Concluding International Contracts · Контракт.Онлайн
Procedure & Requirements

Concluding International Contracts

Step-by-step procedure for concluding a contract, common risks and how to avoid them. A ready bilingual EN/RU contract — in 5 minutes, no lawyer required

Conclude a contract online →
Ready in 5 minutes · DOCX · 2 990 ₽
5 min
to a signed contract
EN/RU
bilingual format
173-FZ
currency control
CISG
international law
4 types
import & export

Three steps to a signed contract

Agreed the terms with your partner — now just prepare the document

1
Fill in the form

Enter both parties' details, describe the subject of the deal, and choose the payment and delivery terms under Incoterms 2020. Built-in search across 13,000+ HS codes.

2
Get your DOCX

After paying 2 990 ₽, the system generates a bilingual contract with parallel EN/RU columns. The file opens in Word, LibreOffice, or Google Docs.

3
Sign and send

Print two copies, sign them, and exchange scans with your partner. Send the originals by mail. Register the contract with the bank if required.

4 types of international contracts

Choose the right type — the generator assembles the matching set of sections and clauses

Generator, lawyer, or a template from the internet

Three ways to conclude an international contract — the real cost and risks

Criterion
Контракт.Онлайн
Lawyer / agency
Time to prepare
5 minutes
3–10 business days
Cost
2 990 ₽
15,000–80,000 ₽
Bilingual EN/RU
Automatic
Separate translator needed
173-FZ compliance
Built into the template
Depends on the lawyer
Protective clauses
Force majeure, arbitration, CISG
On request (+ extra cost)
Editing afterward
DOCX — any editor
Separate edit = extra fee

What's mandatory when concluding an international contract

All the terms checked by the bank, customs, and your foreign partner

Both parties' full details — tax ID, SWIFT/IBAN, legal address
Subject of the contract with description and HS code (for goods)
Unit price, currency, and total deal amount
Delivery basis under Incoterms 2020 (for goods)
Payment schedule and terms: advance, post-payment, instalments
Performance deadlines for each party's obligations
Parties' liability and claims settlement procedure
Force majeure clause with a list of circumstances
Governing law and arbitration clause
Bilingual EN/RU text specifying the priority language

Conclude a contract in 5 minutes

Fill in the form, pay online — and download right away. The file is editable in Word and accepted by the bank and customs.

DOCX · Word / LibreOffice
Bilingual EN/RU
173-FZ · CISG
2 990 ₽
per document
Create it now →

Answers to common questions

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The procedure: 1) Agree on the commercial terms — goods, price, deadlines, delivery basis under Incoterms. 2) Draft the text in two languages, EN/RU, with all mandatory sections. 3) Have it signed by authorized representatives of both parties. 4) For deals from 3 million RUB (import) or 6 million RUB (export) — register the contract with the bank before the first settlement operation.
No. Article 162 of the Russian Civil Code requires only written form — notarization and state registration are not required. Signatures of the authorized representatives are sufficient for the bank. The CISG also does not impose any requirements on the form of conclusion.
Remote signing is standard practice in foreign trade. Exchange scans of the signed copies, then send the originals by mail. Banks accept scanned copies for processing payments and for registration. Electronic signatures are rarely used in international contracts — most foreign counterparties don't have compatible qualified electronic signatures.
The main risks: incomplete details (the bank will reject the contract at registration); no force majeure clause (penalties become unavoidable during a force majeure event); the wrong Incoterms basis (disputes over risk transfer and insurance costs); no governing law specified (conflict-of-law disputes in court); no arbitration clause (complicated jurisdiction). The generator includes all protective clauses automatically.
Under Bank of Russia Instruction No. 181-I — before the first settlement operation. That means before transferring an advance to a foreign supplier (import) or before receiving foreign currency proceeds (export). The bank assigns a unique registration number within 1 business day.
Under CISG (Articles 14–23) a contract is considered concluded at the moment the acceptance reaches the offeror. An offer is a proposal to conclude a contract that contains the material terms. An acceptance is agreement to the offer without material changes. In practice, an international contract is drawn up as a single document and signed by both parties simultaneously or by exchanging signed copies.

Concluding International Contracts: Procedure, Requirements, and Foreign Trade Practice

Concluding an international contract is fundamentally different from drafting a domestic supply agreement: the counterparty operates under a different legal system, currency restrictions apply under 173-FZ, the authorized bank and customs authority impose their own requirements, and a bilingual text is required. Mistakes made at the conclusion stage lead to payment delays, refusals at registration, and litigation in foreign jurisdictions.

Written Form and Civil Code Requirements

Article 162 of the Russian Civil Code establishes a mandatory written form for foreign trade transactions involving Russian legal entities. Failure to observe the written form results in invalidity of the transaction. In practice this means a single bilingual document signed by authorized representatives of both parties. Notarization is not required.

Governing Law and the CISG Convention

If both parties are from countries that have ratified the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), it applies automatically. More than 90 states have ratified the CISG, including China, Germany, the United States, and Japan. The parties may exclude its application by specifying a different governing law in the contract. It is recommended to always state the governing law explicitly to avoid conflict-of-law disputes.

Bank Requirements for Contract Registration

Under Bank of Russia Instruction No. 181-I, for deals from 3 million rubles (import) or 6 million rubles (export) the authorized bank opens a file and assigns a unique registration number. For this, the contract must contain: both parties' full details, the subject of the deal, the amount and currency, performance deadlines, and the settlement procedure. The absence of any of these elements is grounds for the bank to refuse registration. The Контракт.Онлайн generator produces a document that accounts for all of these requirements.

Remote Signing and Storage of Originals

Exchanging scans of the signed copies is standard practice in international trade. Banks accept scanned copies for registration and for processing payments. It is recommended that each party keep the originals for the limitation period — under the CISG this is no more than 4 years, under Russian law 3 years from the moment of the breach. During audits or tax inspections, the original contract is a mandatory supporting document.

See also: generate a foreign trade contract online, how to draft an international contract, foreign trade contract requirements, registering a contract with the bank.