Certificate of Origin Template
A certificate of origin states where shipped goods were produced, line by line, matched to the commercial invoice, signed by the exporter and certified by a chamber of commerce. The filled sample below covers 40 packages, 940.00 lb gross, made in the United States.
Every line matches the header origin: United States.
Nothing missing from the field check.
The checks count filled fields and compare origins. They are not a review by an issuing body. Jump to the document.
Edit the sample certificate of origin
Every field feeds the document. Package and gross weight totals fill in from the goods lines as you type.
The certificate is built in your browser, and drafts save on this device only.
How to Fill Out a Certificate of Origin in 8 Steps
- Confirm which document the buyer means. Ask whether they need a chamber-certified certificate or a free trade agreement certification. They are different documents.
- Copy the references from the commercial invoice. Invoice number and date, plus the booking or bill of lading number, so the issuing body can match them.
- Enter exporter, consignee and producer. Use the same legal names and addresses as the invoice. Name the producer if it is not the exporter.
- Add the transport and route. Mode, vessel or flight, departure date, port of loading, port of discharge and final destination.
- Write one line per goods group. Marks, package count and kind, a plain description, HS code, country of origin, quantity and gross weight.
- Check the totals and the origin. Packages and gross weight add up from the lines. The summary flags a line with no origin or a header that disagrees.
- Sign the declaration. Use the wording your issuing body or buyer asks for. Add the place, date, name and capacity of the signatory.
- Take it to the issuing body. Leave the certification box blank. Submit the form with the invoice and any production evidence the issuing body asks for.
The totals rule: total packages = the sum of the line package counts, and total gross weight = the sum of the line gross weights. Both fill in from the lines, so the header cannot disagree with them.
Non-Preferential Certificate vs Preferential Certification
"Certificate of origin" can mean two different documents. Ask which one your buyer needs before you fill anything in.
| Non-preferential certificate | Preferential certification | |
|---|---|---|
| What it states | The country where the goods were produced. | That the goods meet a trade agreement’s rules of origin. |
| Effect on duty | None by itself. | Supports the importer’s claim to a reduced or zero rate. |
| Who signs or certifies | The exporter signs; a chamber of commerce or another issuing body certifies. | Set by the agreement. Under USMCA, the importer, exporter or producer certifies. |
| Format | Varies by issuing body. Many chambers have their own form. | Set by the agreement. USMCA prescribes data, not a form. |
| This page | Builds this one. | Does not build one. See the USMCA field map below. |
Sources: ICC, Certificates of Origin (chambers issue non-preferential and preferential certificates); ITA, FTA Certificates of Origin (FTA certifications are optional and not needed to clear customs). Both checked Oct 2, 2026.
What a USMCA Certification Needs That This Form Does Not Have
For US imports, 19 CFR 182.12 lists what a USMCA certification of origin must contain. Of those 13 items, this form fully carries 4, partly carries 4 and lacks 5.
| 19 CFR 182.12 | What it asks for (paraphrased) | On this form |
|---|---|---|
| (a)(4)(i) | Whether the certifier is the importer, exporter or producer | No No certifier-role field. |
| (a)(4)(ii) | Certifier's name, title, address, phone and email | Partly Signatory name and capacity, exporter contact. |
| (a)(4)(iii) | Exporter's name, address, email and phone | Yes Exporter block. |
| (a)(4)(iv) | Producer's name and address, or “Various” | Partly Free-text producer field. |
| (a)(4)(v) | Importer's name and details, if known | Partly Consignee, who may not be the importer. |
| (a)(4)(vi) | Details of the official or agent signing | Partly Name and capacity, no address. |
| (a)(4)(vii) | A description that relates to the invoice and the HS | Yes Description column. |
| (a)(4)(viii) | HTSUS classification, six or more digits | Yes HS code column. |
| (a)(4)(ix) | The rule of origin the good qualifies under | No Not on a non-preferential form. |
| (a)(4)(x) | The Schedule II statement, where it applies | No Not on a non-preferential form. |
| (a)(4)(xi) | The invoice number, for a single shipment | Yes Invoice number field. |
| (a)(4)(xii) | The blanket period, if any (12 months or less) | No Single-shipment form only. |
| (a)(5) | The prescribed certification statement | No Deliberately left off. |
No prescribed format
It must be in writing or sent electronically by a means CBP authorizes. It may sit on an invoice or another document.
12 months, at most
The longest blanket period one certification may cover, for multiple shipments of identical goods.
Four years
How long CBP accepts a properly completed, signed and dated certification as valid.
$2,500 limit
At or below this value of originating goods, a commercial import needs no copy, unless CBP finds a series meant to evade the rule.
Source: 19 CFR 182.12, Certification of origin and 19 CFR 182.14, on eCFR (CBP Dec. 21-10, 86 FR 35584, July 6, 2021; eCFR current to Sept 29, 2026). Checked Oct 2, 2026. CBP also publishes a certification of origin template.
