What is certificate of origin? What are the precautions?

The certificate of origin is a document that proves the origin of a commodity, that is, the place of production or manufacturing of the goods.

It is the main basis for importing countries to determine tariff treatment for imported goods, conduct trade statistics, implement quantity restrictions, and control imports from specific countries.

Notes on Certificate of Origin:

1. The format of the certificate of origin uploaded during declaration should comply with the document regulations, be an original color scanned copy, and the content of the certificate should be clear. Please upload an "ORIGINAL" document instead of a "COPY" or "TRIPLICATE" document.
2. The signature and seal of the issuing authority column and the exporter column of the certificate of origin should be complete and clear.
3. The exporter of the certificate of origin should be consistent with the invoice and contract.

4. The certificate date section should be noted:

(1) The issuance date of the certificate stipulates that the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement shall be within 3 working days after export or shipment; The China ASEAN Free Trade Agreement is valid within 3 days after shipment due to force majeure reasons before and during shipment; The China Peru Free Trade Agreement and the China Australia Free Trade Agreement are before or during export; The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a pre shipment agreement.
(2) Certificate validity period: The validity period of the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement, China ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, China Peru Free Trade Agreement, China Australia Free Trade Agreement, and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) is one year from the date of issuance.
(3) Deadline for issuing replacement certificates: According to the China ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, replacement certificates can be issued within 12 months; The China Australia Free Trade Agreement stipulates that the goods can be reissued within one year from the date of shipment; There is no reissue of the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement.

5. If the certificate of origin is not issued according to the time specified in the document, and the issuing authority reissues the certificate of origin, the words "ISSUED RETROACTIVELY" should be indicated on the certificate.
The ship name and voyage on the certificate of origin should be consistent with the declaration on the customs declaration.
7. The first 4 digits of the HS code on the certificate of origin under the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement should be consistent with the declaration on the customs declaration; The first 8 digits of the HS code on the certificate of origin of the Cross Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) should be consistent with the declaration on the customs declaration; The first 6 digits of the HS code on the certificate of origin of other preferential trade agreements should be consistent with the declaration on the customs declaration.
8.The quantity on the certificate of origin should be consistent with the quantity and measurement unit declared on the customs declaration. For example, the quantity listed in the certificate of origin of the China ASEAN Free Trade Agreement is "Gross weight or net weight or other quantity". If the issuing authority does not make a special declaration on the quantity when issuing the certificate of origin, it is assumed that the quantity listed in the certificate of origin is gross weight. The quantity of the certificate of origin should be consistent with the gross weight on the customs declaration. If the quantity of the certificate of origin is less than the gross weight, the portion exceeding the quantity listed in the certificate of origin cannot enjoy the agreed tax rate.

9. The "Origin Criteria" or "Origin Conferring Criteria" entered by the enterprise in a single window should be consistent with the "Origin Criteria" or "Origin Conferring Criteria" on the certificate of origin. Please make sure to enter them correctly during the application process.
10. The invoice number and date entered in the invoice number column of the certificate of origin should be consistent with the invoice number and date attached to the customs declaration.
11. The 13th column of the China ASEAN Free Trade Agreement certificate involves four situations: the circulation of goods between member countries, reissuance of certificates, third-party trade, and exhibits. If there are any of the above four situations, please check the relevant items correctly.