The importance of Certificate of Origin in trade can not be overemphasized. It is now MANDATORY for a Certificate of Origin to be attached as one of the documents required for Customs Clearance in Kenya. This is according to the latest Public Notice from KRA. Previously, only Preferential Certificates of Origin were MANDATORY for Customs Clearance of Imports in Kenya.
What is a Certificate of Origin?
A Certificate of Origin (COO) is a critical document that indicates the National origin of the Imported Goods.
A COO has details such as the Exporter, Consignee, Marks & Numbers, COO Number, Invoice Number& Date, HS Code, Origin Criterion, Description of the goods etc.
A Valid Preferential COO enables an Importer to enjoy preferential tariff treatment (reduction in Import duty or Duty exemption) instead of the Most Favored Nation (MFN) treatment that other importers may face under Non-Preferential COO.
A COO is issued based on Rules of Origin (ROO) from the Regional Economic Communities or Trade Agreement that Kenya is a signatory to.
Below is a sample Template for AFCFTA COO
Below is a sample of a COMESA COO
Rules of Origin (ROO) can be defined simply as those set of criteria laws/criteria applied in international trade to determine the national source of goods.
The Agreement on Rules of Origin (Annex 1A to the Marrakech Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization in 1995) identifies and defines two types of ROO:
a).Non-Preferential Rules of Origin: defined as those laws, regulations and administrative determinations of general application applied by any Member to determine the country of origin of goods.
b).Preferential Rules of Origin: defined as those laws, regulations and administrative determinations of general application applied by any Member to determine whether goods qualify for preferential treatment under contractual or autonomous trade regimes leading to the granting of tariff preferences going beyond the application of paragraph a of Article 1 of GATT 1994.
Below are some of the Rules of Origin that are applicable in Kenya:
1.East African Community (EAC) ROO
2.Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) ROO
3.Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) ROO
4.Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)ROO
5.Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) ROO
6.European Union Generalized System of Preferences (EU_GSP) ROO
Below is the latest Public notice on the Mandatory use of Certificates of Origin for Imports in Kenya:
At Goliath Africa Logistics, we are well trained and Certified on Customs Procedures in Kenya from Imports, Exports, Transit, Transshipment etc
Contact us for any enquiries on Certificate of Origin and Customs Clearance in Kenya and the greater East African Community (EAC)
Email: solutions@goliath-africa.com
Tel no: +254(0)739057747/+254(0)738057935
Whatsapp/Wechat: +254739057747
