EXPORT CERTIFICATION

& LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

CONTENT

1. Overview of The Trade Board Limited

2. Role and function of Trade Board Limited in Export

3. Rules of Origin & Certificates of Origin

4. Overview of Trade Agreements –

5. Application for a Certificate of Origin

6. Safeguards

7. Items Subject to Export Licening

THE TRADE BOARD LIMITED

Government Agency , operating under the auspices of the Ministry

of Industry, Investment and Commerce

 

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Trade Board Limited is to facilitate trade both locally and internationally by the issuance of licenses and certificates of origin consistent with Government’s policies and international agreements as well as to develop and promote a secure framework for e-transactions.

VISION

To be a national focal point for support of modern commerce

through trade facilitation, export enhancement and rules observance and being a

repository for and disseminator of national, regional and

international trade-related information.

ROLE AND FUNCTION

Issuing Certificates of Origin for Jamaican products exported under various preferential trade agreements;

Provide technical support in the negotiation of rules of origin under the various trade agreements.

ROLE AND FUNCTION CONT’D

•Ensuring that Jamaica meets its international obligations under the following: -WTO Agreement on Rules of Origin -WTO Agreement on Import Licensing

THE CERTIFICATION UNIT

Designated Governmental Authority to certify and issue certificates of origin on the basis that the product qualifies or is in conformity with prescribed criteria of each trade scheme.

Note that the prescribed criteria are the Rules of

Origin .

In order to determine if a certificate of origin can be issued a TBL certification officer would analyze the products and verify that the production processes are in conformity with the origin rules as prescribed under the agreement.

TRADE AGREEMENTS

1. Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI)2. CARIBCAN3. Generalized System of Preferences

(GSP) 4. CARICOM/Venezuela Trade &

Investment Agreement 5. CARICOM/Colombia Trade Agreement6. CARICOM/Dominican Republic Trade

Agreement7. CARICOM/Cuba Trade Agreement8. CARICOM/Costa Rica9. Caribbean Common Market (CARICOM)

TRADE AGREEMENTS

The Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI)

CBI OVERVIEW

The CBI comprises the 1983/1990 Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA) and the 2000 Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBPTA). Both these pieces of US legislation allow Jamaica to ex-port nearly all products to the USA duty free. A few products are ex-empted from duty free treatment.

The major goal of the CBI is to expand foreign and domestic investment in non-traditional sectors to diversify CBI economies and expanding exports.

CARIBBEAN BASIN INITIATIVE (CBI)

Beneficiary Countries

  Antigua and Barbuda Haiti Aruba Honduras Bahamas Jamaica Barbados Monteserrat Belize Netherlands Antilles British Virgin Islands Nicaragua Costa Rica Panama Dominica St. Kitts-Nevis Dominican Republic St. Lucia El Salvador St. Vincent Guatemala Trinidad and Tobago Guyana

CBI

Goods excluded from the duty provisions of the CBI

  Most textiles and apparel Canned tuna Petroleum and petroleum products Footwear except disposable items and

footwear parts such as uppers Certain leather, rubber and plastic gloves Luggage, handbags, and flat goods Certain leather wearing apparel Watches and watch parts

TRADE AGREEMENTS

CANADA-CARICOM (CARIBCAN)

CARIBCAN

The 1986 Commonwealth Caribbean /Canada Trade Agreement (CARIBCAN) al-lows Jamaica to export its products to the Canadian Market duty free. There are a few exempted products. This Agreement is governed by the Canadian legislation and is a non-reciprocal (one-way) arrange-ment.

The objectives of CARIBCAN are to enhance Commonwealth Caribbean trade and export earnings, improve the trade and economic development prospects of the region..

CARIBCAN

Goods not included in the duty free provisions of CARIBCAN

Textiles and Clothing Footwear Luggage and Handbags Leather Garments Lubricating Oils Methanol

TRADE AGREEMENTS

GENERALISED SYSTEM OF

PREFRENCES (GSP)

GENERALISED SYSTEM OF PREFRENCES (GSP)

The GSP is a system whereby developed countries grant preferential treatment to eligible products imported from developing countries. The preference-giving country is also known as the donor country, and the preference receiving country as the beneficiary country.

Generalised Scheme of Preferences(GSP) allows developing country exporters to pay less or no duties on their exports to the EU. This gives them vital access to EU markets and contributes to their economic growth.

