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Certificate of Origin

About the U.S. Certificate of Origin
Some destinations require a Certificate of Origin (CO) for certain
commodities. The purpose of the CO is to authenticate the country of
origin of the merchandise being shipped.

The CO may be required because of established Treaty arrangements,
varying duty rates, and preferential duty treatment dependent on the
shipment´s origin.

The CO verifies the country in which the goods were manufactured. The
commodity being exported and its destination determine if the CO is
required. Some nations restrict imports from certain countries; many
countries limit the quantity of goods that are allowed to be imported,
or give preference to goods manufactured in the U.S.

This form requires the authorized signature of the local Chamber of Commerce Secretary and the seal of that organization.

Use the NAFTA CO for destinations to Canada and Mexico if the goods qualify as North American Origin goods.

The descriptions and amounts on the CO must be consistent with those entered on the Invoice.

In general, you need a CO when the country of origin is U.S., and the destination countries and goods are the following:

  • Albania: The good is any commercial food, drug, medicine, or
    medical equipment. This includes all commercial food, drug, or medicine
    samples.
  • Argentina: The good is any textile, regardless of value (unusable textile samples do not require a CO).
  • Austria: Required for all commercial textile shipments. Textile
    samples of "no commercial value" under 256.00 EUR/$235.00 USD do NOT
    require a CO. A CO is also NOT required for purchases of limited
    quantities of textile for personal use only, less than 820.00
    EUR/$760.00 USD (Must not be in bulk quantities).
  • Belgium: All shipments containing textile products that originate
    in non EU-countries. Exempt are textile sample shipments of no
    commercial or customs value and purchases under 250.00 EUR/$230.00 USD
    per commodity.
  • Bolivia: All non-documents valued over $3,000 USD.
  • Canada: See the NAFTA CO.
  • Canary Islands: The good is any non-document.
  • Denmark: Textile shipments valued over 1000.00 DKR/$110.00 USD and
    from a non-EU origin (A CO is not needed for textile SAMPLES -- if
    "samples" appears on the invoice).
  • Finland: For all non-EU countries: All commercial textiles and
    textile samples over 45.00 EUR/$54.00 USD.For European non-EU
    countries: Not Required if proof of origin can be determined from EUR1
    document or declaration on invoice. Note: A CO is NOT required for
    purchases of limited quantities of textiles for personal use (must not
    be in bulk or wholesale quantities).
  • France: All shipments of textiles and clothing manufactured in
    non-EU countries if the CIF value of the shipment is greater than
    1,000.00 EUR/$980.00 USD. Photocopied or imaged certificates will not
    be accepted.
  • Germany: All commercial shipments of textiles. Textile samples with
    no commercial value and a customs value exceeding 250.00 EUR/$230.00
    USD. Textile shipments to private individuals for personal use if the
    value exceeds 1,000.00 EUR/$980.00 USD.
  • Greece: All textile shipments from non-EU countries; All commercial
    shoe shipments from non-EU countries.; Samples (ONLY up to three
    shoe/textile items or less than seven sq. meters of textile sample) do
    NOT require a CO.
  • Ireland: All textile shipments with a value exceeding 254.00
    EUR/$234.00 USD require a CO. The exception is textile shipments for
    personal use. Customs limits the quantities.
  • Israel: Trading relations between the U.S. and Israel allow reduced
    or cancelled duties for U.S.-made goods that are shipped with a green
    Certificate of Origin for trade with Israel (CO). The shipper is
    responsible for the CO. This must be filled out in capital letters and
    in English only. UPS can prepare the Certificate of Origin for a
    US$10.00 service fee (only by utilizing the UPS online system).
  • Italy: Customs requires a CO for all textile shipments and for all
    online purchases of any value from private individuals. Customs exempts
    low-value shipments of samples with a value of 45.00 EUR/$25.00 USD or
    less.
  • Japan: Silk items over 300 square meters require a CO. Silk items
    below 300 square meters can be noted on the commercial invoice.
  • Kuwait:All non-document shipments over $1500.00 USD must be
    accompanied by a CO with a stamped ("legalized") seal from the origin
    country Chamber of Commerce. Note: All goods destined for US Air Force
    installations are exempt from this requirement and will not need a
    Certificate of Origin.
  • Mexico: See the NAFTA CO.
  • Netherlands: All textile shipments valued over 345.00 EUR/$319.00 USD.
  • Spain: A CO is needed for all shipments that may be eligible for
    duty-free treatment due to existing trade agreements, such as EFTA, SPG
    (System of Generalized Preferences), and LOMA. All textile shipments
    (including personal) must have a CO. Textiles may also require an
    import permit.
  • United Kingdom: Textile shipments over 18.00 GBP (26.60 EUR/$25.00
    USD). Exempt are purchases of limited amounts of textile goods for
    personal use only (must not be in bulk or wholesale quantities). Also
    exempt are commercial samples of negligible value.

A textile is anything made of cloth or fabric, garments, apparel,
finished textile products, products made wholly or partially of textile
material as well as raw material, including auto car seats, suits,
dresses, bolts of fabric, and so on.

Commercial is a business-to-business or business-to-person transaction involving the purchase or sale of a commodity.

Note: The rules for when a CO is needed change often.
Please be sure to verify the current criteria requiring a CO before
sending your shipment.

 

Here you can find the example mentioned above.

 

NAFTA Certificate of Origin
The
NAFTA Certificate of Origin is used by Canada, Mexico, and the United
States, including Puerto Rico, to determine if goods imported into
their countries receive reduced or eliminated duty as specified by the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

For those forms that are completed online, this application is designed for goods whose origin is the U.S. or Puerto Rico only.

The NAFTA Certificate of Origin must be attached to an Invoice if the shipment is valued at greater than:

  • $1,000 USD and is being sent to a Mexican destination from Canada or the U.S.
  • $1,600 (Canadian dollars) and is being sent to a Canadian destination from Mexico or the U.S.
  • $2,500 USD and is being sent to a U.S. destination from Canada or Mexico.

Shipments
valued at less than the above amounts do not require a NAFTA
Certificate of Origin. Instead, the customer should type the following
statement on the shipment´s invoice:

"I hereby certify that
the good covered by this shipment qualifies as an originating good for
purposes of preferential tariff treatment under the NAFTA."

For
purposes of obtaining preferential tariff treatment, this document must
be completed legibly and in full by the exporter and be in the
possession of the importer at the time the declaration is made. This
document may also be completed voluntarily by the producer for use by
the exporter. Please print or type.

(see https://www.ups.com/content/us/en/shipping/international/documents/intl_...)

Here you can find an example of a NAFTA certificate of origin.