H.M.Paperwork - Filling out the Forms!

Most of the information in this section has been taken from "The International Freight Guide" with the kind permission of the British International Freight Association.

Bill of Lading
Airway Bill
CMR Note
Standard Shipping Note
Certificates of Origin
ATA Carnet
Movement Certificates
The Role of Customs and International Trade
Customs Entry and Customs Procedure Codes
Community Transit & the Single Market Effect
EDI - Customs, Trade & the Future

Certificates of Origin

Introduction

Many countries of the world require documentary evidence of the origin of goods as a condition of importation and without which import customs clearance cannot take place. Many letters of credit also call for certificates of origin to be presented as part of their terms, either because the importing country requires them or because some other agency has laid down a requirement for one.

There are two types of certificate of origin in use in the UK.

1. The Arab-British Chamber of Commerce certificate of origin is required by countries of the Arab League.
2. The European Communities Certificate of Origin is required in all other cases where certificates of origin are prescribed as a condition of contract for importation. It is available from chambers of commerce in the UK.

Arab-British Chamber of Commerce certificates of origin

Certificates of origin and all other documents that are used in trade with the Arab countries and have to be certified by a chamber of commerce, must have the certification done by the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce.

A special Arab-British Chamber of Commerce certificate of origin must be used (not the EU form which is used for other countries) and this will be obtainable from authorised chambers of commerce.

Rules for completing certificates of origin

1. The certificate set (original, application (blue form) and control copy (green form)) must be completed in typescript, each copy in an identical manner, in either English or Arabic or, if required by the consignee, in any language. In these instances it must be accompanied by a written translation.
2. The certificate and application must not contain erasures or superimposed corrections. Alterations are to be made by crossing out the erroneous entries and adding the correct entries as required. Any such alterations must be authenticated by the person making it and endorsed by the competent authorities.
3. A horizontal line must be drawn immediately below the final entry in box 6 to make any subsequent additions impossible.
4. If the needs of the transaction so require, extra copies of this certificate may be made.
5. Certification will not be carried out unless the complete three-part set is submitted.
6. All documents that are required to support the application must be attached to the application.

Assembly and presentation of certificates of origin to chambers

Certificates or origin and supporting document must be presented to chambers of commerce in the strict order laid down by the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce as follows:

A. CERTIFICATION OF CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN ONLY

1. original certificate of origin;
2. any extra copies of certificates of origin;
3. green control copy (duly signed);
4. copy of invoice, signed by the supplier;
5. blue application copy of the certificate of origin (duly signed);
6. copy of invoice (duly signed).

B. CERTIFICATION OF CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN AND INVOICES

1. original certificate of origin;
2. any extra copies of certificates of origin;
3. green control copy (duly signed);
4. blue application copy (duly signed);
5. copy of invoice, signed by the supplier;
6. original invoice, manually signed by the supplier;
7. any extra copies of the invoice requiring certification (duly signed) (do not oversign copies);
8. a blank sheet of paper;
9. one copy of the Invoice for the Arab Chamber of Commerce (duly signed);
10. one copy of the invoice for the chamber of commerce (duly signed).

If there are two or more different invoices, i.e. amount or invoice numbers different, then each set of invoices is to be set up as in B, (6)-(10) above. In the event of the certification of black lists or other documents only being required, the appropriate documents should be set up as in (B), 6 - 10 above.

The set is presented to an authorised chamber, together with the fee, for onward transmission to the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce.

Return of documents to exporters

When the sets of documents have been presented to the authorised chambers of commerce, they forward them on to the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce for certification. When this has been done the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce returns the document to the British Chamber of Commerce. It is essential, therefore, for exporters to allow extra time for presentation of documents and to keep in close touch with their chamber of commerce regarding the return of the documents.

Legislation service

The Arab-British Chamber of Commerce can offer exporters the option of using their legalisation service. After certification, documents are forwarded to the appropriate Arab Consulate or Embassy, collected after legalisation and returned to the exporter via the local agent chamber of commerce. If exporters use this service, consular fees should be paid to the local chamber of commerce together with the certification fee.

