Certificate of Origin

A Certificate of Origin is a signed statement as to the country of origin of the exported products for a particular shipment.  This document is required by foreign governments, declaring that goods in a particular international shipment are of a certain origin.  Certificates of Origin can also be used to satisfy the buyers that the products exported are wholly obtained, produced or manufactured in a certain country.  Customs offices will use this document to determine whether or not a preferential duty rate applies on the products being imported and whether a shipment may be legally imported during a specific quota period.

In Trinidad the Business Development Company , Customs and Excise along with the Chamber are the only bodies authorized to sign and issue Certificates of Origin.

1. Ministry of Finance Customs and Excise Division – issues preferential Certificates of Origin for goods to be exported to Europe, some parts of USA and “Carib Can” Agreement countries

2. Business Development Company Ltd (BDC) – issues preferential Certificates of Origin to countries in CARICOM (excluding Haiti & Bahamas) and countries with whom  Trinidad and Tobago has a Free Trade Agreement.

3. The Chamber– issues non-preferential Certificates of Origin for goods to be exported to all other countries with whom there is no Free Trade Agreement.

As of January 2012, all companies seeking certificates of origin must have a registered account with TTbizlink before requesting certification.