you a lasting competitive edge. From customs requirements to contractual arrangements, financing trade and organising logistics, assess and sharpen your export-import readiness.
Get started:
ICC’s Export/Import Guide has introduced a generation of international trade professionals to the essential rules and standard practices of export-import.
- ICC Guide to Export/Import (5th edition)
The ICC Academy offers several training courses and certificates that can help prepare your business for a successful export journey.
- ICC Academy Export/Import Certificate and its four online courses:
- ICC Academy Free Trade Agreement Certificate
- ICC Academy Certificate on Digital Trade Strategy
Identify Trade Opportunities in Foreign Market
The next step in your trade journey is to explore commercial opportunities internationally. This will involves conducting initial market research to identify potential customers or suppliers in foreign markets. Detect where demand for your goods and services will come from, classify your product for customs purposes, check for any benefits from regional trade agreements and explore available distribution methods.
Get started:
ICC has partnered with the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, to promote the Global Trade Helpdesk, a one-stop-shop to explore trade opportunities and access information about imports, market dynamics, tariffs, regulatory requirements, and potential buyers.
- ITC Export Potential Map
- ITC Global Trade Helpdesk (in partnership with ICC)
The ICC Academy offers a specialised course and certificate to help you make the most of opportunities associated with Free Trade Agreements.
- ICC Academy Free Trade Agreement Certificate
Showcase your Products in Trade Fairs and Roadshows
Out of sight, out of mind. To secure visibility in foreign markets, successful exporters frequently showcase their products trade fairs, exhibitions and roadshows with potential customers and distributors. This is a powerful means to build demand for your products and establish relationships with potential customers. Help is at hand with the ATA Carnet, the Passport for Goods, that permits duty-free and tax-free temporary import for goods for up to one year.
Get started:
The ICC ATA Carnet can help you speed through customs with duty and tax-free permits for temporary export and import of goods in over 80 countries/customs territories.
- Learn how the ATA Carnet can help you
- Get in touch with ATA Carnet issuers in your country
Get your Contracts Right
Congratulations, you have identified a viable commercial opportunity, and you are now looking to transact with a customer or a supplier in a foreign market. The next step is to start contract negotiations and include the right clauses and terms for a successful business relationship. This work will be essential to your long-term success, whether you are selling goods to a foreign customer, hiring a commercial agent, entering into a franchising agreement, or choosing a distributor.
Get started:
ICC offers easy-to-use model contracts and clauses, drafted by legal experts from across ICC’s worldwide network, that provide balanced, neutral templates rich with guidance for use across legal jurisdictions.
- Learn how to use ICC Model Contracts with our video series
- Download the ICC Model Contracts:
- International Sale Contract (Manufacturing goods)
- Commercial Agency Contract
- International Consulting Services: Expanding into a new market
- Occasional Intermediary Contract
- Distributorship Contract
- International Agency and Distributorship (short form)
- International Trademark Licence
- Online B2C General Conditions of Sale
- International Transfer of Technology
- Joint Venture Contract
- Mergers and Acquisitions Contract – Share Purchase
- Download the ICC Model Clauses and Agremeents:
- Read our ultimate guide on Drafting and Negotiating International Commercial Contracts – 3rd edition
Another vital resource in today’s data-driven economy, the ICC Data Management Guide for Small Business, developed in partnership with the University of Vienna, will help you address data related topics when engaging and drafting contracts with business partners.
… and choose the Right Incoterms® Rule
A key decision to make when drafting your international sale contracts will be the selection of the right Incoterms® rule, which define the responsibilities of buyers and sellers in a transaction. Deciding which of the 11 Incoterms® 2020 rules to include is not always easy for the contracting parties, whether they are prospective exporters/ importers or experienced traders.
Get started:
- Explore our suite of Incoterms® 2020 Rules tools:
- Download the app
- Download the chart
- Buy the official Rules, available in five languages
- If you are in the transport sector, consult the ICC Handbook on Transport and the Incoterms 2020 Rules
- Take the official course (available in English, Spanish and Chinese) and earn ICC’s official Certificate (the first lesson is free)
- Enrol in our open classes
- Contact your local ICC national committee or group to receive the calendar of regional Incoterms events and seminars.
To help companies in real-time, ICC, ICC Germany and the law firm Luther have developed an interactive tool to make it easier for traders to select the right clause.
Finance your Import/Export
When trading goods and services, financing and payment modalities will play a major role to align your working capital needs with your international growth strategy. Ensuring proper financing and managing both payment and supplier risk may require the support of banks and other specialised third parties. Trade finance can provide useful financial instruments and products to facilitate international trade and reconcile your needs with those of your business partner.
Get started:
The ICC Academy offers globally recognised courses that can help you better understand the myriad financial instruments of trade finance and how they can support your business in its export journey.
