Certificate of origin

What is Origin? 

Essentially there are two types of origin. There’s the origin determined by where the goods were in free circulation and the origin where the goods were manufactured. For example, a car manufactured in Japan has been imported to Germany and sold by a German car dealer to a customer in the Netherlands. While the Dutch customer could say he bought a German car, the car was still manufactured in Japan. From a customs point of view, the country where it was manufactured can change if the product is processed (changed) before it is sold.

What is a Certificate of Origin?

You or your customer may need a Certificate of Origin to import goods into a country outside the European Union. The producer or exporter of the goods usually makes the certificate of origin, which is then authorized by the Chamber of Commerce of the country where the goods were produced or obtained. The document proves that it has met the criteria to be considered as originating from a country.

Importing goods, for which you can’t prove the preferential origin, into the European Union means paying duties and VAT, or doesn’t it?

We are informing you about claiming preferential treatment for your imports and how to prove origin. This applies to companies in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Poland.

When you send a second shipment of the same product, you need to add a new certificate of origin. This can be the country it was shipped from, but that definitely isn’t always the case. Your local Chamber of Commerce can issue or certify a Certificate of Origin.