A certificate of origin is a document that certifies the origin or place of manufacture of goods. It is the approval basis for the importing country to grant quotas or preferential tariff treatment to the exporting country.

 

Usually issued by the commodity inspection agency or chamber of commerce at the place of origin, but sometimes the importer can also accept the certificate of origin issued by the exporter. Provide separate supporting documents.

 

The agencies in China that issue such certificates are the State Commodity Inspection Bureau and the Council for the Promotion of International Trade. According to international practice, the relevant fees for applying for the certificate of origin shall be borne by the importer.

 

The certificate of origin is divided into a general certificate of origin and a Generalized System of Preference（GSP） certificate of origin. Certificate of Origin is short for C.O.

C.O. is a kind of certification document used to prove the place of manufacture of export goods, and it is the certificate of “origin” of goods in international trade.

 

The certificate of origin is a valid document for the handover of goods, settlement of payment, claim settlement, customs clearance and acceptance of the importing country, and collection of tariffs by the trade relations person.

 

For shipping from China cargo, the certificate of origin for export goods issued by the Chinese government mainly includes three types:

The first type: non-preferential certificate of origin, also called a general certificate of origin

The second type: Preferential Certificate of Origin, also known as GSP Certificate of Origin

The third type: special certificate of origin

 

Who is responsible for applying for a certificate of origin?

1. Enterprises legally established within the territory of the People’s Republic of China and enjoying the right to operate foreign trade;
2. Enterprises engaged in “processing with supplied materials”, “processing with supplied samples”, “assembly with supplied parts” and “compensation trade”;
3. Foreign-invested enterprises.

 

Registration of the certificate of origin when shipping from China:

The applicant unit should go through the registration formalities with the local visa agency with the business license, the certificate of foreign economic and trade operation rights approved by the competent department, and the relevant materials proving that the goods meet the original standards of the exported goods.

 

The seal of the applicant unit and the name of the applicant should be registered when the applicant unit is registered. Certificate applicants shall be trained and qualified by the inspection and quarantine agency, and hold an applicant certificate.

 

Application and issuance of a certificate of origin:

The applicant should apply for a visa to the inspection and quarantine agency at least 3 days before the goods are shipped, and submit the following documents:

(1) A copy of the general certificate of origin application;

(2) The general certificate of origin, which is correct and clear, and has been signed by the applicant and stamped with the official seal, is in quadruplicate;

(3) A copy of the exporter’s commercial invoice;

(4) For products containing imported ingredients, a detailed product cost statement must also be submitted.

 

Can the certificate of origin be applied for after the goods are shipped?

Application for the issuance of “post-issued certificate”: The certificate of origin should generally be issued before the goods are shipped, but in special circumstances, if the certificate cannot be applied for in time, the issuing agency may handle the “post-issued certificate” as appropriate.

 

Can the certificate of origin be reissued?

Application for the issuance of “Reissue Certificate”: If the originally issued certificate is stolen, lost, or damaged, the applicant may apply for reissue of the certificate within six months from the date of issuance; First of all, make a statement of loss on the “Gunmen Times”. In addition to submitting the reprinted certificate, you should also fill in the application for change and provide a copy of the commercial invoice.

 

Can the certificate of origin be modified?

Application for the issuance of ” modified certificate”: If the applicant requests to change or supplement the content of the issued certificate, he should fill in the modified application form, state the reason for the change and provide the basis, return the originally issued certificate, and the certificate agency will issue a new certificate after verification.

 

Which agency issued the certificate of origin?

Where an importer requires a Chinese official institution to issue a general certificate of origin, the applicant shall apply to the inspection and quarantine institution for processing; where an importer requires a Chinese private institution to issue a general certificate of origin, the applicant shall apply to CCPIT for processing; you can apply to the inspection and quarantine agency or the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

When importing goods from China, these three certificates of origin are widely used and play a very important role, especially when the goods are declared for import customs clearance at the destination port, these certificates of origin will help a lot.

