16 Sep
Everything You Wish to Know about a Certificate of Origin
Is your importer or buyer from some other country demanding a certificate of origin along with your export consignment? But, What is a certificate of origin? Who issues it and what is its importance? The first thing you should know is that exporting goods from your country might not be possible if you fail to produce this certificate. So, here’s a guide to learn about it.
Introduction to Certificate of Origin
As its name suggests, a certificate of origin is a document that certifies the origin of the goods being exported from a country. For example, if you are exporting goods from Australia, you must have a certificate of origin as proof that the goods were produced, manufactured or processed in Australia.
Why Do You Need It?
A certificate of origin is demanded by the importers to enjoy benefits like reduced tariffs as prescribed by the free trade agreements (FTAs). The FTAs are the agreements that a country signs with its trade partner countries to mutually reduce or completely eliminate the tariffs on the import and export of certain goods and services. For this, it is important that an exporter provides evidence that the goods originate in his or her country only and a certificate of origin serves as one such evidence.
Some of the FTAs that Australia has with other countries include:
- China-Australia – CHAFTA
- Japan-Australia – JAEPA
- Thailand-Australia – TAFTA
- Korea-Australia – KAFTA
- ASEAN Countries–Australia-New Zealand – AANZFTA
Who Issues a Certificate of Origin?
The chambers of commerce stamp the certificates of origins prepared by the exporters. If you are an exporter in Australia, you must contact the right chamber of commerce in your region for this purpose. Some of these chambers are:
- Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- NSW Business Chamber
- Chamber of Commerce and Industry Western Australia
- Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
How to Apply?
Prepare a certificate of origin by typing it in the prescribed format. Submit it along with the required documents (like commercial invoice, letter of credit etc.) in person, by post or electronically to the concerned chamber of commerce. The chamber would stamp it, maintain a copy for its records and send back a copy to the exporter.
