Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce is proud to be one of the issuing agencies to officially certify Certificates of Origins to several of our manufacturing companies that export their products out of the country.
What is a Certificate of Origin?
A Certificate of Origin (often abbreviated to C/O or COO) is a document used in international trade. It is a printed form, completed by the exporter or its agent and certified by an issuing body, attesting that the goods in a particular export shipment have been wholly produced, manufactured or processed in a particular country. Or, in short, “A COO is a document which is used for certification that the products exported are wholly obtained, produced or manufactured in a particular country.” It is generally an integral part of export documents.
Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce Certification of Origin Policy
- The Certificate of Origin must be filled out completely and notarized before being presented to the Chamber.
- An indemnification letter must be signed by a company officer, notarized and on file with the Chamber before a COO is issued. This will be updated annually or when there is a change of signatory officer.
- Certificates will be authorized at our office, 5500 E. Cheryl Parkway, Suite 106, Fitchburg, WI.
- There will be a $50 one-time processing fee for all users, after that Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce members will receive the service for free and non-members will be charged $50 per certificate.
- Please take time to fill out and return the indemnification letter and return it at your earliest convenience to the Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce.
Please adhere to the following steps to ensure timely processing of your Certificate of Origin:
- Make sure you are filling out the proper Certificate of Origin for the country to which you are exporting.
- Make sure you fill out the Certificate completely and accurately. Be sure you do not sign in the space provided for the Notary or the Chamber.
- Make sure that the product information listed is verbatim to what is on the invoice. Do not leave off any product numbers, quantities or descriptions.
- Do not alter the Certificate in any way.
- Have the certificate notarized before having the Chamber sign it.
- Do no wait until the day of your shipment to bring in your certificate. (48 Hours advance notice is ideal, but not always necessary).
- Contact our office at (608)288-8284 or via email to begin the process for this service or if you have any questions.