19 CFR 182.12 – Certification of origin
(a) General. An importer who makes a claim, pursuant to § 182.11(b), based on a certification of origin completed by the importer, exporter, or producer that the good is originating must submit, at the request of CBP, a copy of the certification of origin. The certification of origin:
Terms Used In 19 CFR 182.12
- CBP: means U. See 19 CFR 101.1
- Country: means the political entity known as a nation. See 19 CFR 134.1
- Exportation: means a severance of goods from the mass of things belonging to this country with the intention of uniting them to the mass of things belonging to some foreign country. See 19 CFR 101.1
- Importer: means the person primarily liable for the payment of any duties on the merchandise, or an authorized agent acting on his behalf. See 19 CFR 101.1
- Shipment: means the merchandise described on the bill of lading or other document used to file or support entry, or in the oral declaration when applicable. See 19 CFR 101.1
- United States: includes all territories and possessions of the United States, except the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Wake Island, Midway Islands, Kingman Reef, Johnston Island, and the island of Guam. See 19 CFR 134.1
- USMCA: means the Agreement Between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA), entered into force by the United States, Canada and Mexico on July 1, 2020. See 19 CFR 134.1
(1) Need not be in a prescribed format but must be in writing or must be transmitted electronically pursuant to any electronic means authorized by CBP for that purpose;
(2) May be provided on an invoice or any other document, except an invoice or commercial document issued in the territory of a non-USMCA country;
(3) Must be in the possession of the importer at the time the claim for preferential tariff treatment is made;
(4) Must include the following information to be valid:
(i) Whether the certifier is the importer, exporter, or producer in accordance with this subpart;
(ii) The certifier’s name, title, address (including country), telephone number, and email address;
(iii) The exporter’s name, address (including country), email address, and telephone number if different from the certifier, unless the producer is completing the certification of origin and does not know the identity of the exporter;
(iv) The producer’s name, address (including country), email address, and telephone number, if different from the certifier or exporter; or if there are multiple producers, “Various” or a list of producers (see also paragraph (c) of this section);
(v) If known, the importer’s name, address, email address, and telephone number; or if there are multiple importers, “Various” or a list of importers;
(vi) The legal name, address (including country), telephone number, and email address (if any) of the responsible official or authorized agent of the importer, exporter, or producer signing the certification;
(vii) A description of the good for which preferential tariff treatment is claimed, which must be sufficiently detailed to relate it to the invoice and the Harmonized System (HS) nomenclature;
(viii) The HTSUS tariff classification, to six or more digits, as necessary for the specific change in tariff classification rule for the good set forth in General Note 11, HTSUS;
(ix) The applicable rule of origin set forth in General Note 11, HTSUS, under which the good qualifies as an originating good;
(x) In the case of a good listed in Schedule II of Appendix A of this part, the following statement must be included: “Schedule II of the USMCA Rules of Origin Uniform Regulations”;
(xi) If the certification of origin covers a single shipment of a good, the invoice number related to the exportation, if known;
(xii) In case of a blanket certification issued with respect to multiple shipments of identical goods within any period specified in the certification of origin, not exceeding 12 months from the date of certification, the period that the certification covers; and
(5) Must include the following statement: “I certify that the goods described in this document qualify as originating and the information contained in this document is true and accurate. I assume responsibility for proving such representations and agree to maintain and present upon request or to make available during a verification visit, documentation necessary to support this certification.”
(b) Address. For the purposes of the certification of origin provided for in paragraph (a) of this section:
(1) The address of the exporter provided under paragraph (a)(4)(iii) is the place of export of the good in a USMCA country’s territory;
(2) The address of a producer provided under paragraph (a)(4)(iv) is the place of production of the good in a USMCA country’s territory; and
(3) The address of the importer provided under paragraph (a)(4)(v) must be in a USMCA country’s territory.
(c) Confidentiality of producer information. For the purposes of the information provided under paragraph (a)(4)(iv) of this section, a person that wishes for this information to remain confidential may state “Available upon request by the importing authorities.”
(d) Responsible official or agent. The certification of origin provided for in paragraph (a) of this section must be signed and dated by a responsible official of the importer, exporter, or producer, or by the importer’s, exporter’s, or producer’s authorized agent having knowledge of the relevant facts.
(e) Language. The certification provided for in paragraph (a) of this section must be completed in English, French, or Spanish. If the certification of origin is not in English, CBP may require the importer to submit an English translation of the certification.
(f) Basis of a certification of origin. (1) A certification of origin may be completed by the importer, exporter, or producer of the good on the basis of:
(i) The certifier of the certification of origin of the good having information, including documents, that demonstrate that the good is originating; or
(ii) In the case of an exporter who is not the producer of the good, reasonable reliance on the producer’s written representation, such as in a certification of origin, that the good is originating.
(2) CBP may not require that an exporter or producer complete a certification of origin, or provide a certification of origin or written representation to another person.
(g) Applicability of certification of origin. The certification of origin provided for in paragraph (a) of this section may be applicable to:
(1) A shipment of goods into the United States, which may consist of:
(i) A single shipment of goods that results in the filing of one or more entries; or
(ii) More than one shipment of goods that results in the filing of one entry.
(2) Multiple shipments of identical goods into the United States that occur within a specified blanket period, not exceeding 12 months, set out in the certification.
(h) Validity of certification of origin. A certification of origin that is properly completed, signed, and dated in accordance with the requirements of this section will be accepted as valid for four years following the date on which it was completed.