A certificate of origin in international shipping is a document used to certify the origin or place of manufacture of goods. It plays a vital role in international trade. Its uses and application process are as follows:
The Role of a Certificate of Origin
Determining Tariff Treatment for Products: Most countries around the world apply different tariff rates to goods imported from different countries. A certificate of origin serves as a valid document used by customs authorities to levy tariffs and implement differential treatment. If there is a tariff agreement or most-favored-nation clause between the importing and exporting countries, the buyer often requires the seller to provide a valid certificate of origin to prove that the imported goods are indeed from a contracting party in order to receive the corresponding tariff treatment.
Certifying Product Intrinsic Quality or Releasing Foreign Exchange: In the international market, a certificate of origin can sometimes serve to certify a product’s intrinsic quality and enhance its competitiveness. Furthermore, a certificate of origin is an essential document for both parties to conduct transactions and settle foreign exchange. Banks often use a certificate of origin as an important verification of whether a letter of credit is paid.
Conducting Trade Statistics: Customs in all countries is responsible for maintaining statistics on imported and exported goods, and the Certificate of Origin serves as a crucial basis for this.
Implementing Trade Management: Based on their trade policies, countries around the world often impose restrictions on certain goods and implement import quantity control measures, such as import quotas, licensing systems, and anti-dumping and countervailing measures, to protect domestic industrial production and international trade competitiveness. Certificates of Origin serve as a crucial tool for implementing these regulations.
Certificate of Origin Application Process
Enterprise Registration: Log in to “Internet + Customs” or the China International Trade “Single Window” and access the “Certificate of Origin Issuance” module to maintain basic enterprise information. If an enterprise has previously registered as a consignor or consignee of imported and exported goods with customs, you can synchronize this information by clicking the “Synchronize Customs Enterprise General Qualification Information” button.
Certificate Application: After completing basic enterprise information maintenance, enter the “Certificate Application Module” and select the certificate to fill in the certificate information. Fill in the basic information of the certificate of origin and the goods truthfully and accurately. After confirming the authenticity, accuracy, and completeness of the information and materials submitted, save the information, check the “Applicant Commitment” checkbox, and submit the certificate application.
Review and Issuance: The visa authority reviews the enterprise’s application, including whether the applicant and the product for which visa application is requested have been registered, and whether the information in each column of the application and certificate is true and accurate. After passing the review, for certificates of origin that support self-printing, the enterprise can print the certificate on A4 paper using a color printer with automatic duplex printing. For certificates that do not support self-printing, the enterprise must use a dot matrix printer to print the certificate on a blank sheet. After printing, the enterprise must affix its Chinese and English official seal and the signature of an authorized person as required, and the customs visa officer must affix its official seal and signature.
Amendment, Reissue, and Re-Issue: If an enterprise needs to amend the contents of an already issued certificate, it must submit the “Certificate of Origin Amendment/Reissue Application Form” within the certificate’s validity period and return the original certificate. If the original Certificate of Origin is lost or damaged, the applicant may request a certified true copy of the original certificate within its validity period. When requesting a replacement certificate, the applicant must click “Attach Documents” on the Certificate of Origin application screen and upload shipping documents such as the bill of lading.
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