What a Chamber needs to issue certificates of origin.
Chambers of commerce are uniquely tasked with issuing certificates of origin. Chambers need an option to ensure businesses in their community are able to engage in international trade. Chambers have the option to offer this via the AWTCC Partnership Program or by doing it themselves with an in house program.
AWTCC does seek to ensure chambers of commerce throughout the United States do follow best practices and minimize their own liability when issuing certificates of origin. To that end, we do provide resources and templates, as well as the guide below.
The chamber templates can be provided upon request by contacting info@awtcc.org
The step by step guide outlines how to get started and what we can provide to help.
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Click hereStep One – Formal Undertaking/Affidavit
Prior to being issued export documents like the certificate of origin, an exporter should complete a formal undertaking with the chamber. This can be a simple one page document in which an authorized employee of the company signs and clearly states that the company will be stating things accurately on the documents and that the company is solely responsible for the liability associated with the claims made on the certificate of origin.
The formal undertaking must be completed by an employee of the company and not by the chamber. The employee must sign off on the agreement and be authorized to make such a declaration.
Your chamber of commerce will need to retain this document. Best practices would have this updated on an annual basis.
How does AWTCC help? – We provide a template formal undertaking as part of our chamber documents set. Chambers of commerce just need to place their chamber name in the red text areas.
Step Two – Having a certificate of origin template
Chambers issuing certificates of origin do need to have a certificate of origin template available. Many companies will not have an appropriate certificate of origin template and may not have one at all.
If a company does have an existing certificate of origin template that they use, this may be valid but its validity will depend on the statements made on the certificate of origin.
As with the formal undertaking, the certificate of origin should have a binding statement from the company stating the information is whole and correct and that they absorb the liability associated with statements on the certificate of origin. Likewise, the chamber signature and stamp should accurately reflect that your assessment of the claims is based solely on the declaration of the company.
If a company wants to use their own template, it is important to ensure that the correct declarations go against their template. They can update the form they have on file or use one that your provide to them.
Its also important to note, the certificate of origin stamped should be generic in nature and not specific to a free trade agreement unless in the case that the free trade agreement is applicable.
How does AWTCC help? – We provide a certificate of origin template. This ensures that the document will have all required information and ensure that the declarations made on the document are appropriate.
Step Three – Understanding Best Practices
The standards on issuing certificates of origin are set by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The ICC does publish a guidelines book and offer formal training as well. At a minimum, chambers of commerce issuing certificates of origin should have a copy of the guidelines available to chamber staff and have employees familiar with the content of the guidelines.
Primarily, chambers of commerce need to
- Understand the rules around substantial transformation and be able to answer company questions regarding origin determinations.
- Retain backups of any export documents issued by your chamber.
- Be familiar with the guidelines set by the ICC.
Step Four – Managing Liability
Much of the above has been dedicated to managing risk for your chamber of commerce. Ensuring companies complete the formal undertaking, as using valid declarations on the certificate of origin, and ensuring your chamber has good records to showcase the declarations made by the exporting company.
All that said, having appropriate liability insurance is also important. Errors and omissions liability insurance as well as professional services liability insurance are both vital when certifying legal documents. These are typically not included in general liability insurance and as such.
Make sure to request your sample chamber templates by contacting us today.
Request your sample documentsOnline Certificate of Origin affinity program
The American World Trade Chamber of Commerce provides an Online Certification System as an affinity program – one of the largest Chamber affinity programs in the United States. Put our skilled and knowledgeable team of certified Certificate of Origin experts to work for your members – and you’ll get all the credit! Our branded CO system puts your Chamber front and center in providing the highest level of service to your exporting members. Schedule an online meeting to learn more.
Common Questions
There is no designated body for providing chamber stamps. Instead, there are multiple places to order custom embossed stamps. We encourage chambers to shop around for one they like.
The chamber stamp should clearly communicate the chamber name. If you have a common city name it is recommended to clarify the state as well to help customs identify your chamber.
Chambers of commerce are uniquely qualified to issue certificates of origin globally. That said, in the US there are chamber adjacent organizations that commonly issue certificates of origin. These tend to be non-profit membership based organizations. These may be regional alliances, economic groups, and occasionally World Trade Centers.
Chambers based in the United States would be authorized to issue certificates of origin to US based exporters or for companies internationally shipping US origin product. If it is a US based company doing the exporting, a US chamber would be able to issue regardless of the origin of the products.
A chamber staff needs to review, stamp, and sign the document. The signature should match the staff which reviewed the document. There is no requirement to have the chamber president specifically sign the document.
Common Questions
There is no designated body for providing chamber stamps. Instead, there are multiple places to order custom embossed stamps. We encourage chambers to shop around for one they like.
The chamber stamp should clearly communicate the chamber name. If you have a common city name it is recommended to clarify the state as well to help customs identify your chamber.
Chambers of commerce are uniquely qualified to issue certificates of origin globally. That said, in the US there are chamber adjacent organizations that commonly issue certificates of origin. These tend to be non-profit membership based organizations. These may be regional alliances, economic groups, and occasionally World Trade Centers.
Chambers based in the United States would be authorized to issue certificates of origin to US based exporters or for companies internationally shipping US origin product. If it is a US based company doing the exporting, a US chamber would be able to issue regardless of the origin of the products.
A chamber staff needs to review, stamp, and sign the document. The signature should match the staff which reviewed the document. There is no requirement to have the chamber president specifically sign the document.
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