BOC to implement ASEAN Electronic Certificate of Origin (e-CO)

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is set to implement the ASEAN electronic Certificate of Origin (e-CO) following the issuance of Customs Memorandum Order (CMO15-2019) which provides guidelines on the operational procedures in implementing e-CO.

The Order was issued pursuant to the Operational Certification Procedure (OCP) of the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) and in compliance with the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA). It aims to facilitate the application, processing, issuance, and transmission of e-CO for export products and the receipt of e-CO for imported products by utilizing the TradeNet system (tradenet.gov.ph).

The e-CO refers to the ATIGA Form D which is an international trade document attesting that goods in a particular export shipment were wholly obtained, produced, manufactured, or processed in a particular country. It will be transmitted electronically between ASEAN Member States (AMS) through the ASEAN Single Window (ASW).

Meanwhile, the TradeNet will cover the functions of the Philippine National Single Window (NSW). It will serve as an automated permit, licensing,  and clearance system integrated into one platform for 66 Trade Regulatory Government Agencies (TRGAs) and 10 economic zones.

Application and Submission of e-CO to ASEAN Members States (AMS)

To access the TradeNet system, exporters and importers shall create TradeNet Account and  company profile with their respective usernames and passwords. Once the Pre-Evaluation Report (PER) of export product is completed by the authorized Customs personnel, it shall be uploaded to the TradeNet system, along with the List of Pre-Evaluated Goods of each newly approved applications for reference by all ports.

The exporters must then submit their application for outbound e-CO through the TradeNet system and attach all documentary requirements by uploading it to the system. If approved, the exporters will receive an email containing a downloadable and printable file for the e-CO. Otherwise, the Exporter/s will be informed of the reason for disapproval through email and may file another application for e-CO.Since the full electronic sharing of e-CO among AMS is not yet operational and while the AMS are addressing all technical failures, “the Exporter shall download then print the e-ATIGA Form D, place his or her signature in the appropriate space, and submit the system-generated ATIGA Form D to the Bureau (BOC) for manual execution of signature and seal”.

The Export Coordination Division of the BOC is mandated to submit the approved e-CO to the ASW Gateway. The ASW will in turn send the e-CO to the importing AMS, while the latter must notify the BOC of the utilization status of the e-CO.

Pilot Testing and Full Implementation of e-CO
To commence the implementation of the Order, a Pilot Testing on processing and issuance of e-CO using the TradeNet platform shall be conducted in all ports and sub-ports. During the live testing, the Exporters are required to apply for the issuance of CO both electronically throughtradenet.gov.ph and manually using the Paper ATIGA Form D. The Order explains that it is a precautionary measure in case the outbound e-ATIGA Form D fails to transmit through the ASW Gateway to the receiving AMS.

The Deputy Commissioner for Management Information System and Technology Group is authorized to declare the start of full implementation of the ASEAN e-CO. As such, no outbound and inbound Paper ATIGA Form D shall be processed and accepted, except for valid circumstances which include system downtime and loss of network connectivity exceeding two hours.-ARB