A field map, not advice. This page does not build a USMCA certification and says nothing about whether your goods qualify. That depends on the rule of origin for each product. Your customs broker or trade counsel can confirm it.
Worked Example: Cookware From Dayton, Ohio to Dubai
Buckeye Kitchenware Co. ships three lines of cookware by sea from Port Newark to Jebel Ali. The buyer's letter of credit asks for a certificate of origin certified by a chamber of commerce. This is the sample that loads in the template.
| Marks | HS code (example) | Packages | Gross (lb) | Gross (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BKC/DXB 1-24Stainless steel saucepans with lids, 3 qt, 6 per carton. Origin: United States. | 7323.93 | 24 | 432.00 | 195.95 |
| BKC/DXB 25-36Stainless steel stockpots with lids, 12 qt, 2 per carton. Origin: United States. | 7323.93 | 12 | 312.00 | 141.52 |
| BKC/DXB 37-40Cast iron skillets, preseasoned, not enameled, 10 in, 8 per carton. Origin: United States. | 7323.91 | 4 | 196.00 | 88.90 |
| Totals | 40 | 940.00 | 426.38 | |
Why the totals match the paperwork
The certificate totals come from the lines: 432.00 + 312.00 + 196.00 = 940.00 lb. Use the same line weights on the packing list.
What the origin check says
Every line matches the header origin: United States. Load the two-origin sample and it reports: The lines show 2 origins: United States, Mexico. Some issuing bodies want one certificate per origin, so ask yours.
What "Country of Origin" Means When Inputs Come From Elsewhere
Goods made entirely in one country are simple. The hard case is goods assembled from imported materials.
Wholly obtained
Grown, mined, harvested or made entirely in one country, with no imported materials in them.
Substantial transformation
With imported inputs, origin sits where the last substantial processing gave the goods their essential character.
Minimal operations
Repacking, labeling, sorting, simple assembly and preservation in transit do not usually confer origin on their own.
The WCO Revised Kyoto Convention puts origin where "the last substantial manufacturing or processing, deemed sufficient to give the commodity its essential character, has been carried out" (WCO, Specific Annex K, checked Oct 2, 2026).
Each country applies its own origin rules on top of that definition.
"Shipped from" is not "originating in"
Transit and transshipment
Goods routed through a port do not pick up that country as their origin. The route belongs in the transport fields.
Bonded and free-zone storage
A bonded warehouse or free zone stores goods. Storage alone does not make them originate there.
Consolidation hubs
A hub that combines stock from several factories can load one container with several origins. Show them line by line.
Relabeling and repacking
Opening cartons, relabeling for a new market and repacking are usually not enough to change origin.
Pick the Sample Closest to Your Shipment
Each sample loads with one click above. Totals come from the same math as the template.
| Sample | Mode | Lines | Packages | Gross weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea export to the UAE (lb)Port Newark → Jebel Ali · Origin: United States | Sea | 3 | 40 | 940.00 lb≈ 426.38 kg |
| Air export to South Korea (kg)San Francisco International (SFO) → Incheon International (ICN) · Origin: United States | Air | 2 | 13 | 179.80 kg≈ 396.39 lb |
| Two origins, one shipment (lb)Port Houston → Cartagena · Origin: United States, Mexico | Sea | 2 | 50 | 1,825.00 lb≈ 827.81 kg |
One origin on three lines. 40 packages, 940.00 lb.
Two lines, metric weights. 13 packages, 179.80 kg.
United States and Mexico goods on one shipment. 50 packages, 1,825.00 lb.
What a Chamber of Commerce Checks
The ICC calls local chambers "the natural and trusted agent in issuing COs". Each sets its own process, but most look at three things.
Consistency
References, quantities, weights, package counts and descriptions should match the invoice and packing list.
Supporting evidence
Issuing bodies may ask for the invoice, the packing list, production records or a producer’s declaration.
Applicant standing
Many issuing bodies register the exporting company and its authorized signatories before they certify.
6 mistakes that send a certificate back
Documents that disagree
An invoice number, package count or weight that differs from the invoice and packing list stops the review. Here the 40 packages and 940.00 lb add up from the lines.
Vague descriptions
“Kitchenware” or “general goods” gives nobody enough to check. Describe goods as a buyer would recognize them.
Shipped-from as origin
The port or warehouse the goods left from is not their origin. Origin follows production.
Mixed origins, unannounced
Lines from two countries under one header origin. Show origin per line, and ask whether your issuing body wants separate certificates.
The wrong document
Sending this form when the buyer needs a trade agreement certification, or the reverse. Neither replaces the other.
Filling the certification box
That space is for the issuing body. Leave it blank, and sign the exporter declaration before you submit.
Tools for the Rest of the Export File
Certificate of Origin Questions
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