Govt eases Certificate of Origin for India-EFTA exports
ET Bureau October 29, 2025 03:20 AM
Synopsis

In a significant move to enhance trade efficiency, the DGFT has introduced a self-declaration method for domestic exporters to secure their Certificate of Origin under the India-EFTA free trade agreement.

India exports (Image for representation)
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Tuesday said it has amended a provision to facilitate domestic exporters to obtain the Certificate of Origin (CoO) under the India-EFTA free trade agreement, through self-declaration.

The FTA between India and the four-nationEuropean Free Trade Association came into effect October 1. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland are the EFTA members.

A certificate of origin is required for claiming duty concessions under free trade agreements as it proves where the goods originate.


A paragraph of the Handbook of Procedures 2023 “has been amended to facilitate exporters to obtain the CoO under the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) through self-declaration, in addition to the existing system of issuance of CoO by the authorised agencies,” the DGFT said in a public notice.

To simplify the certification process for exporters and enhance trade efficiency, the government earlier this year upgraded its system of issuing electronically generated certificates of origin to help exporters.
© Copyright @2025 LIDEA. All Rights Reserved.