It tells your buyer's customs where your goods come from. The right one can cut the duty your buyer pays. We prepare it and file it with you from your login. An agency issues it, or you declare it yourself where a trade agreement allows.
Certificate of origin
ExporterYour IEC and branch
BuyerName and country
GoodsEach item with its HS code
Invoice and packing listSame goods as the certificate
Trade agreementNamed where one applies
Origin ruleMet by each item
ShipmentPorts and vessel or flight
SignatureYours by digital signature or Aadhaar
Certificate issuedWith a QR code your buyer can check
It works when your buyer's country has a trade agreement with India that covers your goods. Some countries also cut duty on Indian goods under their own scheme for developing countries. Your goods must meet the origin rule. An agency named for the agreement or scheme issues it. We check the rule and prepare your cost sheet where the rule asks for one.
A non-preferential certificate fits
It proves your goods are Indian but cuts no duty. Buyers ask for it to clear their customs or to get paid under a letter of credit. A chamber of commerce, an export council or another listed agency issues it.
You can declare the origin yourself
India's agreements with the UK and the EFTA countries let you self-declare on trade.gov.in. The EFTA countries are Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. You sign with the digital signature linked to your IEC. Your goods must still meet the origin rule. An agency can issue it instead if you prefer.
You may need REX instead
India has no trade agreement in force with the EU yet. The EU's own scheme still gives a lower duty on some Indian goods. For those you write a statement on origin on your invoice. You need no certificate. For a large consignment you must first register once on the EU's list of exporters, called REX.
You need a back-to-back certificate
Goods you import and send back out as they are stay foreign. Repacking, labelling or putting them into kits in India does not change that. Your buyer may ask for a certificate of origin. An agency can then issue a back-to-back one that names their real origin. It needs proof of that origin, such as your supplier's certificate or your bill of entry.
Start with your IEC
You apply for every certificate of origin from the login linked to your IEC. We prepare and file your IEC first.
You apply for every certificate online on trade.gov.in from your own login. Your DGFT login works there.
IEC
Your own DGFT loginDGFT login
Digital signature or AadhaarSignature
Proof of originProof
Certificate of originCertificate
The papers we gather for each certificate
Commercial invoice
For every certificate. The certificate must match it line by line.
Packing list
For every certificate. It shows what is in each package.
The goods
Each item with its HS code, quantity and value.
Your buyer and the shipment
Your buyer's name and address. The ports and the vessel or flight.
The origin rule
For a preferential certificate. The rule each item meets under the agreement.
A cost sheet
For a preferential certificate when the rule counts your inputs. It lists each input with its value and origin.
The manufacturer
For a preferential certificate when another firm manufactures the goods. Its name and address go on the application.
Proof of foreign origin
For a back-to-back certificate. Papers that show where the goods come from, such as your supplier's certificate or your bill of entry.
How we prepare your certificate of origin
We prepare it and file it with you from your login. You sign and an agency issues it.
We look at where your goods and their inputs come from. Then we pick the certificate and the origin rule that fit.
We fill in the application on trade.gov.in from your invoice and packing list. We add a cost sheet where the agreement asks for one.
When we pack your order at our warehouse we count it too. Then we match the certificate to the invoice, packing list and shipping bill.
You sign from your own login with your digital signature or Aadhaar. It then goes to the agency you pick.
The agency checks it and may ask a question. Then it issues the certificate online with a QR code. Under the UK and EFTA agreements you can generate it yourself.
Your buyer gets the certificate with your other export papers. Its customs can check it by its QR code. We keep the file for later checks.
How we keep your certificates in order
Each shipment gets its own certificate. It must agree with the rest of your papers.
Papers that agree
Each shipment
The certificate, invoice, packing list and shipping bill must show the same goods and buyer. The certificate and the shipping bill must carry the same invoice number. We check each one against the others before you sign.
The right agreement
Each new market
We check if your buyer's country has a trade agreement that covers your goods. Then your buyer gets any lower duty it can claim.
Origin file updated
When your inputs change
A new supplier or input can change whether your goods qualify. We update your cost sheet before the next preferential certificate.
IEC kept current
When your details change
The application fills in your address, branches and GSTIN from your IEC. We update your IEC first when any of them change. It must also be updated every year or DGFT switches it off.
Corrected certificate
If a mistake shows
Once the agency issues a certificate nobody can change it. We prepare a request to the same agency for a corrected one in its place. You sign it from your login.
Origin checks
When customs abroad asks
Your buyer's customs can ask India to check a certificate. We pull together the papers that back it up.
Records kept
Long after shipment
We keep the file for each certificate we prepare. It holds the invoice, packing list, cost sheet and shipping bill.
Digital signature
Before it runs out
Your digital signature must be valid when you sign. Renew it before it runs out.
Where certificates of origin go wrong
Most trouble comes from papers that disagree or goods that do not qualify.
