How an Indian Exporter Gets a Certificate of Origin

Most certificate of origin trouble starts in the exporter's office, not at the buyer's port. A clerk picks the wrong system, files against the proforma instead of the final invoice, or asks a chamber for a paper only a government agency can sign, and the buyer finds out a month later when customs charges full duty.

This guide is the Indian exporter's side of the job, step by step, with a short half for importers on what to check. What each kind of proof means at your border, and which one each agreement accepts, is already on our certificate of origin page, so we won't repeat it here. Whether the goods actually qualify is on rules of origin. All our certification guides are listed on the certifications hub.

Last researched 17 October 2026 · Next review 15 February 2027 · Written by Yash Khatri

1. Two Systems and Two Kinds of Agency

India runs origin certificates through DGFT, the trade directorate, but not through one door.

A non-preferential certificate says the goods are Indian for ordinary purposes - a bank's document list, a buyer's tender, a quota or an anti-dumping check. It gets no duty cut. Since 28 August 2024 every new one is filed on eCoO 2.0 at trade.gov.in (opens in a new tab), and new filings on the old system stopped that day (DGFT Trade Notice 13/2024-25 (opens in a new tab)). Chambers of commerce and the other agencies listed in Appendix 2E of the Foreign Trade Policy issue them.

A preferential certificate is made under one named trade agreement and opens that agreement's rate. The same 2024 notice said preferential applications "shall continue to be filed in the legacy eCoO 1.0 system" at coo.dgft.gov.in, with a move to follow. Check which system takes your agreement today on the DGFT site before you start, because it is exactly the kind of thing that changes between our reviews.

Only the agencies named for that agreement in Appendix 2B can sign a preferential certificate. The list differs by agreement. For the UK agreement, summaries of DGFT Public Notice 10/2026-27 give the Export Inspection Council and its agencies for all products and the Textiles Committee for textiles and clothing. For the Oman agreement, Public Notice 15/2026-27 of 2 June 2026 adds DGFT regional offices, APEDA, MPEDA, several commodity boards and seven SEZs (TaxGuru summary (opens in a new tab)). We read those lists through summaries, so open the current Appendix 2B on dgft.gov.in before you pick an agency.

Here's why that matters to a buyer. A preferential certificate stamped by a chamber that isn't listed for that agreement is a real document from a real chamber, and it is still worthless at the border.

2. What an Importer Should Check

You don't file anything in India, but you're the one who pays when the paper is wrong. Run these checks on the PDF before the goods sail, not after they land.

1. The agreement and the form. The certificate names one agreement. If you import into Australia it must say ECTA, if into the UK it must be the UK agreement's certificate. A "certificate of origin" with no agreement on it is the non-preferential kind.
2. The issuing agency. Match the agency on the certificate against Appendix 2B for your agreement. A chamber name on a preferential certificate is a question to ask, not proof of fraud. Some chambers do sit on some lists.
3. The invoice number. It should match your commercial invoice, and since April 2026 India requires it to match the shipping bill too (DGFT Notification 05/2026-27 (opens in a new tab)). A certificate issued on the proforma number is the most common reason we see a claim fail.
4. The exporter. The exporter named should be the firm on your invoice, with its IEC. If you buy through a trader, the trader is the exporter, and that's fine (see IEC, RCMC and export registrations).
5. The goods line. HS code and description should match the invoice and your own entry, at six digits at least.
6. Validity. Most of India's agreements give 12 months from issue for one importation. Your market's rules are on certificate of origin.

Ask for the certificate in the order, not after shipment. Put one line in the PO - "Preferential certificate of origin under [agreement], issued against the final commercial invoice number, PDF to us before vessel departure." It costs your supplier nothing to agree to, and it settles the argument before it starts.

How do you check a certificate is real? Don't use a link, QR code or phone number printed on it. Ask your broker to check it through your customs service, or ask the issuing agency to confirm the certificate number, using the contact on the agency's own website. Electronic certificates from DGFT systems carry a reference you can quote.

3. Before the Exporter Applies

The groundwork takes longer than the application. Have these ready first.

• An active IEC linked to your DGFT login. The 2024 notice says your DGFT website login "shall also work" on eCoO 2.0, and if you aren't registered you must register on dgft.gov.in and link your email to your IEC first. If your IEC was deactivated for a missed annual update, fix that before anything else. Both are on IEC, RCMC and export registrations.
• A signing method. eCoO 2.0 takes a digital signature token or Aadhaar-based e-signing. Pick one and test it before shipment week.
• Users. eCoO 2.0 lets one IEC add several users. Give the person who actually files their own login, rather than sharing the owner's.
• Final documents. The final commercial invoice, packing list and, for preferential claims, the origin working.
• The origin working (preferential only). A cost sheet or bill of materials showing how the goods meet the agreement's rule, with the source of each input. This is where most of the effort sits, and the agency may ask for it.

