Certificates of Origin (CoO) certifies that goods in a shipment are wholly obtained, produced, manufactured or processed in a particular country. A CoO establishes the origin of products and provides duty and origin related benefits under various trade agreements.

1. Preferential - Derived from reciprocal Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) or non-reciprocal Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs), they grant preferential/duty-free treatment to qualifying goods.

The rules of origin are negotiated as part of an FTA and are different under each FTA. A tariff preference will only be granted by the importing country only if below mentioned all requirements are met:

• Meet the minimum Rules of Origin set under each specific trade agreement.
• Provide a certificate of origin (or statement) in specific formats prescribed under each trade preference.
• Transport directly (or "consign") to their destination market or demonstrate that they have not been altered during transit.

1. Non-Preferential - Derived from the trade partner Country's national legislation and is used to implement trade remedies and other trade restrictions when MFN duties are applied. Non-Preferential CoOs do not provide any tariff preference.

The India’s eCoO 2.0 system is hosted on the https://trade.gov.in web-domain under ‘Trade Connect’ https://www.trade.gov.in/pages/certificate-of-origin an online portal facilitated by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry – Government of India, brings all CoO issuance on a single platform. This India's Electronic Certificate of Origin (eCoO) system was revamped by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) of the Government of India, under which electronic issuance of Certificates of Origin including non-preferential ones was made mandatory as from June 1, 2025.

Key features of the new eCoO system are highlighted as below:

1. Image Seal and Signature: eCoOs also feature electronically affixed image seal and signature of the issuing authority.
2. Real-time Verification of eCoO: The new system enables verification and validation of Certificates of Origin through the following methods:

1. QR Code Scanning: CoOs can be verified by scanning the QR code printed on the issued certificate.
2. Online Verification: Indian eCoOs may now be verified on the Trade Connect ePlatform https://www.trade.gov.in/pages/certificate-of-origin by navigating to the Certificate of Origin tab, selecting "Verify Certificate," enter the CoO Certificate Number and captcha code and clicking "Verify Certificate." The CoO details will then be displayed on the screen.

Certificate of Origin (eCoO) Helpdesk Service

Exporters and stakeholders may contact the CoO Helpdesk for eCoO-related issues, suggestions, or feedback through the following channels:

1. Toll-Free Helpline: You may contact the DGFT Helpdesk through our toll-free numbers for support: 011-23061495/011-23061499 (Monday to Friday)
2. Email Inquiries: For clarifications or further assistance, email the CoO Helpdesk at [email protected]