What is a Certificate of Origin?

What is a Certificate of Origin?

A Certificate of Origin (COO) is a document that is required by certain foreign countries for tariff purposes, certifying the country of origin of specified goods.

Click here to download a fillable Microsoft Excel version of a General Certificate of Origin.

Why do I need a Certificate of Origin?

The appropriate government agency responsible for monitoring and assessing duties on imported products in virtually all countries requires a Certificate of Origin (COO) to determine what duty or tariff, if any, should be assessed on the product or products being imported. The U.S. has trade agreements with many foreign countries, and under the terms of many of these agreements, American products receive lower tariff rates or are not subject to a tariff. The foreign customs office verifies whether a product qualifies for preferential duty rates based on the information on the Certificate of Origin that accompanies the documentation associated with the shipment. Also, some countries have banned certain products from countries that have been caught dumping. The COO helps prove that the product is allowed into that particular country.

A Certificate of Origin is usually prepared by the exporter or the freight forwarder and notarized and

Packing List Example

Shipping Declaration Form

Shipping Declaration Example Form

Typss/specifications/dimensions of containers

All about Bill of Ladings (examples /terms..etc.,)

(click to enlarge Bill of Lading example)

1. DEFINITIONS:

"OCEAN WIDE LOGISTICS INC." is the name of the carrier, as specified at the bottom.
"Carriage" means the whole or any part of the operations and services undertaken by the Carrier in respect of the Goods covered by this Bill of Lading.
"Carrier" means OCEAN WIDE LOGISTICS INC.
"COGSA" means the U.S. Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1936 as amended.
"Container" includes any container (including an open top Container) flat rack, platform trailer, transportable tank, pallet, or any other device used for the transportation of goods.
"Goods" means the cargo accepted from the Shipper and includes any Container not supplied by or on behalf of the carrier.

"Freight" includes all charges payable to the Carrier in accordance with the applicable Tariff and this Bill of Lading including but not limited to demurrage, detention costs and all expenses and monetary obligations, duties, taxes and dues, incurred by the Carrier and payable by the Merchant.
"Hague Rules" means the provisions of the International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules relating to Bills of Lading signed at Brussels on 25 August 1924, without the amendments by the Protocol signed at Brussels on 23 February 1968.

"Hague-Visby Rules" means the provisions of the International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules relating to Bills of Lading, signed at Brussels on 25th August, 1924 and includes the amendments by the Protocol signed at Brussels on 23rd February, 1968, but only if such amendments are compulsorily applicable to this Bill of Lading.
"Holder" means any person for the time being in lawful possession of this Bill of Lading to whom the property in the Goods has passed on or by reason of the consignment of this Bill of Lading or otherwise.

"Merchant" includes the Consignor, Shipper, Holder, Consignee, the receiver of the Goods, any person, including any Corporation or other legal entity, owning or entitled to the possession of the Goods or this Bill of Lading and anyone acting on behalf of such person.
"Package" Where a Container is loaded with more than one package or unit, the packages or other shipping units enumerated on the reverse hereof as packed in such Container and entered in the box on the reverse side hereof entitled Total No. of Containers or Packages received by Carrier are each deemed a Package.

"Person" includes an individual, corporation or other legal entity
"Servants or Agents" includes the Master, Officer and crew of the vessel, owners and operators of vessels (other than the Carrier), underlying carriers (including ocean common carriers with whom OCEAN WIDE LOGISTICS INC. has contracted for the physical transportation of the goods), sub-contractors, stevedores, terminal and groupage operators, road and rail transport operators and any independent contractors employed by the Carrier in the performance of the Carriage.
"Shipper" includes the person entering into this contract of carriage with the Carrier and for whose account the Goods are shipped.

“The Internal Law of a State" shall be deemed to exclude all principles of private international law applied by such state.
"US Carriage" means carriage to, from or through any port of the United States of America.
"Vessel" means any waterborne craft used in the Carriage under this bill of lading including, but not limited to ocean vessels, feeder vessels and inland water vessels whether named in the bill of lading or substituted vessels.

2. CARRIER'S TARIFF
The terms of the carrier's applicable Tariff are incorporated herein. Particular attention is drawn to the