UK Certificates of Origin switching to plain paper from 1 April 2023

TO ALL EXPORTERS

The British Chambers 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 1^st April 2023. Over 40% of Certificates of Origin issued worldwide are now printed on plain 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 (1^st April 2023) all applications will have to be made via our online platform/s which you will need to sign up to, unless you are already registered. If you are not registered, you will need to go to https://ecert.sgs.com and choose the register button. Once SGS have provided your login details, you will then need to upload your signature before applying for a Certificate of Origin.  Any problems please contact the SGS Support Team on:  Email:   support.ecert@sgs.com or Telephone: 01749 340214

Certificates of Origin printed via the online platform have additional security features such as the QR code that allows 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.

Rosemary Bates – Certification Manager