No More Extensions, How to Apply for Online Certificate of Origin (CoO)?

After three repeated extensions of the deadlines for moving physical issuance of Certificate of Origin (CoO) to online mode on request of industry associations and chambers, the Director-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has finally decided not to encourage the defiance of the deadline of October 31, 2021, anymore.

The DGFT director-general Amit Yadav in a recent interview made it clear that the non-preferential CoOs which were issued by several industry chambers in physical mode after the latest deadline would not be valid anymore as there can’t be unlimited extensions. The manually-issued CoO won’t be valid, he added.

From November 1st, e-filing of non-preferential CoO applications through Common Digital Platform was made mandatory with 85 agencies already complying with that. While the issue still exists, the industry associations have requested the office of DGFT to circulate a notification clearing up the online/offline dilemma.

What is a Certificate of Origin?

The Certificate of Origin (CoO) is issued by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to prove that commodities being exported are of Indian origin. Daily thousands of certificates are issued around the world to promote trade worldwide.

A CoO must be signed on a non-judicial stamp paper of Rs.10, duly notarised with a permanent indemnity bond, signed and stamped by the chamber of commerce to prove the origin of the goods.

Types of Certificate of Origin (CoO):

1. Non-preferential Certificate of Origin:
   This type of origin certificate states that the goodies being transported have not yet been given any preferential tariff treatment and the duties that are due, must be levied upon the goods.
2. Preferential Certificate of Origin:
   This type of certificate of origin is given towards goods that are subjected to the preferential tariff in the payment of duties and when two or more nations reach an agreement entailing exemptions when goods are being transported, such a situation arises.

There are several schemes like GSP, GSTP, APTA, SAPTA, ISLFTA, CEPA, IMCECA, and IJCEPA available between India and different nations or groups of nations to extend the tariff concession. 

How to Apply for CoO:

Depending on the country you are exporting to and if the preferred tariff rates are available, exporters have to approach different registered agencies to get CoOs. 

The Documents Required for Physical Applications are:

• Cover letter for issue of CoO.
• Product Details that are being exported.
• Packing list in duplicate for the concerned invoice.
• One copy of the invoice with the self-declaration of origin.
• Nine copies of the Certificate of Origin.
• The fee, which is applicable per certificate.

The Documents Required for Online Applications are:

• The exporter must have the Digital Signature Certificate containing IEC available with them and install the DSC software in the system available in the digital key.
• Enter Credentials to enter the portal
• Fill up trade agreement, issuing agency, issuing office, product details, and digital signature to proceed
• Make payment to complete the application.

After the November deadline, it’s fallacious to issue CoOs through physical means. We, A V Internationals obtain CoO on behalf of our clients.