A Certificate of Origin (CO) is a document attesting that goods in a particular export shipment are wholly obtained or produced or manufactured or processed in a particular country (country of origin). Virtually every country in the world considers the origin of imported goods when determining what duty will be assessed on the goods or, in some cases, whether the goods may be legally imported at all.
There are two varieties of certificates. The main type issued by chambers are "Non-Preferential CO", i.e. an “ordinary CO” which certifies the country of origin of a particular product does not qualify for any preferential treatment.
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"Preferential CO" refers to CO which enables products to enjoy tariff reduction or exemption when they are exported to countries extending these privileges: e.g. GSP, Commonwealth Preference Certificate.
Certificates of Origin may be needed to comply with letters of credit, foreign customs requirements or a buyer’s request.
Unlike the ATA Carnet, there is no international chain amongst chambers of commerce for the issuance of Certificates of Origin.
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