The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is now allowing the use of photocopies of Form AK (Combined Declaration and Certificate) Certificate of Origin (C/O) for goods originating from South Korea shipped via air as prescribed under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Korea Free Trade Agreement (AKFTA).
“We now allow photocopy of form AK but this should be checked against the website (of the Korea Customs Service [KCS] and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry [KCCI],” Customs Deputy Commissioner Atty. Agaton Teodoro Uvero of the Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group told PortCalls in a text message.
In a memo he signed dated Jan 20, Uvero said the move will implement objectives of AKFTA, which provides preferential tariff treatment for goods originating from South Korea through airfreight as long as the importer or his authorized representative submits a C/O, or a certified true copy of it, along with supporting documents required under Rule 9 of Appendix 1 (Operational Certification Procedures for the Rules of Origin) of the AKFTA.
If the importer submits a certified true copy of the C/O, the same shall be considered substantial compliance provided two conditions are met:
- The authenticity of the certified true copy can be verified with the KCS and the KCCI Certificate Service Center through the following websites: www.customs.go.kr/kcshome/co/CertificateOfOriginView.do for C/O issued by KCS; and http://cert.korcham.net/english/ref/01.jsp for C/Os issued by KCCI
- The original C/O must be submitted by the importer within 10 days of arrival of the airfreight shipment.
The AKFTA is expected to boost trade by cutting down tariff barriers among the 11 parties involved—the 10 ASEAN member-nations and South Korea. By lowering trade barriers, ASEAN and South Korean bilateral trade and investment are expected to rise to $150 billion by 2015. – Roumina Pablo
