Certificate of Origin

Certificate of Origin (C/O) is an official document issued by the government or authorized institutions of the exporting country, certifying that the goods originate from a specific country or region. It serves as an important basis for the importing country's customs to determine tariff treatment, implement trade controls (such as anti-dumping and quotas), and conduct trade statistics. Use cases include: when the importing country requires preferential tariff treatment under GSP or free trade agreements (specific certificates of origin such as FORM A and FORM E are required); when the importing country imposes trade restrictions on specific countries; when the buyer requires proof that the goods are not produced in a certain country. Precautions: The certificate of origin must be consistent with information on commercial invoices, bills of lading, and other documents; the format and filling rules of certificates of origin vary under different free trade agreements (such as China-ASEAN FORM E and RCEP Certificate of Origin); the origin criteria (wholly obtained, change in tariff classification, regional value content, etc.) must be satisfied; the certificate is usually required to be issued before or at the time of export, and late issuance may require a retroactive certificate. Differences from other terms: A Certificate of Origin is different from a commercial invoice (which only certifies transaction details) and an inspection certificate (which certifies quality); it focuses on the "economic nationality" of goods and is directly linked to tariffs and trade policies.