Certificates of Origin (eCO)

A Certificate of Origin (CO) is an important international trade document attesting that goods in a particular export shipment are wholly obtained, produced, manufactured, or processed in a particular country. COs also constitute a declaration by the exporter.

Virtually every country considers the origin of imported goods when determining duties that apply to the goods or, in some cases, whether the goods may be legally imported at all.

COs may also be needed to comply with letters of credit, foreign customs requirements, or a buyer’s request.

Certain countries require commercial documents to be legalized by the country’s U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Depending on invoice value, embassy fees can be significant, so exporters should confirm destination-country requirements in advance.

Common countries requiring embassy or consulate legalization include: Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Bolivia, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Paraguay, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Qatar, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen.

Legalization requests can be submitted within the system. Each document is quoted on an individual basis prior to processing.