 

What is a non-preferential certificate of origin?

 

The “Certificate of Origin of the People’s Republic of China” is commonly referred to as the “General Certificate of Origin”, referred to as the CO certificate. This certificate is based on the “Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on the Origin of Imported and Exported Goods”.

 

It is a certificate of origin issued for goods shipped from China. The certificate is based on the “Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on the Certificate of Origin of Imported and Exported Goods” and the “Regulations on Substantially Changed Standards in the Non-preferential Rules of Origin”.

 

If the product is only simply processed in China, what certificate of origin can I apply for assembly?

For products that are only processed and assembled in China and have not obtained the qualification of Chinese origin, you can apply for a “Processing and Assembly Certificate”.

 

If the product is only re-exported in China without any processing, what certificate of origin can be issued?

For goods that are only re-exported in China without any processing, a “re-export certificate” can be issued

 

General certificates of origin, depending on the issuer, can be divided into:

1) The certificate of origin issued by the exporter himself.

2) The certificate of origin issued by the State Bureau of Import and Export Commodity Inspection.

3) Certificate of Origin issued by China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (i.e. China Chamber of Commerce).

4) The certificate of origin issued by the manufacturer itself.

 

Who issues the ordinary certificate of origin should be handled according to the requirements of the letter of credit. For export to Italy, sometimes it is required to add a hand signature to the certificate of origin in addition to the stamp of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

 

What is a preferential certificate of origin?

 

Compared with non-preferential certificates of origin, there are many types of preferential certificates of origin. And the scope of coverage also includes shipments from China to various countries around the world.

The following is the preferential certificate of origin that your China forwarder or your China supplier will provide when you ship from China:

 

FORM A: Also called GSP certificate of origin

FORM B: “Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement”

FORM E China-ASEAN Free Trade Area Certificate of Origin

FORM P: China-Pakistan Free Trade Area (China-Pakistan Preferential Trade Arrangement) Certificate of Origin

FORM F: China-Chile Free Trade Zone Certificate of Origin

FORM N: China-New Zealand Free Trade Zone Certificate of Origin

FORM X: China-Singapore Free Trade Zone Preferential Certificate of Origin

China-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement Certificate of Origin

China-Korea Free Trade Area Preferential Certificate of Origin: China-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA)

China-Australia Free Trade Area Preferential Certificate of Origin: China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA)

What is a dedicated certificate of origin?

 

A special certificate of origin is a certificate of origin specified by an international organization or country for a specific product in a special industry according to the needs of rectification and trade measures. The products listed on the special certificate of origin belong to a specific product of a special industry, and these products should comply with specific rules of origin. Certificates are based on bilateral agreements signed between the Chinese government and foreign governments.

 

Such as “Certificate of Origin of Agricultural Products Exported to the EU”, “Certificate of Designation of Origin” (“Certificate of Origin of Tokay Wine”, “Certificate of Authenticity of Emperor Brand Wine”, “Certificate of Cheese Products”), “Certificate of Authenticity of Tobacco”, “Certificate of Authenticity of Tokay” Kimberley Process International Certificate, Certificate of Origin of Handmade Products and Certificate of Origin Marking, etc.

 

For goods shipping from China, what is the role of the issued certificate of origin for import customs clearance?

(1) The main basis for determining the tax rate treatment;

(2) Important basis for conducting trade statistics;

(3) The basis for implementing foreign trade management measures such as import quantity control, anti-dumping, and countervailing;

(4) The basis for controlling the import of goods from specific countries and determining whether to grant or not;

(5) The basis for proving the intrinsic quality of the commodity or the settlement of foreign exchange.

 

How to fill in the certificate of origin?

 

1. CERTIFICATE NO.

This column must not be left blank, otherwise, the certificate will be invalid.

 

2. EXPORTER

Fill in the detailed address, name, and country (region) name of the exporting company. If you pass through other countries or regions, when you need to fill in the name of the re-exporter, you can fill in the English VIA after the exporter, and then fill in the name, address, and country of the re-exporter.

