SWIFT MT700 Field 44C: When the Latest Date of Shipment Contradicts Other Fields

Introduction

Field 44C (Latest Date of Shipment) is optional in the MT700 under SWIFT SR2018, Category 7, formatted as 6!n (a fixed six-digit date YYMMDD). It sets the final date by which shipment must occur. Because shipment, presentation, expiry, and document dates interlock, 44C is a frequent source of contradictions: a latest shipment date that cannot be reconciled with the presentation period, the expiry date, or the dates shown on the documents themselves. The defect is not the field's presence but the impossibility of satisfying it alongside the credit's other time controls.

Failure Modes

Failure Mode 1: Latest shipment date after the expiry date

If 44C is later than the credit expiry, the beneficiary can ship within time but cannot present before the credit lapses, making the requirement self-defeating.

Failure Mode 2: Presentation period inconsistent with 44C

A presentation period that runs from shipment but expires before the latest shipment date can be met leaves no window to present complying documents.

Failure Mode 3: 44C conflicts with a stated shipment period in 44D

Where 44D defines a shipment window and 44C sets a latest date outside or inside it awkwardly, the two time fields contradict.

Failure Mode 4: Document date breaches 44C

A transport document dated after 44C is a direct Article 14(d) conflict and a shipment-late discrepancy.

Failure Mode 5: MT701 restates 44C with a different date

The usage rules forbid an MT701 from conflicting with the MT700; a divergent latest shipment date creates a second, contradictory deadline.

Resolution

1. Set 44C earlier than the credit expiry so a presentation window remains.
2. Reconcile 44C with the presentation period in 48 (and Article 33 limits).
3. Align 44C with any shipment period stated in 44D.
4. Examine the transport document date against 44C under Article 14(d).
5. Confirm no related MT701 states a conflicting latest shipment date.
6. Record the full date chain (shipment, presentation, expiry) before issuance.
7. Where a conflict appears, identify the exact field pair before refusal.
8. Advise correction of the credit wording rather than waiver as the primary fix.

Conclusion

Field 44C is a hard deadline, and deadlines must nest inside the credit's other time controls rather than collide with them. The control is to prove that a beneficiary could actually ship and present within every stated limit. Article 33 bounds the presentation timing; Article 14 supplies the conflict test. A credit is sound only when 44C, the presentation period, and the expiry form a consistent sequence.

FAQ

Can 44C be later than the expiry date?
Technically the field can carry such a date, but it produces a credit that cannot be complied with, since presentation must occur before expiry. It should be corrected before issuance.

Does a transport document dated after 44C always fail?
Under Article 14(d), a shipment date later than the latest date of shipment is a discrepancy. The document conflicts with the credit.

How does 44C relate to field 48?
Field 48 states the period for presentation in days; the two must leave a realistic window after the latest shipment date to present documents.

What if an MT701 repeats 44C differently?
The MT700 usage rules prohibit a related MT701 from conflicting with the MT700. A divergent date is a discrepancy to resolve before presentation.

Is 44C mandatory?
No. SWIFT marks it Optional. A credit may omit it when no latest shipment date is required, but then other date controls must still be coherent.

Source Notes

• SWIFT SR2018, Category 7, MT700 field 44C (Optional, 6!n, latest date of shipment). Context only.
• UCP 600 Article 33 (hours of presentation) and Article 14. Context only.
• MT700 usage rules on related MT701 content. Context only.