Exporters to submit origin certificates for shipments to Asean countries

The commerce ministry has asked exporters to submit 'Certificate of Origin' applications for shipments to all Asean countries, except Thailand.

India has a free trade agreement (FTA) with 10-nation Asean (Association of South East Asian Nations) bloc. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are the members of the bloc.

Indian exporters need to file the application to the offices of the designated issuing agencies - EIA (Export Inspection Agency), MPEDA (Marine Products Exports Development Authority) and Textile Committee, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the ministry, according to a trade notice by the DGFT.

An exporter has to submit a 'Certificate of Origin' (COO) at the landing port of the importing country.

The document is important to claim duty concessions under free trade agreements. This certificate is essential to prove the origin of the goods.

"The COO applications for exports under Asean-India FTA to all Asean countries except Thailand should now be submitted through the e-COO Platform by the exporters to the offices of the designated issuing agencies i.e. EIA, MPEDA and Textile Committee," it has said.

These agencies (EIA, MPEDA and Textile Committee) will now issue the certificate online and provide on request the printed copy of certificate along with stamp and wet-ink signature of the issuing officer to the exporter.

The DGFT said that various representations have been received from exporters expressing difficulties in obtaining preferential access in Thailand and Vietnam based on the digitally signed electronic COO and manual applications for these countries were allowed.

"The given issue has been taken up and it is decided that one additional copy i.e. electronic copy along with the set of four copies shall be generated by the system. The electronic copy shall bear the image signature of the officer and stamp of the issuing agency," it added.

It said that exporters may send the electronic copy to the partner country for any immediate clearance.