 

3. CONSIGNEE

Fill in the final consignee name, address, and country (region) name. Usually, it is the buyer in the foreign trade contract or the notifier of the bill of lading specified in the letter of credit. If the letter of credit stipulates that the column of all documents consignee is left blank, in this case, this column should be marked with “TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN” or “TO ORDER”, but this column shall not be left blank. If you need to fill in the name of the re-exporter, you can add the English VIA after the consignee, and then write the name, address, and country of the re-exporter.

 

4. MEANS OF TRANSPORT AND ROUTE

Fill in the port of shipment, the port of destination, and the mode of transportation. In the case of transshipment, the place of transshipment should also be indicated. For example: by sea, from Shanghai port to Hamburg port via Hong Kong, it should be filled in: FROM SHANGHAI TO HAMBURG BY VESSEL VIA HONGKONG.

 

5. COUNTRY/REGION OF DESTINATION

Fill in the destination country (region). Generally, it should be consistent with the country of the final consignee or the final destination port (place), and the name of the country of the intermediary cannot be filled in.

 

6. FOR CERTIFYING AUTHORITY USE ONLY

Used by the certificate agency when issuing a certificate, reissuing a certificate or adding other declarations after issuance. The certificate applicant should leave this column blank. Normally, this column is left blank.

 

7. MARKS AND NUMBERS

Fill in the mark. The complete pattern, wordmark, and packaging number should be filled in according to the shipping marks listed on the letter of credit, contract, and invoice, and cannot simply fill in AS PER INVOICE NUMBER or AS PEER B/L NUMBER. If there is no mark on the goods, please fill in the words NO MARK. This column must not be left blank. If there are too many marks, this column is not filled enough. You can fill in the blanks in the 7th, 8th, and 9th columns. If it is still not enough, you can fill in the attached pages.

 

8. NUMBER AND KIND OF PACKAGES， DESCRIPTION OF GOODS

Fill in the product description and packaging quantity. The product name should be filled in with a specific name, not a general expression, such as GARMENT, FOOD, etc. The quantity and type of packaging should be filled in according to the specific unit, which should be strictly consistent with the letter of credit and other documents.

The packaging quantity should be written in English after the Arabic numerals. If the goods are in bulk, add the words (IN BULK) after the commodity name. Sometimes the letter of credit requires that the contract number, letter of credit number, etc. be added to all documents, which can be added in this column. The last line of this column should be marked with an end symbol (**************) to prevent adding content.

 

9. H.S.CODE

This column requires filling in the HS code, which should be consistent with the customs declaration. If the same certificate contains several commodities, all the corresponding tax item numbers should be filled in. This column must not be left blank.

 

10. QUANTITY

This column requires the quantity of the exported goods and the unit of measurement of the goods. If there is only gross weight, please fill in “G.W.”.

 

11. NUMBER AND DATE OF INVOICE

Fill in the commercial invoice number and date. This column must not be left blank. In order to avoid misunderstandings about the month and date, the month must be expressed in English, such as March 15, 2021, it will be: MARCH.15, 2021.

 

12. DECLARATION BY THE EXPORTER

Fill in the name of the exporter, the place of declaration, and the date, signed by a person registered with the certificate agency and stamped with Chinese and English seals.

 

13. CERTIFICATION

Fill in the certificate location and date. After the certificate agency has verified, the certificate applicant will sign in this column (original) and affix the certification stamp.

 

 

Regarding the application time of the certificate of origin and the issuance time of the certificate of origin:

 

Article 15 of the “Implementation Rules of the People’s Republic of China on the Administration of the Certificate of Origin Visa Administration” stipulates that “the applicant shall apply for a certificate to the entry-exit inspection and quarantine agency five days before the goods are shipped. You can apply for a certificate in time, and you can also apply for a visa afterward.”

