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Certificate of origin template and generator
A certificate of origin states where goods were made, and there are two kinds. A free trade agreement certification claims a lower US duty, and CBP publishes a template for it. A chamber of commerce certificate is the exporter’s signed statement for buyers, banks and some importing countries. Pick the one you need, fill it in here, and download the PDF. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Updated October 12, 2026
This is a non-preferential certificate of origin: a signed statement of where the goods were made, often certified by a chamber of commerce. It does not claim free trade agreement benefits. The buyer, the letter of credit or the importing country may require a specific form, so check before you ship.
Which certificate of origin do you need?
| FTA certification of origin | Chamber of commerce certificate | USMCA certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Claims preferential (lower or zero) US duty under a free trade agreement | States where the goods were made; claims nothing | Claims USMCA treatment between Canada, Mexico and the US |
| Who asks for it | CBP, on request, when the importer claims the agreement rate | Buyers, letters of credit, countries that ask for proof of origin | CBP or CBSA, when the importer claims USMCA |
| Who signs | The importer, exporter or producer, or their agent | The exporter, often certified by a chamber of commerce | The importer, exporter or producer |
| Form | Any format with the data elements on CBP’s template | A common chamber layout | Any format with the nine data elements of Annex 5-A |
| Make it | Here: choose “Free trade agreement certification” | Here: choose “Chamber of commerce certificate” | USMCA certificate of origin generator |
The FTA certification: what CBP’s template asks for
CBP publishes a fillable Certification of Origin Template and says its use “is in no way compulsory”, but that all of its data elements “must still be provided upon request to CBP in connection with a claim for preferential tariff treatment.” The FTA mode above asks for the same elements, in the same order:
| Element | What to put in it |
|---|---|
| Agreement | Australia, CAFTA-DR, Chile, Colombia, Japan, Korea (KORUS), Panama, Peru or Singapore, the agreements on CBP’s template. USMCA has its own generator. |
| Blanket period | For repeat shipments of the same goods: the period covered, at most 12 months from the date of certification. Leave it off for one shipment. |
| Importer, exporter, producer | Legal name, address, phone and email of each, if known. The producer can be “same as exporter”. |
| Goods | Invoice number and date, a description detailed enough to match the invoice, quantity, the HTSUS number (6 digits or more), the country of origin and the origin criterion. |
| Origin criterion | The agreement’s rule the good meets, numbered as on the template: 1 wholly obtained or produced, 2 tariff shift or regional value content, 3 made only from originating materials (Australia adds 4; Japan numbers them differently). |
| Certification | The statement that the information is true, that you keep the records, that the goods meet the agreement’s requirements, and how many pages the document has. |
| Signer | Name, title, date, and whether you sign as the exporter, importer, producer or an agent (and for whom), with address and contact. |
Sources: CBP Certification of Origin Template; 19 CFR 10.1004 (KORUS) for the wording of the elements and the statement.
The chamber of commerce certificate: what goes on it
There is no single legal form for a non-preferential certificate. Most chamber of commerce forms use the same boxes, and the generator follows them:
| Box | What to put in it |
|---|---|
| 1. Exporter (consignor) | The company exporting the goods, with full address. It should match the commercial invoice. |
| 2. Consignee | The buyer or receiver abroad, as on the commercial invoice. |
| 3. Country of origin | Where the goods were made. If lines differ, leave it empty and give each line its own origin. |
| 4. Transport details | Mode, vessel or flight, ports of loading and discharge, departure date. Often optional. |
| 5. Remarks | The commercial invoice number and date, a letter of credit number, anything the buyer asked for. |
| 6. Goods | Marks and numbers, number and kind of packages, a description that matches the invoice, and the HS code if the buyer wants it. |
| 7. Quantity | Units or weight, as on the invoice. |
| 8. Declaration | The exporter’s signed statement that the goods originate in the country shown. |
| 9. Certification | An empty box for the chamber of commerce’s stamp, signature and date. |
How to fill it in
FTA certification
Choose “Free trade agreement certification” and the agreement. For USMCA, open the USMCA generator instead.
Choose one shipment or a blanket period of up to 12 months.
Enter the importer, the exporter and the producer (or tick “Same as the exporter”).
Add each good with its HTSUS number, origin and criterion. The criteria for the agreement you chose are shown above the goods.
Say who signs and in what role, then download or print the PDF and sign it. The importer keeps it and gives it to CBP on request.
Chamber of commerce certificate
If you made the commercial invoice with our invoice generator in this browser, press “Start from invoice”: the parties, lines and invoice number come across.
Check the exporter and consignee against the invoice.
Enter the country of origin once, or per line if the goods come from different countries.
Add transport details and remarks such as the letter of credit number.
Fill in who signs, and where. Leave the chamber box on if a chamber will certify it.
Download the PDF or print it, sign it, and send it with the invoice to the chamber if it needs certifying.
Common questions
Does a certificate of origin need to be certified?
Often, but not always. The International Trade Administration notes that certificates of origin are usually validated by a semi-official organization such as a local chamber of commerce, and that a certificate may be required even when the commercial invoice already shows the origin. The buyer or the letter of credit will say which they need.
Can I use this to claim lower duties?
Use the FTA certification for that. The chamber of commerce certificate states origin only; it does not claim a free trade agreement rate. For USMCA use the USMCA generator.
Is this the same as CBP’s template?
It asks for the same data elements and prints the same certification statement, and it works in any browser. CBP’s own file is a fillable PDF that CBP says to open in Adobe Acrobat Reader, because filling it in a browser “may cause errors”. Either is fine: CBP does not require a format.
Can I get a blank form?
Yes. Each mode has a “Download a blank form” link that gives a printable PDF with every box empty, to fill in by hand.
Where are my drafts stored?
Only in this browser. Nothing reaches Morsa or anyone else.
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WHERE MORSA FITS
Your form is done. Is your supplier’s?
A shipment waits on more than your own paperwork: the supplier’s invoice, a certification, a packing list, a confirmed ship date. Morsa chases suppliers for the documents and dates a shipment needs, in email, Teams, WhatsApp or whatever you already run on, and tells you early when an order is going to slip.
