Workshop on Certificate of Origin

In international trade documentation, a key document is the Certificate of Origin, commonly known as the CO. A 'Certificate of Origin' is an important trade document attesting that goods in a particular export shipment are wholly obtained, produced, manufactured or processed in a particular country.

According to sources at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), known as the world business organisation and based in Paris, "COs also constitute a declaration by the exporter. 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."

"The main type issued by chambers are 'Non-Preferential COs', i.e. 'ordinary COs' which certify that the country of origin of a particular product does not qualify for any preferential treatment.

'Preferential COs' refer to COs which enable 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 needs or a buyer's request," the sources said.

In most countries, Chambers of Commerce are the key agents in the delivery of certificates of origin. However, in some countries, this privilege may also be extended to other bodies such as Ministries or Customs authorities.

CEO, Shippers Academy, Colombo, Rohan Masakorala said, "It is a must that CEOs, managers, bankers, international trade executives, and logistics and freight forwarders have a good understanding of the CO document and its functions when involved in import and export trade."

"It is also an important document for an emerging hub such as Sri Lanka, where new hub operations, FTAs, transshipment and value addition is due to expand and the knowledge of proper documentation will help develop the overall logistics performance," he said.

The Shippers' Academy Colombo, an institution that trains industry personnel and ICC Sri Lanka (ICCSL) have organised the first-ever workshop on CO and has invited the Commerce Department to present the procedures adopted at government level.