Basics of Certificates of Origin

Course Overview

Understand the purposes and determination of certificates of origin, the complexities of rules of origin, and the impact of free trade agreements on documentation requirements. Learn the differences between general-purpose and country-specific forms, the importance of maintaining supporting documentation for FTA certificates, and considerations for consular documentation fees in shipping quotations. Explore the role of outsourcing consular documentation and compliance with packaging and labeling requirements for consumer products in point-of-sale packaging.

• The two purposes of a certificate of origin
• How country of origin of a product is determined, and unavoidable complexity that sometimes arises
• The WTO Agreement on Rules of Origin as a guide to determining country of origin
• How rules of origin vary based on the destination country and whether a free trade agreement exists between the origin and destination countries
• Use of a general purpose certificate of origin form vs. requirement for a country-specific or FTA form
• Why it is important for exporters who issue and importers who rely upon FTA certificates of origin to maintain supporting documentation for these certificates
• Why it is important to include consular documentation fees and costs in a shipping quotation
• Why exporters and their forwarders often outsource (sub-contract) the preparation of consular documentation
• How consumer products shipped in point-of-sale packaging must generally comply with destination country packaging and labeling requirements