Certificate of Origin

A Certificate of Origin (often abbreviated to C/O or CoO) is a document used in international trade. It is a printed form completed by the exporter or an agent and certified by an issuing body, attesting that the goods in a particular shipment have been wholly produced, manufactured or processed in a particular country.

It is generally an integral part of export documents. Determining the origin of a product is important because it is the key basis for applying tariffs and other important criteria. The instrument establishes evidence on the origin of goods imported into any country.

There are two types of Certificate of Origin:

1. Preferential
2. Non-preferential

AP Chambers is authorized by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to issue Non-preferential “Certificate of Origin” to exporters. The Chambers has been efficiently providing this service to all its members at a nominal cost.

The exporter seeking Certificates of Origin has to become a member of the Chambers (if not already a member) and execute an indemnity bond in favour of the Chambers before they can avail of this service for the first time. The exporter can get the Certificate of Origin signed by one of the authorized signatories from the Chambers for a nominal service charge.

AP Chambers also issues CoOs online through DGFT's Common Digital Platform. Members can apply for CoOs online through the DGFT platform and the Chambers will process and approve the CoOs completely online.

The document on how to register and apply for CoOs on the Common Digital Platform will be made available for download here. Please contact the Chambers office for the latest instructions.