4. How an Indian Exporter Gets a Non-Preferential Certificate

Step 1 - Log in at trade.gov.in (opens in a new tab) with your DGFT credentials and open the certificate of origin service.

Step 2 - Choose non-preferential, then the issuing agency. That's usually your local chamber of commerce or a body listed in Appendix 2E. Use one your buyer's bank or tender accepts if the LC names one.

Step 3 - Enter the exporter, consignee, transport, invoice and goods details, and upload the invoice and packing list. Copy the invoice number, not the proforma number.

Step 4 - Sign the application with your token or Aadhaar e-sign and submit. Check the current fee on the portal.

Step 5 - Answer any query from the agency on the portal. Most queries are mismatches between the invoice and the form.

Step 6 - Download the signed certificate once approved and send the PDF to the buyer the same day.

Timing depends on the agency and on how clean the papers are. Ask your chamber what it usually takes, because we haven't found a published service time.

Goods That Aren't Indian

If you re-export, tranship or merchant goods made elsewhere, you can't get an Indian origin certificate for them. DGFT added a back-to-back non-preferential certificate for this case in Public Notice 43/2024-25 of 27 January 2025 (read through a summary, so check the notice). It points back to the original origin. Merchant exporters who source from other countries should know this exists, because an Indian certificate on Vietnamese goods is a false declaration.

5. How an Indian Exporter Gets a Preferential Certificate

Step 1 - Confirm the goods qualify under the agreement's product-specific rule. Do the working before you sell at the preferential price, not after. Rules of origin explains the tests.

Step 2 - Find the agency for your agreement and product in Appendix 2B. For a UK textile order, for example, that's the Textiles Committee or the Export Inspection Council, per the summaries we read.

Step 3 - Log in to the DGFT system that currently takes preferential applications and pick the agreement. Each agreement has its own form, and the fields differ.

Step 4 - Enter the goods line, the origin criterion and the HS code, and upload the final invoice and supporting cost data. The invoice number must match the shipping bill exactly (Notification 05/2026-27).

Step 5 - Sign and submit, then answer queries. The agency may ask for input invoices or visit the unit, especially for a first application under an agreement.

Step 6 - Download the signed certificate and send it before the vessel sails, so the buyer's broker has it at entry.

Two timing rules help. Several agreements allow a certificate issued after shipment, marked as issued retrospectively. Under the Australian agreement India can issue one within 12 months of export, and the buyer can then claim a refund (ABF ECTA guide (opens in a new tab)). That's a safety net, not a plan. File before sailing.

6. Why Certificates Get Rejected

From the rules we read, rejections and failed claims cluster in a few places.

• Proforma number on the certificate. Since April 2026 this fails India's own check as well as the buyer's.
• Wrong agency for the agreement. The agency must be on Appendix 2B for that agreement and product.
• HS code mismatch. The certificate, invoice, shipping bill and the buyer's entry use different codes. Agree the code with the buyer at the PO stage (see HS codes).
• Origin criterion that doesn't fit. "Wholly obtained" on a garment made from imported fabric is a common one.
• Goods description too vague. "Textile items" won't match an entry for 6109.10.

A rejected or wrong certificate isn't edited after issue. You apply for an in-lieu certificate, which replaces it. Tell the buyer when you do, because a broker holding the old number will hit a mismatch.

7. A Worked Example

Here is an illustration, not a real firm. A Tiruppur knitwear unit sells cotton T-shirts to a buyer in Melbourne. The buyer's PO asks for an ECTA certificate against the final invoice.

The unit's export manager checks the rule for 6109.10 and finds the fabric is knitted in-house from Indian yarn, so the goods qualify. She checks Appendix 2B for ECTA, picks the agency for textiles, logs in with the firm's DGFT login and files on the preferential system with the final invoice number copied from the shipping bill draft. The agency asks for the yarn purchase invoices, she uploads them, and the signed certificate goes to Melbourne by email two days before sailing.

What could have gone wrong? If she'd filed on the proforma, India's own check would have stopped it. If the yarn had come from China, the rule might not have been met at all, and no agency should sign it.

FAQ

8. Next Steps

If you're the exporter, sort the IEC, the signing method and the origin working this week, because none of them can be rushed in shipment week. If you're the buyer, put the one-line clause in your next PO and ask for the PDF before sailing.

The paper is small, and the duty it saves isn't. Hope this helps, and if a certificate puzzles you, write to us at team@sourcingfrom.com.

Related reading: certificate of origin, India's trade agreements and Saudi SABER and SASO.