When assembling documents for presentation to the British Chambers of Commerce, any documents for legalisation should be inserted in the second stage of assembly.

List of countries

• Algeria
• Bahrain
• Djibouti
• Iraq
• Jordan
• Kuwait*
• Lebanon
• Libya
• Mauritius
• Morocco
• Oman
• Syrian Arab Republic*
• Qatar*
• Tunisia*
• Saudi Arabia
• United Arab Emirates*
• Somali Democratic Republic
• Yemen
• Sudan

* Documents for legalisation must be presented through the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce.

Note: Any inquiries to do with the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce must be made with British Chambers of Commerce and not direct with the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce.

The European Union certificate of origin

Most important trading countries, including the UK, are parties to the international Convention relating to the Simplification of Customs Facilities, 1923, under which they have agreed to accept certificates of origin issued by official authorities or by organisations officially designated by their respective governments to issue such certificates. The purpose of the Convention in providing for the designation of organisations for the issue of certificates of origin is to ensure that Customs officials in the various countries may be able to check the reliability of certificates of origin by reference to a manageable list of authorised organisations which have been notified as being of recognised standing and competence.

The determination of origin is frequently a complex matter, e.g. when imported goods have been further processed in the UK, and the whole system of issue of certificates oF origin in the UK, could be brought into disrepute if, through failure to observe the arrangements authorised under the Convention, the relevant rules for issue of certificates were strictly and uniformly applied.

The organisation in the UK designated by HM Government are chambers of commerce affiliated to the Association of British Chambers of Commerce or any other chamber of commerce or trade specially authorised by the Department of Trade.

These are the only UK organisations authorised to issue certificates of origin. They are prepared, subject to checking and payment of a fee, to perform this service and provide the necessary forms both to members and non-members.

A set of standard rules for the issue of certificates or origin has been adopted. A summary of the provisions of these rules is given below:

1. The official forms supplied by chambers of commerce are in a set of three sheets consisting of certificate, copy and application form, serially numbered, and must be used except where the certificate of origin is required to appear on the commercial invoice to comply with the regulations of the overseas country of destination.
2. Certificates must be supported by commercial invoices or other documentary evidence of origin. Documentary proof of UK or other production or manufacturers of the goods referred to must be submitted in all cases where the goods are not manufactured by the applicants.
3. The certificates of origin and invoices must be signed by the proprietor, a partner, a director or secretary, or any duly authorised official or agent.
4. The complete set of three sheets (which includes an application form) must be presented to the chamber of commerce.
5. All invoices or other documents presented as evidence of the country of manufacture must bear a signed declaration, "We certify this invoice to be true and correct and in accordance with our books; also that the goods referred to are of ... origin."
6. Where the goods are manufactured or processed by the firm taking out the certificate, the words "manufactured by us" should be added after the description of the goods on the copy supplied for retention by the chamber of commerce.
7. For goods of UK origin, the origin box on the official certificate is printed "European Union - United Kingdom" and no further information is required. The official declaration on commercial invoices (when required) should also state the same. The term "United Kingdom" only is not accepted.
8. For goods of EU origin (other than the UK), the origin box should be amended to read "European Union - (the name of the originating EU member country)". The official declaration on the commercial invoice (when required) should also state the same. For goods of all other foreign origin, amend the origin box to state the name of the originating country, e.g. USA, Brazil.
9. The recommended fees for each complete set of certificates of origin or invoice forms are set by the chamber of commerce.
10. When firms require complete certificates returned by post, a stamped, addressed envelope must be sent to the chamber of commerce.

Further information

In order to ensure that documents are completed and submitted correctly for certification and legalisation, applicants should check current requirements with their chambers of commerce or freight forwarder who will be able to give advice and tell them the level of fees applicable. Additionally, requirements of individual countries are shown in Croner's Reference Book for Exporters which is obtainable by contacting Croners.

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