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The Bureau of Customs continues to accept scanned copies of certificates of origin under various free trade agreements
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The special measure eases trade despite strict safety measures against the COVID-19 pandemic
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It seeks to keep transactions going between Philippines-based stakeholders and their clients in FTA partner-countries despite the health crisis
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BOC will accept scanned copies only if original documents are submitted no later than 30 days from date of importation
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is still accepting scanned copies of certificates of origin (CO) under various free trade agreements (FTA) as a special measure amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The measure intends to facilitate trade despite community quarantines and other restrictions aimed at reducing the risk of stakeholders and government employees’ exposure to the virus.
Deputy Commissioner Edward James DyBuco, head of the Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group (AOCG), said in a memorandum dated February 3 that BOC is keeping the arrangement amid mobility restrictions that stakeholders in the country and its FTA partners face due to the pandemic.
DyBuco said BOC will only accept scanned copies provided the original documents are submitted no later than 30 days from the date of importation.
He issued the memo in response to Bureau of International Trade Relations Director Angelo Salvador Benedicto’s request for an update on the Philippines’ acceptance of scanned copies of proofs of origin as a special measure under the Association of South East Asian Nations and ASEAN+1 FTAs.
BITR, a unit of the Department of Trade and Industry, also reiterated its recommendation for BOC to maintain the 30-day submission period for the original CO.
ASEAN and its free trade partners (except India) and Japan in 2020 have accepted the Philippines’ request to allow scanned copies of commercial documents, including COs, for customs clearance as a pandemic safety protocol.
READ: ASEAN free trade partners, Japan accept PH scanned commercial dox for customs clearance
BOC, through DTI, has requested existing FTA partners of the Philippines to accept scanned copies of COs as a basis for granting preferential treatment to goods at the country of destination.
A CO is a document attesting that goods in a particular export shipment are wholly obtained, produced, manufactured or processed in a particular country of origin. The certificate is a basic requirement for customs clearance or trade documentation of goods of origin exported by local registered companies. – Roumina Pablo
