How to Complete a Generic Certificate of Origin (Video)

The word “generic” doesn’t just refer to the cheap stuff at the grocery store. It also means nonspecific, inclusive and all-encompassing.

And so, the Generic Certificate of Origin is a nonspecific form that can be used for any country that does not have a Free Trade Agreement with the United States. 

Watch this video to see how simple it is to create the Generic Certificate of Origin using Shipping Solutions software.

Transcript of Video:

First, go to the EZ Start-Contacts screen and fill in the Exporter and Ultimate Consignee names and addresses. Next, go to the EZ Start-Product Detail screen and fill in the Product Description, Schedule B code, and the Country of Origin for each line item in your shipment. 

Finally, go to the EZ Start-Generic Certificate of Origin screen. Here you can choose a phrase from your Phrase Database that will appear at the bottom of the form below the company signature. Shipping Solutions is pre-loaded with the statement most Chambers of Commerce use on a Certificate of Origin. All you need to do is add your chamber’s name and state.

You can also fill in the place and date the certificate was signed by your company. If you have loaded a signature file into Shipping Solutions and selected it on your profile it will appear on the document, but you can override that with a different signature here.

There is one more place where you can make some changes to the Generic Certificate of Origin. Go to the Tools tab, expand the Customize Documents tree, and select Certificate of Origin (Generic). You can change the field descriptions shown on the form by clicking Field Labels. You can change the printer and the margins by clicking Print Options. You can also change the title of the form, the number of Schedule B digits displayed and the date format. 

There are also check boxes to hide the Sworn by Statement and Signature Line. These display in the lower-left corner of the Generic Certificate of Origin and are used by your local Chamber of Commerce to certify your form if the country you are exporting to requires it. If they do not, you can hide these fields. 

As a final option, you can choose to display the Commercial Invoice Special Instructions. They will display directly below the line items and above the signatures. The Commercial Invoice Special Instructions are entered on the EZ Start-Invoices screen below the Commercial Invoice Number and can be selected from your Phrase Database.

As you can see, with Shipping Solutions your Generic Certificate of Origin can be completed in the time it takes to warm up some generic macaroni and cheese!