 

Article 28 of the Implementing Rules of the People’s Republic of China for the Administration of the Certificate of Origin Visa Administration of the Generalized System of Preferences stipulates that “After the entry-exit inspection and quarantine agency officially accepts the application, it generally takes two working days to complete the issuance of the certificate.

 

In special circumstances, you can Urgent issuance. Those who need to go to the applicant unit or factory for investigation are not limited by two working days.”

 

Article 17 of the Measures for the Administration of Non-preferential Certificate of Origin Visas of the People’s Republic of China stipulates that “the visa agency shall complete the review within 2 working days from the date of accepting the certificate application, and the certificate shall be granted if the review is passed.

 

If the applicant fails to register with the CO agency, the CO agency shall complete the review of the CO application within 2 working days from the date when the registration information is verified. Those who pass the review will be granted a CO; the time required for investigation and verification is not included. ”

 

The regional preferential certificate of origin generally refers to the relevant provisions of the general preferential system certificate of origin visa, and the issuance of the certificate is completed in two working days.

 

Certificate of Origin Management: Regulations on the Application and Issuance of Certificates of Origin by Governments

Due to the important role of the certificate of origin in international trade and the variability and complexity of the rules of origin, the governments of various countries have made regulations on the application and issuance of the certificate of origin, mainly in the following aspects:

 

First, the administrative agencies that issue certificates of origin of exported goods in various countries are all government departments. It is mainly to formulate regulations and related policies on the origin of goods in the country; to lead and coordinate the work of various visa agencies; to deal with various issues that occur in the application and issuance of certificates of origin.

 

Second, the issuing organization of the certificate of origin of exported goods is one authorized by the competent government department, and the other is the chamber of commerce.

 

Third, specify the original standard of goods, which is the core of origin regulations. The “Kyoto Convention” divides the criteria for determining the origin of goods into two categories: “production in all places of origin” and “substantial changes”.

 

Fourth, the application, issuance, and management of certificates of origin are stipulated, and the qualifications of applicants are also stipulated. Some countries and regions stipulate that applicants must be registered and can only be processed after passing the inspection.

 

Fifth, when issuing certificates of origin, CO agencies in various countries generally charge applicants a certain amount of CO processing fees.

 

Sixth, in order to maintain the seriousness of the certificate of origin system, the “Kyoto Convention” recommends that member states impose penalties on false origin claims. All countries attach great importance to this issue. In addition to the provisions on economic and administrative penalties, they also provide corresponding criminal penalties for those involving criminal responsibility.

 

(1) The management system and CO agency of the GSP certificate of origin

The GSP competent authority is the Special Committee on Preferential Issues under UNCTAD, and the Special Committee on Preferential Issues has a working group on rules of origin. UNCTAD is a permanent body under the General Assembly of the United Nations and works under the leadership of the General Assembly. UNCTAD establishes a conference, council, secretariat Libraries, etc. The General Assembly is the authority of UNCTAD, and the Council is its permanent executive body.

 

The Council consists of the Technology Transfer Committee, the Manufactured Products Trade Committee, the Shipping Committee, the Intangible Trade, and Trade Funds Committee, the Primary Products Committee, and the Developing Countries Committee. Economic Cooperation Committee, Special Committee on Preferential Issues, and many other professional committees.

 

According to UNCTAD regulations, the GSP certificate of origin is issued by the relevant government authorities of the beneficiary country. The beneficiary country shall report the name and address of the government authority authorized to issue the GSP certificate, together with the style of the seal used by it and the handwriting of the CO officer, to the customs of the beneficiary country for the record.

According to the regulations promulgated by the Chinese government, inspection and quarantine institutions are the only legal institutions authorized by the Chinese government to issue GSP certificates of origin.

 

 

(2) General certificate of the origin management system and CO agencies

The general certificate of origin is a non-preferential certificate of origin. The WTO Agreement on Rules of Origin is an international agreement on the formulation principles, the scope of use, unified coordination, and institutional setup of non-preferential rules of origin.

