Is it possible to issue the certificate of origin electronically?

Yes, the application and issuance of certificates of origin are processed online.
First the applicant is required to complete his/her signatory registration at the KCCI. After the applicant registers at the website(cert.korcham.net) as a user, writes out the certificate of origin, and submits the application, the KCCI officer will examine and authorize the place of origin, name of goods, matters of shipment, transfer location(for transshipment), quantity of goods, HS code, etc for issuance.

 

What does 'Registration of Company' refer to?

It is a preliminary procedure that requires the applicant company to register its address, Tax Registration, telephone number, employee in charge, seal impression, and signature at the KCCI.
It is a written oath to pledge that the signer will not submit false statements on or in connection to the certificate of origin, will faithfully conform with relevant laws and regulations including the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Act, and assume all liabilities in case of violation of any of the above matters.

 

Is it possible to have the certificate of origin re-issued online?

In case the original certificate of origin is lost, or there is a need to change its contents due to changes in agreement with importer, the concerning company must submit a form explaining the cause, in which case the certificate is re-issued. After the quantity and price of goods being shipped are cross-checked with the declaration at the Customs Office, the certificate may be re-issued.

 

To briefly state the online certificate of origin issuing procedure?

registration of company (by visit to the KCCI)	Exporter
registration as online user (http://cert.korcham.net)	Exporter
submission of application for certificate of origin (ID/PW log-in)	Exporter
preliminary examination of certificate of origin	KCCI officer
re-examination of certificate of origin	KCCI officer
issuance of certificate of origin	KCCI officer
check/search of certificate of origin (http://english.korcham.net)

How long does it take from the application to the issuance of the certificate of origin?

In case the preliminary examination suffices for issuing the certificate of origin, it will normally take around 30~60 minutes. If a reexamination is necessary, it may take around 1-3 days according to C/O types, considering the time required to conduct actual inspections or collect additional documentation.

 

Is it possible to revise a certificate of origin once it is issued?

In order to prevent the applicant from deliberately forging or falsifying the contents of the document or the document itself, it is prohibited in principle to revise the contents in the certificate after it is issued.

 

How does the applicant company submit the requested documentation?

The applicant may send the requested documentation by facsimile or as attached a scanned file. KCCI maintains the submitted papers together with the application documents in its database.

 

Is it necessary to use the Web Certifying System to issue documents that need the actual signature certification of the KCCI officer?

As the Web Certifying System runs a reference system for Foreign Customs agencies to confirm the authenticity of an online-issued certificate, all data in the certificate must be registered online on the Web Certifying System in order to prove its authenticity. Therefore, the applicant is required to visit KCCI to receive the actual signature of the KCCI officer in charge with online-issued C/O
The KCCI certification officer's signature is registered on all foreign embassies to Korea, and the officer will provide the registered signature when requested.

 

Is it possible for one company to have more than one ID issued?

Yes, it is possible. Although the Web Certifying System basically uses a company's Tax registration number as its ID, sub-IDs other than the Tax registration number are also used so that multiple users in a single company may have different IDs for using the system.

 

What should be done in case there are more than one signatory of the company?

At the signatory registration stage which takes place before applying for the Certificate of Origin, more than one signer, for example, the CEO and president as well as other senior officers of the company may be registered as signatories. When writing out the online form for application, the applicant company may select one signature of the multiple signers that are registered in advance.

 

How can one be registered as a user of the Web Certifying System?

Once the signatory registration is completed at KCCI in advance, the applicant may register as a user of the Web Certifying System. There is a user registration menu on the below-left corner at http://cert.korcham.net/english.(or 'http://cert.korcham.net' in Korean)

 

What is a Digital Certificate?

It refers to the online information such as a online signature, legal seal, and ID card for verifying a person's identification in electronics transactions. The Digital Certificate contains information such as the name of the registers serial number of the Digital Certificate, and is used as a verification tool to provide online protection for the companies.

 

What is the method of issuing the Digital Certificate?

The KCCI website provides a "Digital Certificate Center" menu, where there is the next menu for 'New User' for the Digital Certificate.
< Documentations to be Submitted >
① Licensed Certificate Application
② Legal Company Seal Registration
③ Tax Registration.
④ A copy of agent ID

 

In case there is not enough space to write out all the contents under the 'Description' box, what is the official method of adding an additional page?

In case the 'Description' box runs out of space, an additional page format will automatically be created, with "to be continued" automatically printed at the end of each page, and "end of page" on the last page.

 

How many pages comprise 'one set' of the Certificate of Origin?

There is no official requirement for a FULL SET of the Certificate of Origin. The buyer may decide the format and style in which he/she wishes to receive the certificate. Although the basic composition contains only one ORIGINAL, more than one ORIGINAL may be provided when the requested documentations are submitted by facsimile or in a file format. Copies are to be printed out only in amounts as needed.

 

Is it obligatory to print out the Certificate of Origin with a color printer?

The official seal of KCCI and the signature of the officer in charge are printed in color, which is consistent with the certificates of other countries that have color stamps of the official seal of the issuance agency and the signature of the officer in charge.
Therefore the Certificate of Origin must be printed out in color in order to avoid any possible suspicion of its authenticity. If a black-and-white copy of the Certificate of Origin is sent to another country's customs office, it may be regarded as a duplicate, which may make customs clearance difficult.

 

Is it possible to print multiple copies of the Certificate of Origin?

The system is designed to record the print information at the KCCI website manager's menu whenever a Certificate of Origin is printed out. This is aimed at preventing any wrongful use of the certificate.

 

What needs to be done in case additional original C/O is needed for the Preferential Certificate of Origin?

The Preferential Certificate of Origin(FTA C/O) is composed of 1 original and 1 duplicate. In case more than 2 original certificates is needed, the second original will automatically be labelled Duplicate when it is printed out. The ORIGINAL may be used for customs purposes and the Duplicate original may be printed out and used for nego if necessary.