Certificates of Orgin

The 1923 Geneva Convention named Chambers of Commerce the official body to issue, sign and stamp Certificates of Origin worldwide. The Brownsburg Chamber of Commerce will stamp and sign documents called certificates of origin.

These certificates are prepared by exporting companies (or their agents, known as freight forwarders) to show where their products were made and to check that the documents are correctly completed, the certificate of origin matches the commercial invoice, and the document is signed by a designated person from the exporter. There is a slight fee for the Chamber to provide this service.

Certificates of Origin in 5 easy steps

If you decide you want to be in the business, it’s easy to get started. (And if you already are, it’s worth reviewing the following.)

1. Create a chamber stamp! At minimum include your chamber name and location. If you say it’s official, it’s official.
    
2. Verify to the best of your knowledge that the exporter is based in the country. Chances are you’re familiar with the company because it’s a chamber member or in the area. If not, confirm by phone or internet search.
    
3. Keep on file three employee signatures from each exporter to compare with those on their export documents. This prevents an unauthorized employee from sending who-knows-what to a foreign country, or someone from outside the company from sneaking a fake document past you.
    
4. Make sure the commercial invoice and the certificate of origin match. If the invoice says there are two shipping containers’ worth of goods and the certificate says there are three shipping containers, something’s wrong – and you shouldn’t stamp it.
    
5. Don’t lend your chamber stamp to anyone. But why not provide your stamp as a convenience to a member? Because the chamber’s role is to provide oversight – which doesn’t happen when the exporter is stamping its own documents. And just like handing out blank checks, this practice can create a host of problems for a chamber. Our advice: Don’t risk it.