Form R (China-Russia)

FORM R (China-Russia Trade Certificate of Origin) is a special certificate of origin issued between China and Russia under the China-Russia Bilateral Trade Agreement. It certifies that goods exported from China to Russia or from Russia to China originate in the territory of one party, thereby enjoying tariff preferences. Applicable scenarios: mainly for goods under China-Russia border trade, general trade, and processing trade. Notes: 1) Only applicable to China-Russia bilateral trade, not to other CIS countries; 2) Must be issued by customs or CCPIT and submitted together with the goods at export; 3) The certificate is usually valid for 12 months from the date of issuance; 4) Goods must meet origin rules (e.g., wholly obtained or substantial transformation). Differences from FORM A (GSP Certificate of Origin) and FORM E (China-ASEAN FTA Certificate of Origin): FORM R is exclusively for the China-Russia agreement, and the tariff preference margin is stipulated by the bilateral agreement, not GSP or FTA rates. In addition, since 2019, China-Russia trade has gradually promoted electronic certificates of origin, but FORM R is still used as a traditional paper certificate in some scenarios. Foreign trade practitioners should note: if goods are transshipped via a third country, a certificate of non-manipulation may be required; meanwhile, Russian customs scrutinize FORM R strictly, so it is advisable to verify the HS code and origin criteria in advance.