Please find below the most frequently asked questions about insuring export credits with Atradius Dutch State Business (hereinafter referred to as Atradius).
Please find below the most frequently asked questions about insuring export credits with Atradius Dutch State Business (hereinafter referred to as Atradius). If your question is not included, please send an e-mail to info.dsb@atradius.com or call us at + 31 (0)20 553 2693.
By taking out export credit insurance it is possible to eliminate most of the - often long term - payment risks run on buyers or borrowers abroad. This is attractive for both exporters and banks. Export credit insurance often enables them to provide long-term finance for buyers abroad. Exporters can thus receive full payment for the export contract at the latest upon their delivery of the goods and/or services, whereas the buyers of Dutch exports can pay for them in instalments over a number of years.
Our country policy states the conditions which must be met if an export transaction is to be insured. Please refer to the country policy page on our website which includes links to our specific policy for each country. For many countries there are no general underwriting restrictions. For weaker countries we often require a guarantee from a (local) bank or (local) government in order to provide cover.
The amount we will indemnify for each insured loss depends on the percentage of cover stipulated in the insurance policy. This is generally 98% for losses due to political risks and 95% for losses due to commercial risks. This means that export credit insurance covers almost the entire risk of non-payment. Other percentages of cover may apply for specific types of transactions. The percentage of cover for, for example, project finance and asset-based finance transactions is often lower.
Atradius insures export credits offered by exporters or banks to buyers abroad. Atradius does not finance transactions. If the buyer abroad requires financing, an exporter can arrange this with its bank. The bank providing the financing can then take out export credit insurance with Atradius. It is important that an exporter and/or the financing bank involve Atradius at an early stage, i.e. during initial contract negotiations.
Generally, credit may be granted for a maximum of 85 % of the contract price (80 % for ships). For example:
Contract price: 100
Export credit: 85
Buyer down payment: 15
In some cases, such as for project financing, the percentages may differ.
If the export contract requires the exporter to incur costs in the country of the buyer, these costs may generally not exceed 30 % of the value of the non-local (i.e. export) component of the transaction.
The maximum term allowed for repayment of an insured export credit depends on the nature of the goods or services and the size of the transaction. For many transactions the maximum repayment period is usually five years. It may be longer if, for instance, longer periods are usual in the exporter’s particular sector or if the size of the transaction warrants a longer repayment period.
OECD member countries (including the Netherlands) have made agreements about maximum repayment periods. For buyers in OECD countries this is usually eight-and-a-half years and for buyers in other countries ten years. All export credits must be repaid in equal, semi-annual instalments.
For ship financing, project financing or financing for renewable energy projects, other maximum repayment periods and repayment schedules may be allowed. Please contact Atradius for more information.
An exporter or financing bank will not be charged any fees for submitting an application for export credit insurance. Once the export contract and related financial agreement, if any, come into force, a premium will be charged. The premium amount will depend on the severity of the risks to be insured, which is assessed by taking into account factors such as the risk rating of the buyer’s country, the buyer’s financial strength, the credit period and any security offered. For the premium calculator click here.
It generally takes four to six weeks to process an application, provided you have supplied the information, including the financial information, required about your buyer. If obtaining this information takes extra time, it will take longer to process the application.
Project financing is a special type of financing whereby the financing is not repaid or guaranteed by a company or government with a long credit record. Instead, it is repaid from the income generated by the (new) project once it is operational. Please refer to the project financing pages on our website for more information.