- ICC Academy Courses:
Secure your Export Documents
When exporting your goods, the customs authorities from the importing country will expect a few documents from you, notably your export invoice, import or export declarations if the good were not manufactured by the exporter, packing list, signed bill of lading or airway bill, and a statement of origin. Very frequently, you or your company’s agent will be asked to present a Certificate of Origin.
Get started:
More than 800 chambers of commerce issue Certificate of Origin with an accreditation from ICC, giving exporters, importers and customs confidence that these certifications have been issued to the highest standards and in conformity with the official guidelines from the ICC World Chambers Federation.
This accreditation provides guarantee recognition and traceability for every Certificate of Origin issued under the umbrella of the ICC World Chambers Federation (WCF):
- Get your Certificate of Origin from one of our accredited chambers
Identify and Leverage your Intellectual Property (IP) Assets
As you take your business abroad, you may want to pay special attention to your intellectual property asset. International trade offers both opportunities to leverage your IP assets (patents, copyright, trademarks) and grow your business, as well as specific risks that need to be properly measured and addressed. When operating internationally, IP is an important consideration in respect of your providers, licensors, customers and competitors.
Get started:
ICC and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have partnered to develop an Intellectual Property Diagnostics tool that can help your business identify its IP assets and generate tailored guidance for your IP and business competitiveness.
- WIPO Intellectual Property Diagnostics (in partnership with ICC)
ICC’s flagship intellectual property publication provides a comprehensive and concise overview of key intellectual property issues, and highlights the many benefits associated with patents, trademarks, copyrights, and other forms of IP rights.
Navigate Laws and Regulations
Much like in domestic trade, international transactions must comply with their own set of rules. As you move products and services from one market to another you will first have to consider international sources of law and regulation, consisting of international conventions and customary practices that form binding rules for those involved in international trade. You will also have to consider regional or national rules, consisting of laws and regulations that govern the entry and circulation of goods and services, as well as business practices in a specific market.
Get started:
ICC has partnered with the International Trade Centre to create the Global Trade Helpdesk, a one-stop-shop solution for businesses to explore regulatory requirements and tariffs along their export journey.
- ITC Global Trade Helpdesk (in partnership with ICC)
Trade sanctions compliance is a crucial issue and one that is a major concern for businesses worldwide. The ICC Institute of World Business Law has produced guidance that can help you comply with trade sanctions.
During your trade journey, you will want to implement robust anti-corruption ethics and compliance procedures. ICC has developed a guide that can help you minimise the risk of corruption and adhere to international anti-corruption standards.
ICC’s globally recognised Code for Ethical Marketing and Advertising provides a solid, cost-effective and flexible starting point for considering ethical marketing standards as you bring your products and services to new markets.
- ICC Advertising and Marketing Code
- ICC Academy Certificate on the ICC Code for Ethical Marketing and Advertising
The ICC Antitrust SME toolkit provides a brief overview of competition law and provides practical tips to assist you in building and reinforcing a credible approach to competition law compliance.
Prevent and Solve Disputes
Businesses want to do what they are good at: doing business. But things do not always go according to plan. In the event you end up in a conflict with your customers, suppliers or business partners, resolving your disputes in a timely and cost-effective manner is essential to save your long-term commercial relationships and keep focusing on the growth of your business. Preventing and solving disputes has been at the forefront of ICC’s mission for over 100 years.
Get started:
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail… Get to know the specific techniques and tools available to you for preventing and resolving disputes by downloading our introductory manual for managing conflicts in commercial relationships.
Learn more about ICC Dispute Resolution services:
- ICC Mediation provides a swift and economical way to resolve disputes amicably. A neutral mediator acts as a facilitator, guiding the parties towards a negotiated settlement. ICC has issued Mediation Guidance Notes to assist you in understanding and organising the mediation process.
- Experts can support your business operations by providing expert opinion on specific matters. Additionally, they can also help parties in dispute by rendering a non-binding evaluation for negotiation purposes or a binding determination that contractually binds the parties. ICC is available to assist you in finding the appropriate expert and managing the entire expertise process.
- ICC Arbitration allows businesses to resolve disputes without recourse to courts and as quickly and efficiently as possible. The dispute, administered by the ICC International Court of Arbitration, will be decided by an arbitral tribunal in the form of an arbitration award. This decision or award is final and legally binding on the business partners and enforceable worldwide.
- Use the Cost Calculator to estimate ICC administrative expenses and the arbitrators’ fees, and to learn more about how ICC’s Dispute Resolutions Services can help your business.
Interested in going further?
Introduce yourself to your local ICC national committee or group and ask to receive invitations to their events, seminars, and training programmes.
Become of a member of ICC and enjoy the benefits received by your business peers from over 170 countries.
Get in touch with your local chamber of commerce. The ICC World Chambers Federation brings together the world’s most dynamic chambers of commerce.
If there is an ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship close to you, contact them to receive alerts on ongoing programmes to support entrepreneurs and small businesses in cross-border trade.