You made the goods, so you can certify them
A producer occupies a position on the paperwork that a trading exporter does not. Under USMCA the importer, exporter or producer may certify origin, and the certification has to say which one you are. You also hold the facts behind most of the declarations a destination asks for — what the goods are made of, what they are packed in, and whether they have ever been used — which is why those documents keep coming back to you.
There is no official USMCA form. It is nine required data elements and a certification statement, which may sit on the commercial invoice or on a document like this one.
Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada
Indicate whether the certifier is the IMPORTER, EXPORTER or PRODUCER of the goods.
| Item | 6 Description of Goods | 6 HS Tariff Classification | 7 Origin Criterion | Country of Origin | Quantity | Unit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
I certify that the goods described in this document qualify as originating and the information contained in this document is true and accurate. I assume responsibility for proving such representations and agree to maintain and present upon request or to make available during a verification visit, documentation necessary to support this certification.
Your entries are kept as you move between documents: the parties, ports, container and line items all carry across.
The free-trade certification for US–Mexico–Canada shipments. Has no prescribed form, but must carry all nine required data elements.
A self-certified origin statement made by the exporter, used where a full chamber-stamped certificate of origin is not required.
Certifies that the goods contain no asbestos in any form — required by Australia, Saudi Arabia and other markets that ban asbestos outright.
Declares the timber packaging and container cleanliness of a consignment — required for Australian and New Zealand biosecurity clearance.
Certifies that the goods are new and have never been used — required where the destination restricts imports of second-hand goods.
Certifying as producer rather than exporter
This changed with USMCA. Under NAFTA only the exporter could certify; now the importer, exporter or producer may, and the document must state which. Certifying as producer has a practical consequence worth knowing: exporter information is not required where the producer certifies and does not know who the exporter is, which matters when you sell through a trading house and do not want your buyer's customer list.
The declarations are triggered by the destination, not by the goods
Australia and New Zealand ban asbestos outright and ask for a declaration that the goods contain none in any form, which catches products nobody thinks of as asbestos-bearing — gaskets, brake components, some cement board. ISPM 15 governs solid timber packaging worldwide, so a packing declaration follows the crate rather than the contents. A new-and-unused declaration is asked for where the destination restricts second-hand imports. None of these depend on what you make; they depend on where it is going.
Origin when you are the one transforming the goods
Origin is where the last substantial transformation happened, and as producer you are the only party who knows whether one did. The test is set per tariff heading: usually a change of HS classification at four or six digits, sometimes a percentage of local value. Assembly from imported components may or may not confer origin depending on that rule. Repackaging, labelling and dilution never do, however much labour they take.
Keep the evidence for five years
A certification is a claim you have to be able to support later. USMCA requires records for five years from the date of certification, and a verification can ask for bills of materials, production records and supplier declarations — not just the certificate. Sign a blanket certification covering up to twelve months and you are standing behind every shipment inside that period.
+Is there an official USMCA certificate of origin form?
No, and that surprises people migrating from NAFTA. Any document works provided it carries the nine required data elements and the certification statement, which is why the certification often appears on the commercial invoice itself.
+Can I certify goods I did not make?
Not as producer. You would be certifying as exporter, which is a different declared capacity on the same document, and it requires you to rely on the producer's information rather than your own records.
+Does a non-asbestos declaration need to be on letterhead?
In practice yes, and signed. It is a statement of fact by your company that a border official is relying on, so an unsigned unheaded page tends to be sent back.
+What if my packaging is plastic rather than timber?
Say so on the packing declaration. The document is not only for declaring treated timber — declaring that no solid timber is present is what stops the consignment being held for inspection of packaging that does not exist.
Exporters
Issue the invoice, packing list and origin paperwork for a shipment in one sitting, without re-keying the consignee address four times.
Freight forwarders
Produce a clean set of documents for a client who sent you a spreadsheet, and hand back PDFs that a customs broker will accept.
Customs brokers
Rebuild a missing or unusable document from the particulars you already hold, without waiting on the shipper's software licence.
Judge it by the document, not the feature list.
The generator on this page is the product, prefilled and editable. Fill it in and download the finished PDF — then decide.
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