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Rules of Origin Explained

This article explains the Rules of Origin and the requirements for commercial invoices

Updated over 5 months ago

This article outlines the Rules of Origin, applicable only to manufacturing partners in the EU who are shipping to our UK hub. Since we also have a hub in Portugal, situations requiring shipments from the EU to our UK hub should be rare.

To apply Zero rate tariffs to goods coming from the EU they must be originating from the EU, to meet the rules of origin.

For goods to be classified as of EU origin, they must either be “wholly produced or obtained” in that country or, the products should be manufactured / processed in some form in the EU.

What evidence needs to be supplied / included in the parcel

Value under 5400EUR

The commercial invoice must be included in the parcel with the usual requirements:

  1. Sender Contact Details

  2. Recipient Contact Details

  3. Sender EORI number

  4. Recipient EORI number

  5. Reason for Export

  6. HS Code / Commodity Codes

  7. Product Description

  8. Country of Origin

  9. Net / Gross Weight

  10. Value

  11. Terms of Trade

  12. Remarks

In addition to the above, our supplier will need to include in the remarks section of the

commercial invoice (if they are originating) the following:

“The exporter of the products covered by this document (insert exporter EORI number)

declares that, except where otherwise clearly indicated these products are of EU preferential origin”

Value over 5400EUR

As above, the commercial invoice must be included stating all of the above, however in

addition the supplier must also put their REX number.

A REX number allows the supplier to demonstrate they are a registered exporter to HMRC.

If the exporter does not have a REX number we can use importers knowledge, we would

need to hold supporting documents or records which cover:

  • Commodity code

  • Brief description of the production process (including the origin of the goods used)

  • If the origin was based on “wholly obtained” - a category of the goods must be provided

  • If the origin was based on ‘sufficiently worked or processed” give one of the following:

  1. The value of the product as well as the value of all the non-originating or, as appropriate to establish compliance with the value requirement, originating materials used in the production.

  2. The weight of the product as well as the weight of the relevant non-originating materials used in the product.

  3. A list of all the non-originating materials including their commodity codes

  4. If the goods have been altered or transformed

  5. Any additional information that will help verify the origin of the goods, if HMRC asks for it.

The following statement must also be included in the remarks section of the commercial

invoice (like above, but with the addition of the REX number.

“The exporter of the products covered by this document (insert exporter EORI number and

REX number) declares that, except where otherwise clearly indicated these products are of

EU preferential origin”

All of the above can be included on the commercial invoice.

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