The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) as the authorising body in the UK for Certificates of Origin has decided that plain paper United Kingdom Certificates of Origin will be issued from the 1st April in the UK. 

Over 40% of Certificates of Origin issued worldwide are now printed on plan paper. As we move into a digital future the BCC wants the Chambers to be in the vanguard working with the Government to achieve its digital ambition for a paperless border by 2025. The move to plain paper Certificates of Origin is the first step in this journey. 

From this date, all applications will have to be made via our online platform/s which you have already been signed up to. If needed the Chamber for a fee can prepare and complete applications for you on an online platform. The Chamber can still print the Certificate of Origin for you at their premises and will need to do this is the country of destination reqires a wet stamp. 

Certificates of Origin printed via the online platform have additional security features such as the QR code allowing anyone with the Certificate of Origin to scan the QR code and see an online version of the Certificate of Origin so they can check the version they have has not been amended or falsified. Anyone with the Certificate of Origin will also be able to verify the authenticity of the Certificate of Origin via the ICC verification website (https://certificates.iccwbo.org). Increasingly, Customs authorities worldwide are looking to be able to verify Certificates of Origin online. 

This will also simplify the printing of Certificates of Origin by exporters as they will no longer need to insert a blank Certificate of Origin correctly into the printer before printing. 

As a result of these changes, it has been necessary to review our pricing, details of which will be made available on the Shropshire of Commerce website in due course. 

If you have any questions at all about this change to process, please do not hesitate to contact Maxine, Jemma or Allison on 01952 208200 (option 5) or by emailing the team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Q&A

Q. What is plain paper printing?

A. Plain printing as its name implies is where the entire certificate is printed on plain paper rather than just printing details on to a pre-printed form. Many countries now print UK Certificates of Origin this way including China, Belgium, Netherlands, Finland, and Singapore.

 

Q. Will this affect other documents such as EUR1’s and Arab-British Certificates?

A. No. This change only applies to UK Certificates of Origin.

 

Q. Will the online system be adapted to allow for this change?

A. Yes. All applications for a UK Certificate of Origin will have to be done online.

 

Q.  What happens if I cannot apply online or do not want to print the UK Certificate of Origin myself?

A. The Chamber will be able to process the application for you and print it out for you if you wish.

 

Q. What format will the UK Certificates of Origin be received in?

A. You will be able to print UK Certificates of Origin from the system as picture file or save it as a pdf.

 

Q. What happens if the document is printed in black and white?

A. The UK Certificates of Origin must be printed in colour otherwise it is likely to be refused by customs authorities. It is written in the international conventions controlling Certificates of Origin that they be in colour.

 

Q. Do I need special paper to print the UK Certificates of Origin?

A. No. Standard quality copier paper is acceptable.

 

Q. Will these documents be accepted by all countries?

A. Yes. The British Chambers of Commerce have notified all relevant authorities if the change. Over 40 % of Certificate of Origin issued worldwide are now done this way.

 

Q. What happens if the country concerned requires a wet stamp?

A. Where countries require a wet stamp the Chamber will print and wet stamp the document for you.

 

Q. Can we still raise more than one original UK Certificate of Origin if needed?

A. Yes. It will now be easier to do this as the certificate number will not need to be changed on the additional originals.

 

Q. Will the UK Certificate of Origin still have unique numbers?

A. Yes. Each Chamber will have their own two letter prefix followed by a seven-digit unique number.

 

Q. If a certificate has been issued before the 1st April and the good do not arrive until after will this still be valid?

A. Yes. All UK Certificate of Origin issued before the 1st April will remain valid and will be accepted by customs authorities.

 

Q. Will customs authorities etc still be able to use the QR code and the ICC verification website to check my UK Certificates of Origin?

A. Yes.

 

Q. Can we still make amendment to documents?

A. From the 1st of April it will not be possible to amend UK Certificate of Origin by hand as they will not match the online version.

 

Q. Can we still have yellow copy documents?

A. Yes there will be an option to download the yellow copy if required, however the copy is to be printed on plain paper and in black and white print.

 

Q.  I currently use the UK Certificate of Origin form for Egyptian legalisation.  How will these changes affect my application?

A.  You will apply as normal via the standard or chamber printed method and we will print the application, wet stamp and sign and forward on to the Egyptian-British Chamber of Commerce for processing.

