The self-certification of origin aims to facilitate import and export activities and reduce administrative procedures. (Photo: haiphongport City)Vietnamese enterprises have been urged to actively learn about the preparations for self-issuing a certificate of origin before the upcoming free trade agreements (FTAs) go into effect.
Tran Thi Thu Huong, Director of VCCI's Centre for Trade Paper Attesting, said at a workshop in Hanoi on July 30 that the mechanism for self-issuing a certificate of origin is new to Vietnam but is quite popular in many other countries.
In the process of negotiating FTAs, the negotiators gave high importance to self-issued certificates of origin for enterprises, calling it a goal that must be achieved, she added.
Explaining the mechanism, the director said responsibility for certifying the origin of goods would be transferred from authorities to enterprises.
Enterprises will carry out the necessary procedures and satisfy legal conditions to determine and certify that commodities have met standards related to their origin.
They must also take responsibility for ensuring the accuracy of this certification.
The self-certification of origin aims to facilitate import and export activities and reduce administrative procedures.
However, most Vietnamese enterprises lack information on the process of self-certification, Huong said.
The director said Swiss and Norwegian experts had noted that the self-certification mechanism has existed in their countries for 40 years, but only about 1,000 enterprises have used it in Norway.
The small number of participants is attributed to enterprises failing to meet the necessary conditions for self-issuing certificates.
Meanwhile, many enterprises that can meet the conditions are not confident and still need agencies to help them complete the attestation.
Analysis of the process will play an important role in helping enterprises self-certify the origin of their products, and the role of customs will need to be enhanced to attest to the accuracy of these cexrtificates, Huong said.
To avoid problems when applying the mechanism for self-certification of origin, enterprises should have a firm grasp on the production process and should understand the associated regulations, she said.
The director also recommended that enterprises maintain document storage systems and build a team to manage verification requirements when needed.-VNA
