Certificate of Origin

A Certificate of Origin (often abbreviated to C/O or COO) is a document used in international trade. It is a printed form, completed by the exporter or its agent and certified by an issuing body, attesting that the goods in a particular export shipment have been wholly produced, manufactured or processed in a particular country.

Certificate of Origin:

This coal was recovered from the wreck of R.M.S. Titanic during the 1994 Titanic Research and Recovery Expedition
The “origin” does not refer to the country where the goods were shipped from but to the country where they were made. In the event the products were manufactured in two or more countries, origin is obtained in the country where the last substantial economically justified working or processing is carried out. An often used practice is that if more than 50% of the cost of producing the goods originates from one country, the "national content" is more than 50%, then, that country is acceptable as the country of origin.
When countries unite in trading agreements, they may allow Certificate of Origin to state the trading bloc, for example, the European Union (EU) as origin, rather than the specific country. Determining the origin of a product is important because it is a key basis for applying tariff and other important criteria. However, not all exporters need a certificate of origin, this will depend on the destination of the goods, their nature, and it can also depend on the financial institution involved in the export operation.