GENERALISED SYSTEM OF PREFRENCES (GSP)

Donor CountriesAustralia Republic of Czech &

SlovakBelarus Russian FederationBulgaria SwitzerlandCanada United States of AmericaEuropean UnionHungaryJapanNew ZealandNorway

THE CARICOM BILATERAL AGREEMENTS

These are agreements negoti-ated between CARICOM and Venezuela; CARICOM and Colombia; CARICOM and the Dominican Republic; CARICOM and Costa Rica, and CARICOM and Cuba. Through these agreements, Jamaica has duty free access into the markets of Venezuela, Colombia, Dominican Re-public; Costa Rica and Cuba for a wide range of goods.

CARICOM-COLOMBIA TRADE, ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL CO-OPERATION AGREEMENT

This is a Partial Scope Agreement, which was signed on 24 July 1994 and entered into force on 1 June 1995. The Agreement provides for the More Developed Countries (MDCs) of CARICOM, such as Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, to intro-duce a programme to eliminate or reduce tariffs on an agreed list of products of export interest to Colombia, commencing at the beginning of the fourth year (1999) after the entry into force of the Agreement.

CARICOM/VENEZUELA CARICOM-Venezuela Free Trade Agreement -

A Partial Scope Agreement - signed in October 1992 and entered into force on 1st January 2000.

This trade and investment agreement seeks to promote economic cooperation by granting duty free treatment to a selected list of goods originating in CARICOM .

• It is primarily focused on trade in goods but provides for a framework for parties to work together for the promotion of services and investment. The Agreement has been fairly dormant as there have been varied technical problems affecting its implementation.

CARICOM/COSTA RICA

CARICOM/Costa Rica Agreement was signed in 2004 and phased liberalization of tariffs should have been completed by 2008. 

Note that Jamaica has now fully implemented the Agreement.

CARICOM/DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

This Free Trade Agreement was signed on the 22nd of August 1998 and provisionally entered into force in December 2001, following the signing of the Framework Agreement, together with the Protocol implementing the Agreement on 28th April, 2000. The FTA is based on reciprocity with the five More Developed Countries of CARICOM (MDCs), which includes Jamaica. Jamaica is now applying the Agreement.

CARICOM-CUBA TRADE AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION AGREEMENT

This Agreement was signed in July 2000. The Agreement is only reciprocal for CARICOM MDCs. The Agreement, in addition to focus-ing on the trade in goods, also outlines an agreed timetable for negotiating a trade in services regime, the reciprocal promotion and protection of investments, and government procurement.

MINIMAL PROCESSING

List on Minimal Processes

Under the Origin Rules a product would be ineligible for duty free treatment if it is produced by one or more of the minimal processes.

1. Operations to ensure the preservation of goods during transport and storage

2. Simple operations consisting of sifting, sorting, washing painting etc.

3. Changes of packaging, placing in bottles or other simple packaging operations

MINIMAL PROCESSING

List on Minimal Processes (continued)

4. Affixing marks, labels or other like distinguishing signs

5. Simple mixing of extra regional materials

6. Operations which consist solely of welding, soldering, fastening or putting together finished parts

SAFEGUARD MECHANISM

Under the Safeguard Mechanism, the CARICOM Secretary General is authorised by the Common Market Council in the situation where there are inadequate supplies or inadequate quality of regional material, to permit producers to use extra-regional materials in production but still be eligible for Common Market treatment.

 APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF

ORIGIN

Goods to be exported must be analyzed by the Trade Board to determine qualification for duty free entry.

Exporters are required to complete a Product Analysis Form for each product to determine the origin criterion. (Forms along with instructions for its completion are available at the offices of Trade Board Ltd as well as on our website.)

PRODUCT ANALYSIS FORM

APPLICATION PROCESS: CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN

The completed form along with supporting documents i.e. Import Entries (C87 Forms) and supporting invoices etc. must be submitted to the Certification Unit of the Trade Board for vetting and verification.

Additionally an officer will visit the production facility to verify that the production process is in conformity with the analysis submitted.

APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN

After verification of the analysis and examination of the production process, exporters are advised in writing whether or not the product qualifies for preferential treatment and the origin criterion if applicable.

All exporters making application for a certificate of origin must be duly registered by JAMPRO. 

DOCUMENTATION

Certificate of Origin Commercial Invoice

Certificates applicable to the various schemes

CARICOM – CARICOM Certificate of Origin Caribbean Basin Initiative – GSP Form A CARIBCAN = GSP Form A Generalised System of Preferences – GSP

Form A European Partnership Agreement - EUR 1

ITEMS SUBJECT TO EXPORT LICENSING

ITEMS SUBJECT TO EXPORT LICENSING

CONTACT INFORMATION

Trade Board Limited10th Floor Air Jamaica Building72 Harbour StreetKingstonTel: 967-0507Fax: 948-7486Email: info@tradeboard.gov.jmWebsite: www.tradeboard.gov.jm

THANK YOU!!!