 

When WTO members signed the Agreement on Rules of Origin, they decided to formulate a set of preferential rules of origin for coordination fees under the WTO framework, which will apply to the origin determination of non-preferential imported and exported products of all WTO members.

 

The entry-exit inspection and quarantine agencies of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and its local branches are responsible for the certificate of origin and visa work for exported goods. Other unauthorized departments and agencies shall not issue certificates of origin or certificates of origin.

 

The entry-exit inspection and quarantine agency is the official CO agency, and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and its local branches are the private visa agency. If the import and export require a certificate of origin issued by the official, it should apply to the entry-exit inspection and quarantine agency;

 

if the importer requires a certificate of origin issued by a private institution, it should apply to the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and its local branch; Entry and exit inspection and quarantine agencies or China Council for the Promotion of International Trade apply for processing.

 

 

(3) Management system and CO agency of regional preferential certificates of origin

The regional preferential certificates of origin issued by China include the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area Certificate of Origin

The Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement Certificate of Origin

The China-Pakistan Free Trade Area,

The China-Chile Free Trade Area Certificate of Origin

The China-New Zealand Free Trade Area Certificate of Origin.

Trade Zone Certificate of Origin (FORM N Certificate), China-Singapore Free Trade Zone Preferential Certificate of Origin, China-Peru Free Trade Zone Certificate of Origin, China-Costa Rica Free Trade Certificate of Origin,

According to the bilateral preferential trade agreement, China- ASEAN Free Trade Area Certificate of Origin.

 

China-Pakistan Free Trade Area, China-Chile Free Trade Area Certificate of Origin, issued by the government agency of the exporting Member.

The Certificate of Origin of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement is issued by an agency established by the government of the exporting Member. A member shall notify all other members of the name and address of the government-appointed agency that issued the certificate of origin, and provide the signature style and seal impression used by the government-appointed agency.

 

China’s regional preferential certificate of origin can be issued by the entry-exit inspection and quarantine agencies in various places. Among them, the “Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement” certificate of origin is issued by the authorized China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. The Office of Origin of the General Administration of Customs of China implements unified management of the regional preferential certificate of origin visa work.

 

 

4) Management systems and CO agencies for other special certificates of origin

“Book EU Certificate of Origin of Agricultural Products”, “Tokay Wine Certificate of Origin”, “Emperor Brand Wine Certificate of Authenticity”, “Cheese Product Certificate”, “Tobacco Authenticity Certificate”, “Kimberley Process International Certificate” from various places Issued by the entry-exit inspection and quarantine agencies.

 

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine implement unified management of the above-mentioned certificate of origin visa work.

 

According to the suggestion of the Ministry of Commerce, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine authorized the relevant departments of the economic and trade commissions (departments) in various places to issue the “Certificate of Origin of Agricultural Products Exported to the EU”.

The “Certificate of Origin of Handmade Products” is issued by the relevant departments of the economic commissions (departments) of various places.

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Ships from China, common certificate of origin and FTA classification, including the standards of these certificates of origin, and how to fill out the following CO /FTAs:

 

Type of certificate of origin :	Certificate  type code	Shipping to	Certificate of origin standard and its filling
General Certificate of Origin	C	all countries	The basic standard is based on the change of tariff classification, and the supplementary standard is based on the ad valorem percentage, manufacturing, or processing steps. The certificate does not reflect the origin criteria.
GSP certificate of origin	G	EU, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, Japan, and Liechtenstein	①Completely original:  Fill in ” P ” ; ②Incomplete origin: meet the requirements of the processing list, but not included Satisfy the item number change rule, fill in ” W ” plus export product HS Item number, eg: ” W ” 94.05.
		Canada	①Completely original:  Fill in ” P ” ; ②Incomplete origin: the value of the imported ingredients does not exceed the ex-factory price of the packaged products to be shipped to Canada 40 %, fill in ” F ” ; ③ Incomplete origin: products processed by many least developed countries, The value of the imported ingredients does not exceed the value of the packaged product for shipment to Canada. price 40 %, fill in ” G “.

