Certificate of origin: the paper that proves where your goods are from
What the certificate proves, the difference between the plain kind and the FTA kind, and the fields a customs officer reads first.
A certificate of origin states where the goods were produced. Customs in the importing country reads it, and the duty it charges can depend on what it says. The FTA kind goes further: it claims a lower rate under one named agreement, and every field on it is checked against that agreement's rules.
What it actually proves
Origin means where the goods were produced or manufactured, not where they ship from. Goods made in Korea and containerised in Busan for a Japanese buyer are Korean in origin, and the certificate says so.
Two broad kinds exist. The plain kind tells customs where the goods are from, and that is all. The preferential kind claims a tariff benefit under one agreement, such as an FTA, and it is the one a mistake on costs duty money.
The preferential kind is a claim, not a receipt
A preferential certificate works only under the agreement it names. The origin rules of that agreement, tariff shift or value content, decide whether your product qualifies. The same product can qualify under one FTA and not under another.
Korean exporters can self-issue the preferential kind under most of Korea's FTAs, and keep the supporting records for an audit. The chamber-issued paper is still the norm for the plain kind. Check which one the buyer actually needs before you apply for either.
The fields customs reads first
The description of goods against the invoice and the bill of lading, the HS code, the exporter and consignee names, the origin statement, and the signature with its date. A name spelled one way on the invoice and another on the certificate is the query that holds a container.
Issue the certificate on the day the shipment documents are final, not days before. A description that changed at packing is a discrepancy nobody notices until the import side does.
Where Ara helps
Give Ara the draft certificate with the invoice and the bill of lading and ask for the mismatches in description, code and names. It lists them in the order a customs clerk would, and the comparison stays on your PC.
Shipping to a new market? Check the certification, duty and trademark rules for your product there, free: TradeGraph before-you-sell checklist (opens in a new tab)
Turn the guide into your next shipment's documents.
Ara runs on your own PC and drafts the export documents with you: it reads the LC terms, fills the checklist and keeps every version. You stay the one who signs.