The Ministry of Commerce and Industries has launched the common digital platform for the issuance of certificates of origin to ease the regulatory burden on the exports.
What is a certificate of origin?
The Certificate of Origin is used to certify that the export products are obtained, produced or manufactured in India. Currently, it is issued by various notified agencies around the country through manual processes after vetting of the rules of origin criteria as per the respective Free Trade Agreement /Preferential Trade Agreement.
India has 15 FTAs/PTAs with various partner countries, under which Indian exporters avail reduced import tariffs in the destination country. The exporters are required to produce a certificate that the consignment originated in India to claim the tariff and other benefits.
Digital Certificate of Origin System
- The platform will be a single access point for all exporters, for all Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)/Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) and for all agencies concerned.
- Exporters can register on this platform and apply for the Certificate of Origin to any of the designated agency.
- If the partner countries agree the Certificate of Origin will be issued electronically and the authorities of partner countries will be able to verify the authenticity of certificates from the website.
The system provides administrative access to the Department of Commerce for reporting and monitoring purposes.