How to Obtain a Certificate of Origin in Victoria?

A certificate of origin contains certification regarding the origin of goods that an exporter intends to export from Australia. Depending on the importing country and its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Australia, the exporter must obtain a specific certificate of origin. For instance, if you export goods to Japan, you must prepare a JAEPA certificate of origin. Here JAEPA (Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement) refers to the FTA in force between Japan and Australia.

If you are an exporter in the state of Victoria, you can follow a simple and time-saving procedure to obtain a certificate of origin within a couple of hours. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you.

Whom to Contact?

In order to get a certificate of origin, you can approach a government body or a chamber of commerce in the region. In case of Victoria, you can contact the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for this purpose. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has authorized it for issuing and stamping these and many other certificates. The chamber certifies origin certificates for purposes like:

• Reduced tariffs as per the signed FTA

• Custom clearance

• Release of bank payments and so on

You may contact the chamber for certificate of origin for a number of importing countries like:

• Korea (under Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement or KAFTA)

• Thailand (under Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement of TAFTA)

• China (under China-Australia Free Trade Agreement or ChAFTA) and so on

What Online Procedure to Follow?

Though you can obtain a certificate of origin in person or offline from the Victorian Chamber, it saves time, costs and efforts to do it online. So, here is the procedure explaining how to get certificate of origin online in Victoria:

• First, you may need a documentation software to communicate with the chamber and make the certification process much convenient. For this, you can search for a package from a well-known vendor. If possible, invest in a tool that offers complete export documentation.

• Second, you need to register with the Victorian Chamber as an exporter to obtain the certificate of origin. You can do it through a simple registration process which requires filling up the Exporters Information Form. The form is available on the chamber’s official website.

• Once you become a registered member, you must prepare an origin certificate following the specific requirements of the FTA you are referring to. For this, you must visit the official website of the chamber where you can find the correct formats. You can also refer to the detailed FTA terms and conditions for the same.

• Finally, submit the origin certificate to the chamber for stamping and pay the required fee. In case there is no error in the form and the information you provide is correct, you can expect the stamped certificate of origin within 2 hours.

Things to Consider

Because of inexperience or lack of knowledge, you may overlook some important things. Consequently, the chamber may reject your certificate or ask for corrections and proofs, leading to delays and losses. So, make sure to avoid such situations by keeping in mind things like:

• Always typing the certificate of origin. No handwritten certificates are valid.

• Using a certified declaration of origin instead of certificate of origin if your goods originated in some other country and are being re-exported from Australia.

• Submitting the required proofs in advance. For example, the chamber requires letter of credit, bill of lading and other similar documents before stamping the certificate of origin.

• Providing an extra copy of the certificate for the chamber’s record.

The Australian certificate of origin can make your goods more competitive in the foreign markets. Thus, be careful in maintaining its accuracy to reap the benefits and make your export business absolutely reliable.