Trade Documentation
Certificates of Origin
A Certificate of Origin (CO) confirms the origin of the exported goods. It is usually issued for goods that are being sold abroad as a permanent export. Certificate of origin may be requested for commercial or customs reasons.
What types of Certificates of Origin are there?
Arab-British Certificates of Origin
- These are used for exports to Arab League countries exclusively and are processed together with the Commercial Invoice
- Processing can take between 24hrs and 15 working days depending on the service required (i.e. certification by the Chamber or legalisation by the embassy).
UK Certificate of Origin
- These are used for exports to non-Arab countries, Egypt and Iran
- In some cases your client may request an UK Certificate of Origin for Arab League States. In this case we will require a signed Letter of Indemnity on your company headed paper with your application. You must confirm with your client whether an UK Certificate of Origin will be sufficient for their needs as Arab CO is a preferred document for Arab League destinations. It is advisable that you obtain any such confirmation in writing to minimise any disputes with your client if the goods fail to clear Customs at the destination. Please note that an UK Certificate of Origin cannot be legalised by Arab Embassies.
- Learn more with the UK Certificate of Origin FAQs
What other types of trade documents does LCCI process?
- Commercial invoices and packing lists
- Any commercial or legal documents required for international trade such as: Power of Attorney, Distributor Agreement, Health Certificate, Certificate of Free Sale, Trademark Certificate, Commercial Contract, Article of Association, Certificate of Incorporation etc.
Any such documents will only be processed if they bear an original signature and that signature is on the company Formal Undertaking.
- Any documents issued by UK Government, that do not bear a physical signature, will need to be countersigned by an Authorized Signatory of the company (whose signature features on the Formal Undertaking).
Please note that we can only certify or legalize original documents. Copies can also be processed, provided that they have been certified as “true copy of the original document” by a Notary Public, Solicitor or an Authorized Signatory of the company (whose signature is on the Formal Undertaking).
What processing options may be required?
- Certification by LCCI
- Legalization by embassy after the documents have been certified by LCCI
- Notarisation: documents are endorsed by a Notary Public who will affix a seal to the document or attach a cover letter to it
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office Apostille. This is usually required for contracts and agreements before documents can be legalised by the embassy.