 

Q.  What happens if I accidentally print onto a UK Certificate of Origin blank form?

A.  This will not be accepted by overseas Customs, and you will need to apply again ensuring you add the “replacement” statement in the remarks box.

 

Q. If I have remaining unused UK Certificates of Origin would they need returning/destroying?

A. Yes. Your Chamber will be able to advise you.

 

Q. Sometimes we cannot upload evidence to the system as the files are large and have to send by email - can this continue?

A. Yes. At present this will still be acceptable but may change on the future.

 

Q. Can other documents such as invoices be stamped this way?

A. Yes. This is currently available via the online systems and will not change.

 

Q.  Do I need to let my colleagues know who arrange Letter of Credit applications for my company?

A.  Yes, we advise that you inform all colleagues who are involved in international activities on behalf of your company.

A. Plain printing as its name implies is where the entire certificate is printed on plain paper rather than just printing details on to a pre-printed form. Many countries now print UK Certificates of Origin this way including China, Belgium, Netherlands, Finland, and Singapore.

 

Q. Will this affect other documents such as EUR1’s and Arab-British Certificates?

A. No. This change only applies to UK Certificates of Origin.

 

Q. Will the online system be adapted to allow for this change?

A. Yes. All applications for a UK Certificate of Origin will have to be done online.

 

Q.  What happens if I cannot apply online or do not want to print the UK Certificate of Origin myself?

A. The Chamber will be able to process the application for you and print it out for you if you wish.

 

Q. What format will the UK Certificates of Origin be received in?

A. You will be able to print UK Certificates of Origin from the system as picture file or save it as a pdf.

 

Q. What happens if the document is printed in black and white?

A. The UK Certificates of Origin must be printed in colour otherwise it is likely to be refused by customs authorities. It is written in the international conventions controlling Certificates of Origin that they be in colour.

 

Q. Do I need special paper to print the UK Certificates of Origin?

A. No. Standard quality copier paper is acceptable.

 

Q. Will these documents be accepted by all countries?

A. Yes. The British Chambers of Commerce have notified all relevant authorities if the change. Over 40 % of Certificate of Origin issued worldwide are now done this way.

 

Q. What happens if the country concerned requires a wet stamp?

A. Where countries require a wet stamp the Chamber will print and wet stamp the document for you.

 

Q. Can we still raise more than one original UK Certificate of Origin if needed?

A. Yes. It will now be easier to do this as the certificate number will not need to be changed on the additional originals.

 

Q. Will the UK Certificate of Origin still have unique numbers?

A. Yes. Each Chamber will have their own two letter prefix followed by a seven-digit unique number.

 

Q. If a certificate has been issued before the 1st April and the good do not arrive until after will this still be valid?

A. Yes. All UK Certificate of Origin issued before the 1st April will remain valid and will be accepted by customs authorities.

 

Q. Will customs authorities etc still be able to use the QR code and the ICC verification website to check my UK Certificates of Origin?

A. Yes.

 

Q. Can we still make amendment to documents?

A. From the 1st of April it will not be possible to amend UK Certificate of Origin by hand as they will not match the online version.

 

Q. Can we still have yellow copy documents?

A. Yes there will be an option to download the yellow copy if required, however the copy is to be printed on plain paper and in black and white print.

 

Q.  I currently use the UK Certificate of Origin form for Egyptian legalisation.  How will these changes affect my application?

A.  You will apply as normal via the standard or chamber printed method and we will print the application, wet stamp and sign and forward on to the Egyptian-British Chamber of Commerce for processing.

 

Q.  What happens if I accidentally print onto a UK Certificate of Origin blank form?

A.  This will not be accepted by overseas Customs, and you will need to apply again ensuring you add the “replacement” statement in the remarks box.

 

Q. If I have remaining unused UK Certificates of Origin would they need returning/destroying?

A. Yes. Your Chamber will be able to advise you.

 

Q. Sometimes we cannot upload evidence to the system as the files are large and have to send by email - can this continue?

A. Yes. At present this will still be acceptable but may change on the future.

 

Q. Can other documents such as invoices be stamped this way?

A. Yes. This is currently available via the online systems and will not change.

 

Q.  Do I need to let my colleagues know who arrange Letter of Credit applications for my company?

A.  Yes, we advise that you inform all colleagues who are involved in international activities on behalf of your company.