Why is it in the news?
- Recently, the government launched Common Digital Platform for Issuance of electronic Certificates of Origin (CoO)
What is CoO?
- A certificate of origin(CO) is a document declaring in which country a commodity or good was manufactured.
- The certificate of origin contains information regarding the product, its destination and the country of export. It is required by many treaty agreements for cross-border trade.
- Certificate of origin (CO) is an important form because it can help determine whether certain goods are eligible for import or whether goods are subject to duties.
The new platform
- This platform will be a single access point for all exporters, for all FTAs/PTAs and for all agencies concerned.
- Certificate of Origin will be issued electronically which can be in paperless format if agreed to by the partner countries. Authorities of partner countries will be able to verify the authenticity of certificates from the website.
- Further, it provides administrative access to Department of Commerce for reporting and monitoring purposes.
