Certificate of Origin Explained

A Certificate of Origin is a shipment document that states where goods were made. It is usually issued by the supplier, the manufacturer, or an authorised body in the exporting country, and it travels with the commercial invoice, packing list and other shipment paperwork.

For imports into Australia, a Certificate of Origin (or an equivalent Declaration of Origin) may be required to claim a preferential duty rate under a Free Trade Agreement such as ChAFTA. Without it, the shipment is generally treated at the standard duty rate.

Origin documentation can change the duty applied to your shipment. When goods qualify under an FTA and the paperwork supports it, a lower or zero preferential rate may apply. When the paperwork is missing, incomplete or inconsistent, the shipment is usually cleared at the standard rate.

Not every shipment needs a Certificate of Origin. Whether one is required depends on the origin country, the goods, the applicable agreement and how the shipment is being cleared. Your carrier clearance team or freight forwarder is the right party to confirm what a specific shipment needs.

MarginMining does not provide customs, tax or legal advice. This guide is educational and is intended to help you understand the document before you review your own shipment evidence.

• You are importing goods under ChAFTA or another Free Trade Agreement Australia is party to.
• Your supplier has provided a Certificate of Origin or Declaration of Origin with the shipment.
• You (or your clearance party) intend to claim a preferential tariff rate on the import declaration.

If any of these apply, it is worth checking that the origin document is present, complete and consistent with the rest of your shipment paperwork before the review is finalised.

When you upload a shipment for an Import Cost Review, MarginMining may review the origin document alongside your other evidence. The review looks for consistency and completeness, not eligibility.

• Origin country stated on the document
• HS code consistency across invoice, declaration and origin document
• Invoice references match the origin document
• Product descriptions line up with the shipment paperwork
• Supporting shipment evidence is present and readable
• Missing or incomplete origin documentation

MarginMining highlights review opportunities and evidence gaps. It does not determine tariff eligibility, confirm preferential treatment or replace advice from your carrier clearance team or customs broker.

Examples of the kinds of gaps a review may surface:

• Certificate of Origin is missing from the shipment paperwork.
• Invoice numbers on the origin document do not match the supplier invoice.
• HS codes on the origin document differ from the import declaration.
• Product descriptions on the origin document differ from the commercial invoice.
• Origin evidence is incomplete or does not cover every line item.

Each of these is a reason to look again at the shipment evidence, or to raise a question with your supplier or clearance party, before the landed cost is trusted downstream.