What goes wrongWhat we do
What goes wrong: You import goods and only repack or label them in India. The certificate still calls them Indian. Customs abroad can reject it.
What we do: We check what work your goods went through before we prepare the application. Goods that stay foreign go out on a back-to-back certificate.
What goes wrong: The HS code on the certificate differs from the invoice or shipping bill.
What we do: We take one code for each item and use it on every paper.
What goes wrong: The quantity on the certificate does not match what went into the boxes.
What we do: When we pack your order we count it and match the certificate to it.
What goes wrong: The name on your DGFT login differs from the name on your digital signature.
What we do: We check that the two match before your first certificate.
What goes wrong: A new supplier changes your inputs. The next certificate still goes in on the old cost sheet.
What we do: We update the cost sheet when your inputs or suppliers change.
What goes wrong: Nobody checks for a trade agreement. Your buyer pays the full duty.
What we do: We check each new market for an agreement that covers your goods.
How our warehouses work with your certificates
When we pack your export orders we see the goods each certificate describes.
Packed and counted with us
We pack and count your export order at our warehouse. So the certificate, invoice and packing list describe the same goods.
Re-exports from our warehouse or FTWZ
Foreign goods from our warehouse or our free trade warehousing zone (FTWZ) keep their real origin. When your buyer asks for a certificate of origin they go out on a back-to-back one that names it. We keep the papers that prove it in your file.
One file for each shipment
We keep each certificate with its invoice, packing list, cost sheet and shipping bill. It is ready when your buyer's customs asks.
It is a paper that says which country your goods come from. Your buyer's customs uses it to apply the right duty and rules. In India you apply for every certificate online on trade.gov.in. The agency issues it there too. It may not issue one any other way.
Who issues certificate of origin in India?
Agencies on the government's list issue it. A preferential certificate comes from an agency named for that trade agreement, such as the Export Inspection Council. A non-preferential one comes from a chamber of commerce, an export council or any of those agencies. Under the UK and EFTA agreements you can also declare the origin yourself.
What is the difference between preferential and non-preferential certificate of origin?
A preferential certificate lets your buyer pay the lower duty a trade agreement sets. Your goods must meet that agreement's origin rule. A non-preferential certificate only proves your goods are Indian. It gives no lower duty.
How to apply for certificate of origin online?
Log in to trade.gov.in with the DGFT login linked to your IEC. Pick the kind of certificate, the agreement and the agency. Fill in your buyer, goods and shipment. Upload your invoice and packing list. Then you sign with your digital signature or Aadhaar and submit it. The agency may ask a question before it issues. We prepare it and file it with you from your login.
What documents are required for certificate of origin?
Every certificate needs your commercial invoice and packing list. It also needs your buyer's details and each item's HS code, quantity and value. A preferential certificate adds the origin rule each item meets. It often needs a cost sheet of your inputs too. A back-to-back certificate needs proof of the foreign origin.
Is certificate of origin mandatory for export?
Indian customs does not ask for one on most exports. Your buyer may need it to claim a lower duty or clear its own customs. A letter of credit may ask for one too.
Is certificate of origin mandatory for import in India?
You need proof of origin when you claim a lower duty under a trade agreement. Under most agreements your supplier sends you a certificate. Under the UK agreement the supplier's own origin declaration is the proof. Customs can ask you for the origin details behind it. A duty or a ban on goods from one country can also call for proof of origin. Our customs team checks these papers before we file your bill of entry.
How to verify certificate of origin online?
Each certificate carries a QR code. Your buyer or its customs can scan it. Or they can enter the certificate number under Verify Certificate on trade.gov.in.
What is a back-to-back certificate of origin?
It is a non-preferential certificate for foreign goods you sell on from India. They may go back out from a warehouse or FTWZ or only pass through an Indian port. Or they may go straight from one foreign country to another while you buy and sell them. It names their real origin and the proof behind it.
Does repacking in India change the country of origin?
No. Repacking, labelling, sorting, putting goods into kits and simple assembly leave imported goods foreign. Goods with imported inputs count as Indian only when those inputs go through more than such simple steps. Trade agreements also rule out these simple steps. Each agreement then sets its own rule your goods must meet, such as a new HS heading or enough value added in India.
Can I self-certify a certificate of origin?
Yes in some cases. Under India's agreements with the UK and the EFTA countries (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) any exporter can self-declare on trade.gov.in. You need a digital signature linked to your IEC and a scan of your ink signature. A manufacturer that is also a status holder (a star export house) can self-certify a non-preferential certificate for its own goods. For the EU's own scheme you write a statement on origin on your invoice. Most other certificates come from an agency.
Which countries have a trade agreement with India?
India has agreements in force with its South Asian neighbours, the ASEAN countries, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Mauritius, the UAE, Australia, Oman, the UK and the EFTA countries. Smaller deals cover Chile and the MERCOSUR countries of South America among others. Each one covers its own list of goods. We check whether yours qualify.
