This trade notice, issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, announces the inclusion of the United Kingdom (UK) as a country of export on the electronic Certificate of Origin (eCOO) platform under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP). Effective January 11, 2021, exporters to the UK can utilize the eCOO platform to obtain preferential Certificates of Origin. Goods meeting the UK GSP rules of origin requirements are eligible for GSP import duty rates upon presentation of a valid proof of origin, which can be either a GSP Form A (available electronically on the eCOO platform, and no longer issued as physical pre-printed stationery) or an origin declaration. While a stamp and signature from the issuing authority are not mandatory according to UK instructions, the electronically submitted GSP certificate will include an image of the sign and signature through the existing online approval process. Guidance on registration and application submission on the eCOO Platform can be found in the Help manual and FAQs at https://coo.dgft.gov.in. For further assistance, exporters can raise a service request/suggestion ticket through the DGFT Helpdesk service link on the ePlatform home page, call the toll-free helpline number 1800111550, or send an email to coo@dgft.gov.in. Details on the UK's Generalised Scheme of Preferences can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trading-with-developing-nations.
Key Entities Referenced
Directorate General of Foreign Trade: An agency under the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, responsible for foreign trade policy.
Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi: The location of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
United Kingdom: A country of export added to the eCOO Platform under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP).
Generalised Scheme of Preferences GSP: A preferential tariff system which provides tariff reduction on various products exported by developing countries to developed countries.
eCOO Platform: Electronic platform for issuance of Certificate of Origin.
GSP FormA: A form used to claim GSP benefits, available electronically on the eCOO platform for exports to UK.
Md. Moin Afaque: Deputy Director General of Foreign Trade.
FTAsPTAs: Free Trade Agreements and Preferential Trade Agreements
Government of India
Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Department of Commerce
Directorate General of Foreign Trade
Dated: 11.01.2021
Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi
Trade Notice No. 37/2020-2021
To,
1. All Exporters/Members of Trade
2. All Designated Issuing Agencies under FTAs/PTAs
Subject: Electronic Issuance of Preferential Certificate of Origin (CoO) for India’s
Exports to UK under Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP)
In continuation to the earlier Trade Notice(s) 30/2020-21 dated 13.10.2020, it is
informed that the United Kingdom (UK) is being added as a country of Export on the e-COO
Platform under Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP).
2. The details provided by the UK on the Generalised Scheme of Preferences may be seen
at URL - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trading-with-developing-nations.
Goods that meet the UK GSP rules of origin requirements are eligible to claim a GSP rate of
import duty on the basis of a valid proof of origin. A valid proof of origin must be either of the
following:
i. GSP Form-A - which does not need to be stamped and signed by an authority
designated by the GSP country.
ii. An origin declaration - which must include information to enable the identification of
an originating good
3. Reference 2 (i) above, the GSP Form-A is available electronically on the e-CoO
Platform. Further, no physical pre-printed stationery of Form-A shall be issued. The exporters
to UK planning to avail GSP benefits may submit the given form on the e-Platform. While the
stamp and sign of the issuing authority is not mandatory as per the instructions provided by
UK authorities, the GSP certificate when submitted electronically on the e-CoO platform willbe made available through the existing online approval process with the image sign and
signature.
4. For guidance on registration and application submission on the e-CoO Platform, the
Help manual & FAQs may be accessed on the landing page at https://coo.dgft.gov.in . For any
further assistance you may utilize any of the following channels —
i. Raise a service request/suggestion ticket through the DGFT Helpdesk service link on
the e-platform home page
ii. Call the toll-free Helpline number 1800-111-550
iii. Send an email to coo-dgft@gov.in
This issues with the approval of the competent authority.
(Md. Moin Afaque)
Deputy Director General of Foreign Trade
(Issued from File No. 01/02/82/AM-19/EDI)