Certificate of Origin (C/O)
A boxed working draft for the data of a certificate of origin: exporter, producer, consignee, transport, goods with HS code and origin criterion, and the declaration. The chamber or authority issues the certificate itself.
Free. Fill in, print, save as PDF or download as Word without an account. Saving to your account needs a free account.
Country versions
- International
- Korea *
- Japan *
- Germany *
- United States *
* check with local advice
A template, not advice.
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What it is
A certificate of origin (C/O) states in which country goods were produced or obtained. Customs authorities of the importing country, banks that work with letters of credit and buyers ask for one to apply the right duty and trade measures, to check a quota or to meet a contract. There are two kinds. A non-preferential (“general”) certificate only states the origin and is normally issued or certified by a chamber of commerce. A preferential proof lets the goods enter at the reduced duty of a trade agreement; whether an official certificate or the exporter’s own declaration counts is set by the agreement.
This template is a working draft, not an official certificate. It gathers what the issuing body or the agreement asks for on one boxed sheet: exporter, producer and consignee, transport, a goods table with marks, description, HS code, origin criterion, quantity, gross weight and invoice reference (the weight total adds up by itself), the exporter’s declaration and an empty box for the certification by the chamber or authority. Use it to prepare your application or to put the details of a declaration in order, then enter them on the issuing body’s own form or system.
When to use it
- You are preparing the data for a chamber of commerce to issue a general certificate of origin.
- You want the origin details of a shipment in one place before you fill in a trade agreement’s own form or declaration.
- A buyer or a bank asks which goods, codes and origin criteria you will state.
- You want your team to collect the same information before every export.
How to fill it in
- Choose the kind of origin: non-preferential, or preferential if you want the duty advantage of a trade agreement, and name the agreement.
- Fill in the exporter (from your saved company details), the producer if it is another company, the consignee and the two countries.
- Add the means of transport, the date of departure and the places of loading and discharge.
- List the goods: marks, packages and description, HS code, the origin criterion for a preferential claim, quantity, gross weight and invoice. The weight total adds up.
- Sign the declaration, print the sheet or download Word or Excel, and take the details to the issuing body.
Common mistakes
- Treating this sheet as the certificate. Only the issuing body, or the procedure the agreement sets, produces the proof.
- Stating an HS code with more or fewer digits than the agreement or the authority asks for.
- Mixing up the country of origin with the country the goods are shipped from; goods can ship from one country and originate in another.
- Describing the goods differently from the commercial invoice or the letter of credit.
- Writing the origin criterion from memory instead of from the text of the agreement.
Steps at a glance
- Fill in
- Check the preview
- Save as PDF, Word or Excel
Country versions
Pick the country you need. Each version uses the wording and layout commonly found there; a version marked “check with local advice” should be read by someone who knows the local rules before it is used.
- International (XX): Written in English, Korean, Japanese, German
- Korea (KR): Written in Korean, English – check with local advice
- Japan (JP): Written in Japanese, English – check with local advice
- Germany (DE): Written in German, English – check with local advice
- United States (US): Written in English – check with local advice
Designs
The same form in several designs. The fields and the wording stay the same; only the look changes.
- Boxed form
- Compact
- Formal
- Ledger
- Executive
- Plain (black and white)
- Classic
- Modern
- Banner
- Minimal
- Side band
- Warm
Your details fill it in
Fields that ask for your name, address or company details are filled from My details, so you do not type them again; you can still change any field for one form. Signed in, your details stay in your account; otherwise they stay in this browser only. A passport, identity or social security number is never saved.
Questions
- Is this an official certificate of origin?
- No. It is a working draft that gathers the data. A certificate of origin is issued or certified by the competent chamber of commerce or authority, or made out as the trade agreement provides, on that body’s own form. QuoteBill makes no claim that any body accepts this sheet.
- Who issues a certificate of origin?
- It depends on the country and on the kind of origin. General certificates usually come from a chamber of commerce. For a duty advantage, the trade agreement decides between a certificate from customs or a chamber and a declaration by the exporter. Pick your country on this page for the usual body, and confirm with it.
- Do I have to fill in the origin criterion?
- Only for a preferential claim. Each agreement has its own rules and its own way of writing the criterion, so take it from the agreement text or from the issuing body. For a general certificate the column can stay empty.
- Are my customs numbers saved?
- Your company name, address and contact details can come from your saved company details. Numbers such as an export declaration number, an EORI or a REX number are typed for each document and never saved.
- Is this form legal, tax or accounting advice?
- No. It is a template: it gives you the usual structure and wording, not advice. Rules differ by country and case, so have someone qualified read anything that matters before you sign, send or file it.
- Which countries and designs does it come in?
- It comes in 5 country versions: International, Korea, Japan, Germany, and United States. 12 designs.
A form is a template, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Rules differ by country and case.