Generic certificate of origin generator

CO as a customs entry condition

Most destination countries require a Certificate of Origin to clear import customs, regardless of whether the buyer wants to claim FTA duty preference. The generic (non-preferential) CO is the simplest form: it declares the country of origin and lists the cargo, but does not invoke any FTA rule. The destination customs uses it for tariff classification (HS code drives duty rate); the importer signs as the importer of record.

The chamber of commerce is the certifying authority for non-preferential COs in most jurisdictions. In China, the local chamber stamps the CO based on the exporter declaration; the chamber does not investigate origin claims, so the exporter signature is the load-bearing attestation. False origin declarations are a customs offence at destination; the importer faces additional duty plus penalties if origin is misdeclared.

For preferential origin claims, the certifying authority and the rules are different. China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) is the typical certifying body for ChAFTA, RCEP, ACFTA Form E, and China-Chile Form F. Each FTA has its own product-specific rules of origin (PSR table) and an origin determination test that the exporter must satisfy before CCPIT issues the preferential CO. The generic CO bypasses all that complexity at the cost of no duty saving.

For chemical exports, the typical generic CO covers shipments to non-FTA destinations (most South American countries other than Chile, most African countries, plus some Middle East destinations where China does not have an FTA). For FTA destinations (Australia, ASEAN, Korea, RCEP signatories, Chile), use the FTA-specific tool to claim duty preference.