Certificates of Origin

Certificates of Origin

A Certificate of Origin (CO) is a document attesting that goods exported in a shipment have been wholly obtained, produced, manufactured or processed in a particular country. COs may be requested by customs administrations, importers, freight forwarders or banks for clearance of letters of credit. Virtually every country in the world considers the origin of imported goods when determining what duty (monetary) will be assessed on the goods or, in some cases, whether the goods may be legally imported at all.

The 1923 Geneva Convention named Chambers of Commerce the official body to issue, sign and stamp Certificates of Origin worldwide. Chambers of Commerce are asked to stamp and sign documents called certificates of origin. These certificates are prepared by exporting companies (or their agents, known as freight forwarders) to show where their products were made. For chambers, the key task is not to find where the products were made, but to check that the documents are correctly completed, the certificate of origin matches the commercial invoice, and the document is signed by a designated person from the exporter. The Oakland Chamber of Commerce offers this service for a nominal fee to both members and non-members alike.

To schedule a time to process a Certificate of Origin, please email hbaumbach@oaklandchamber.com.