MT710 — Advice of a Third Bank's Documentary Credit

Re-advice of a documentary credit. An advising bank (first MT700 recipient) forwards the credit to a second advising bank closer to the beneficiary — typical case in multi-tier banking relationships in Asia / Africa / Latin America trade.

Purpose

MT710 is used when the issuing bank sends its MT700 to an advising bank that does not hold the beneficiary's account. The advising bank then re-advises the credit to the beneficiary's local bank — typically: ICBC Beijing receives the MT700, but the beneficiary banks with Bank of China Guangzhou. ICBC Beijing forwards MT710 to BoC Guangzhou.

This indirection is common in markets where Western correspondent banks do not have direct access to the beneficiary's local banks. MT710 does not create a new credit: it passes through the existing credit while adding the BIC of the original issuing bank (tag :52A:) to preserve legal traceability.

Tag structure

MT710 mirrors MT700 almost identically, with the extra :52A: Issuing Bank tag identifying the original issuer (BNP Paribas in our example). :20: carries the re-advising bank's reference, and :21: carries the original MT700 reference (Issuing Bank's reference).

Key tags

Real-world example

ICBC Beijing re-advises BNP Paribas' credit to Bank of China Guangzhou (BKCHCNBJ), the local bank of beneficiary Guangzhou Textile Exports:

{1:F01ICBKCNBJAXXX0000000000}{2:I710BKCHCNBJAXXXN}{3:{108:LC20260515001-A}}{4:
:27:1/1
:40A:IRREVOCABLE
:20:ICBC20260516LC0042
:21:LC20260515001
:23:NREF
:31C:260515
:40E:UCP LATEST VERSION
:31D:260815BEIJING
:52A:BNPAFRPPXXX
:50:ACME SARL
12 RUE DE LA SOIE
69001 LYON, FRANCE
:59:GUANGZHOU TEXTILE EXPORTS CO LTD
123 BAIYUN ROAD
510000 GUANGZHOU, CHINA
:32B:USD150000,00
:41A:BKCHCNBJXXXX
BY NEGOTIATION
:42C:AT SIGHT
:43P:NOT ALLOWED
:43T:NOT ALLOWED
:44E:CNGZH
:44F:FRLYS
:44C:260815
:45A:1000 CARTONS COTTON T-SHIRTS
ART. REF ACME-2026-187
PRICE INCOTERMS 2020 CIF LYON
:46A:+ COMMERCIAL INVOICE IN 3 ORIGINALS
+ FULL SET CLEAN ON BOARD OCEAN BILL OF LADING
+ PACKING LIST + CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN
+ INSURANCE POLICY 110 PCT INVOICE VALUE
:47A:DOCUMENTS PRESENTED WITHIN 21 DAYS AFTER SHIPMENT
:71B:CHARGES OUTSIDE FRANCE FOR ACCOUNT OF BENEFICIARY
:49:WITHOUT
:78:UPON RECEIPT OF COMPLYING DOCUMENTS
WE WILL REIMBURSE YOU AT SIGHT
-}

• :20:ICBC20260516LC0042 — new reference on the ICBC side (the re-adviser).
• :21:LC20260515001 — reference of the original MT700.
• :52A:BNPAFRPPXXX — original issuing bank (BNP Paribas — crucial for legal liability).
• All other tags (amount, dates, goods, documents) are verbatim from MT700.
• :41A:BKCHCNBJXXXX — the negotiating bank is updated to BoC Guangzhou (the new local bank).

Common pitfalls

• :20: / :21: confusion — the new reference goes in :20:, the old one in :21:. Swapping breaks reconciliation.
• Term modification — MT710 must not modify the MT700 terms. Any change is a separate MT707, not a variation of the re-advice.
• Negotiating bank (:41A:) update — updating :41A: is legitimate (the new local bank becomes the negotiating bank). This change must be explained in narrative.
• Bank charges — adding an intermediate bank typically adds charges. :71B: must be revised if original charges do not cover the second adviser.
• No confirmation via MT710 — MT710 forwards without confirming. If the beneficiary requests confirmation, the first adviser must add it (with an MT799 narrative or via :49:CONFIRM in the original).

Related messages

• MT700 — Issue of a Documentary Credit, the credit to be re-advised.
• MT711 — Advice continuation, MT701 equivalent for re-advices.
• MT720 — Transfer of a Documentary Credit, for a transferable credit (resale to a sub-beneficiary).
• MT730 — Acknowledgement, second-adviser acknowledgement.