 

		Belarus, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Ukraine	①Completely original:  Fill in ” P ” ; ②Incomplete origin: the value of imported components does not exceed the FOB price of the product 50%, fill in ” Y ” plus the percentage of non-originating ingredient value in the FOB price of the product, for example, ” Y ” 50 % ; ③Incomplete origin: the value of imported components does not exceed the FOB price of the product 50%, produced in one beneficiary country and in another or several other beneficiaries For products manufactured or processed in China, fill in ” P K ” .
		Australia New Zealand	①Completely original:  Fill in ” P ” ; ②Incomplete origin: the value of domestic ingredients is not less than the ex-factory price of the product 50%, leave blank.
China – ASEAN Free Trade Area Preferential Certificate of Origin	E	ASEAN member states	① Completely original: fill in ” X” ; ②Incomplete origin: the composition of the China – ASEAN Free Trade Area is greater than or equal to the FOB price of the product 40%, fill in the percentage of the China – ASEAN Free Trade Area component in the FOB price of the product, for example, 40% ; ③Incomplete origin: In line with specific origin standards, fill in ” P S R ” .
Asia Pacific Trade Agreement Certificate of Origin	B	Bangladesh, India, South Korea, Sri Lanka	① Completely original: fill in ” A ” ; ②Non -originating: the non-originating ingredient is less than or equal to 55% of the FOB price of the product, fill in ” B ” plus the percentage of the non-originating ingredient in the FOB price of the product, For example, 55% ; ③Incomplete origin: the product is accumulated using the origin, and the cumulative components of the member countries are not lower than the FOB price of the product. 60%, fill in ” C ” plus the percentage of the cumulative origin component in the FOB price of the product, for example 60% ; ④Incomplete origin: Least developed member countries can enjoy the benefits on the basis of ②③ above 10 % off, fill in ” D ” .
China – Pakistan Free Trade Zone Certificate of Origin	P	Pakistan	①Completely original:  Fill in ” P ” ; ②Incomplete origin: the single country component or the cumulative component of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Zone is greater than or equal to the FOB price of the product 40%, fill in the percentage of the single country component or the cumulative component of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Zone to the FOB price of the product, for example, 40% ; ③Incomplete origin: In line with specific origin standards, fill in ” P S R ” .
China – Chile Free Trade Area	F	Chile	①Completely original:  Fill in ” P ” ;

 

Certificate of Origin			②Incomplete origin: the regional value component is greater than or equal to the FOB price of the product 40 %, fill in ” R V C ” ; ③ Incomplete origin: meet specific origin criteria, fill in ” PSR ” . _ _
China – New Zealand Free Trade Zone Certificate of Origin	N	new Zealand	①Complete origin: fill in ” W O ” ; ②Incomplete origin: Made entirely of materials that have obtained the qualification of origin, Fill in ” WP ” ; ③Incomplete origin: If it meets the requirements of tax classification change and process requirements in the specific origin standard, fill in ” PSR “; if it meets the regional value component ( RVC ) requirements in the specific origin standard, fill in ” PSR ” and add the area Domain value component percentage.
China – Singapore Free Trade Zone Certificate of Origin	X	Singapore	①Completely original:  Fill in ” P ” ; ②Incomplete origin: the regional value component is greater than or equal to the FOB price of the product 40 %, fill in ” R V C ” ; ③ Incomplete origin: meet specific origin criteria, fill in ” PSR ” . _ _
Certificate of Origin in China – Peru Free Trade Zone	R	Peru	①Complete origin: fill in ” W O ” ; ②Incomplete origin: Made entirely of materials that have obtained the qualification of origin, Fill in ” WP ” ; ③Incomplete origin: If it meets the requirements of tax classification change and process requirements in the specific origin standard, fill in ” PSR “; if it meets the regional value component ( RVC ) requirements in the specific origin standard, fill in ” PSR ” and add the area Domain value component percentage.