Senegalese American Chamber of Commerce issues documentary evidence of origin for goods exported from Senegal and certifies a variety of other export documentation, eg. Packing Lists, Commercial Invoices, Pro-forma Invoices, etc. as required by overseas buyers and foreign customs authorities. The Chamber issues Certificate of Origin according to the International Certificate of origin guidelines prepared by World Chambers Federation, ICC’s specialised division for Chamber Affairs.

A Certificate of Origin (COO) is an international trade document certifying the origin of the goods to be exported. It is a document which is used for certification that the products exported are wholly obtained or partially produced or manufactured in a particular Country. It is generally an integral part of export documents.  This endorsement is not only limited to members of the Chamber. Each company requiring export documentation is obliged to complete and return to the Chamber Documentation Service Registration Form to register the company, its authorised signatories and Manufacturing Cost Statement. This form only needs to be completed once, however, the Chamber should be advised of changes to the company signatories or other company details.

In case of a company acting on behalf of another, a letter should accompany the Documentation Service Registration Form stating this fact. There is no charge for registration. The certificate must be completed and the declaration signed by an authorised officer of the company prior to certification by the Chamber. All signatures must be originals and photocopies will not be accepted. 

The Purpose of Certificate of Origin is to facilitate international trade and proves that the product exported is manufactured and produced in a specified country. It is required by certain countries in order to determine whether duties or tariffs should be assessed on the products being imported.

The Chamber currently issues five types of certificates: EUR, GSP, IMPERIAL PREFERENCE, COMBINED CERTIFICATE, ECOWAS.

The following documents are required before Certificate of Origin can be issued: Certificate Type, Exporter’s Tin Number, Exporter’s Name and Address, Importer’s Name and Address, Port of Discharge, ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Number (Optional but important), Product Description, Product HS Code, Quantity of Goods, Net Weight, Gross Weight, Total Invoice Value.

Note: In addition all exporters are to provide commercial invoice or packing list, customs declaration form, bill of lading, etc. to the Senegalese American Chamber of Commerce to help process the certificate.