ABC / Certificate of Origin 2

A Certificate of Origin is a document, required by foreign governments, declaring that goods in a particular international shipment are of a certain origin. Even though the commercial invoice usually includes a statement of origin, some countries require that a separate certificate be completed. Customs offices will use this document to determine whether or not a preferential duty rate applies on the products being imported and whether a shipment may be legally imported during a specific quota period.

A Certificate of Origin is a signed statement as to the country of origin of the exported products for a particular shipment. The country of origin is NOT the country from where the product is shipped. The country of origin is the country where the product was manufactured or last underwent a substantial change or modification, for WTO members, goods can be considered originating if there is a shift of at least two chapters in the harmonized code.

For example, the country of origin for 100% cotton, knit T-shirts that are manufactured in China and then shipped to the U.S. and have a logo or slogan placed on them, and are then exported to Poland, would be China. However, if the cotton knit fabric was manufactured in China and then shipped to the U.S. and the fabric was transformed into T-shirts and are then exported to Poland, the country of origin would be considered the U.S.

The certificate of origin must be signed by the exporter and be certified by a local chamber of commerce. The chamber must have access to the commercial invoice in order to verify that the exporter claims the goods originated in the U.S. Local chambers of commerce can only certify goods that originate in the United States. Goods from other countries will need to be certified in their country of origin.

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