P&I standard forms A, B, C

Letter of indemnity generator (bill of lading)

Get the cargo released while the original bills are still travelling.

Pick the case, fill in the ship, bill of lading, parties and cargo, and print the International Group of P&I Clubs standard letter of indemnity, with the bank wording when a bank joins. It is a template, not legal advice.

Last updated 2026-09-28. Math runs in your browser, no data leaves your computer.

The letter is signed by the party asking for delivery, usually the buyer or its agent, and addressed to the shipowner or carrier. The wording is the International Group of P&I Clubs standard form as published by Skuld, filled in with your details and otherwise unchanged.

This is a template and not legal advice. An indemnity has no limit on amount or time in the standard wording, so read what you are signing and check it with your carrier and your bank before it goes out.

Case

Pick the form that matches the request exactly, because the carrier's P&I cover is prejudiced by both kinds of delivery and it reads the letter against what it is being asked to do.

Carrier, ship and bill of lading

Use the carrier named on the face of the bill of lading, because the indemnity runs to that party and its servants and agents.

Copy the vessel name from the bill, since the letter names it in the address and in the heading.

Take the address from the carrier's own documents, or ask its local agent which office should receive the letter.

Quote the ports exactly as the bill prints them, because the standard form asks for the ports as stated in the bill of lading.

List every bill the letter covers, since an indemnity that names one bill of a set leaves the others open.

Copy the description, packages and weight from the bill, so the goods in the letter match the goods the carrier is holding.

Parties and delivery

Use the shipper named on the bill, usually the Chinese supplier or its forwarder.

Write "order of" and the bank's name if the bill is made out to a bank's order, since that bank may still hold the original bills.

Give the port on the bill even when you are asking for delivery elsewhere, because the letter records the original contract.

This is the company that signs and carries the liability, so use its full legal name.

Name the receiver or its customs broker, because the carrier will release only to the party the letter names.

Give the terminal or depot, since delivery into a bulk liquid terminal counts as delivery to the named party under the form.

The bank's liability runs six years from this date in the standard wording, so date it on the day it is signed.

The button opens your browser's print dialog. Anything left blank prints as the bracketed instruction from the standard form, so you can fill it by hand.

Before the booking, screen the name on the invoice. Shipment pre-check is on the paid plans, from USD 59 a month.

General guidance only. Verify against the cited primary sources before you commit to a shipment, declaration, or contract.

Where the wording comes from

The letters are the International Group of P&I Clubs standard forms A, B and C, with AA, BB and CC adding a bank's agreement to join. The text is taken word for word from the Word file Skuld publishes, and the tool only replaces the square bracket instructions with what you type. Every form is governed by English law with the High Court of Justice of England as the forum, as the standard wording says. Ask the carrier whether its club expects a later edition of the wording before you sign.

The UK P&I Club briefing of 10 September 2020 explains why the carrier asks. Delivery without production of the bill, or at a port other than the one on the bill, prejudices the owner's P&I cover, so the letter of indemnity is what stands between the carrier and a claim from the true holder of the bill.

The standard letter has no cap on the amount and no time limit other than the return of the original bills, and the club warns carriers against accepting one limited to the cargo value or expiring after 13 months. The bank wording is different: it caps the bank's liability at the sum you enter and ends six years from the date of the letter, extendable by two years at a time.

Signing a letter of indemnity puts your company on the hook for everything that follows from the delivery, including legal costs and the release of an arrested ship. If the original bills are with a bank under a letter of credit, talk to that bank first, because the true holder of the bill is the party that can sue.

Worked example. Resin at Houston with the bills still in Qingdao

The booking. A Texas buyer pays T/T 30/70 for a container of resin from Qingdao, and the supplier couriers the original bills after the balance lands. The vessel reaches Houston five days before the courier does, and the buyer asks the carrier to release against a letter of indemnity on its own letterhead, which looks fine on paper.

The failure. The carrier's agent replies that it will not release without its own form, signed and countersigned by a bank, because delivery without the bill prejudices its P&I cover. The buyer has no bank facility lined up, so the choice is plain: arrange the bank countersignature, or pay demurrage until the courier arrives.

The fix. The buyer asks the carrier for its form, or uses form AA from this tool when the carrier has none, and its bank agrees to join for a set amount with a six year termination date. The carrier releases the container, and the buyer sends the original bills to the carrier the day they arrive, which ends its own liability under the letter.

Would you rather avoid original bills altogether? The telex release request template asks the shipper to surrender the bills at origin, so the carrier can release at destination without an indemnity.

Frequently asked

What is a letter of indemnity in shipping?

A written promise from the party asking for delivery to cover the carrier for any loss that follows from doing something the bill of lading does not allow, usually delivering without the original bill or at a different port. The UK P&I Club notes that liabilities from such misdelivery are not covered by P&I insurance, which is why the carrier wants the indemnity before it releases the cargo.

Which standard form do I need?

Form A is for delivery without production of the original bill of lading at the discharge port on the bill. Form B is for delivery at a port other than the one on the bill, against at least one original bill. Form C combines both, and AA, BB and CC are the same letters with a bank's agreement to join added below the signature.

When does a letter of indemnity need a bank countersignature?

Whenever the carrier asks for one, and many do for high value cargo or an unknown receiver. The UK P&I Club says clubs always recommend having the guarantee countersigned by a first class bank, although receivers usually resist it. The bank's wording caps its liability at a stated amount and ends six years from the date of the indemnity unless extended.

Can I use a letter of indemnity to get a clean bill of lading?

No, and this tool does not offer one. The UK P&I Club explains that asking for clean bills over cargo the carrier knows should be claused is a fraud on the receiver, and in Brown Jenkinson v Percy Dalton (1957) the court held such an indemnity unenforceable because it was given for an illegal act. Fix the cargo or accept the remark instead.

Will the container line accept this wording?

Often not as it stands, because most container lines have their own form, for example the Maersk letter of indemnity for release without the original bill. The International Group wording is the reference the P&I clubs recommend, so use it where the carrier has no form of its own and check the text with your carrier and your bank first.

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Sourzi shows what official files say. It is not customs or legal advice. For a binding answer, ask a licensed customs broker, a CBP ruling or an Australian Border Force Tariff Advice.

File dates and links are on Data sources.