Funded in part through a Grant with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.
World Trade Center Northern California helps businesses expand internationally by providing digital export documentation and certification services recognized worldwide.
Our streamlined online system makes it easy to request, authenticate, and track essential export documents — ensuring your goods clear customs quickly and meet all destination-country requirements.
Certificate of Origin (COO)
Confirms the country in which goods were manufactured. Many countries require a COO for customs clearance and trade agreement eligibility.
Certificate of Free Sale (CFS)
Attests that your products are legally sold in the United States, free of restrictions, and meet U.S. regulatory standards — often required for registration of consumer goods, food, or cosmetics abroad.
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Certificate
Verifies compliance with recognized production standards, reassuring importers and regulatory authorities of product safety and quality.
| Member | Non-Member | |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Origin | $25 | $50 |
| Certificate of Free Sale | $110 | $150 |
| Good Manufacturing Practice | $150 | $175 |
A Certificate of Origin is required for each export shipment to prove the country of origin to the importing country. Therefore, it must be obtained for every shipment.
A COO is valid for 12 months from the date of issuance. However, a good business practice is to have a COO less than 6 months old to clear customs of the importing country. This will avoid having to pay demurrage if foreign customs ask you to provide a more current certificate or there are issues with the shipment documentation.
The most common documents required to apply for a COO in the US are:
Typically, an exporter or the manufacturer of the goods applies for the COO. Authorized representatives, such as freight forwarders or logistics companies, can also apply on behalf of the exporter with an authorization letter.
Yes, you can list multiple products in a Certificate of Origin with different countries of origin on a single COO, provided each product’s origin is clearly indicated.
Depending on the importing country, some nations, particularly those in the Middle East, require a Certificate of Origin (COO) to be legalized. The most common countries that mandate document legalization are Kuwait, UAE, Iraq, and Qatar.
A Certificate of Free Sale (CFS), also known as a Certificate of Export (COE), certifies that products being exported are freely sold in the country of origin or country of export and consumed by local consumers. It assures the government of the importing country that the imported products comply with their safety and regulatory standards, hence can be consumed by local consumers.
The CFS provides foreign governments with assurance that the products being shipped are consumed in the exporting country, ensuring safety for their consumers. The certificate is mainly used to register products with foreign regulatory authorities so that the goods can be imported into a new market. Companies planning to export products need to obtain a CFS to ensure smooth customs clearance and regulatory compliance in the importing country.
The certificate is a regulatory requirement by the importing country. Depending on the country, different authorities require this certificate.
Yes, the product names intended for export must be listed in the certificate. It is best to list the product names exactly as on the product label, including specifications like ounces (e.g., 1 oz, 2 oz).
You can add as many products as needed to the certificate.
Yes, Swiftdox platform issues multi-language certificates, such as English-Spanish and English-Arabic.
A current bill of sale (less than a year old) showing the products sold to a US buyer (consumer or wholesale). The bill of sale should itemize the product names.
Yes, a CFS is issued for a specific country and must mention the country explicitly, for example, “This certificate is for China or Saudi Arabia.”
The certificate is valid for 12 months from the date of issue, so it is best to plan accordingly when applying for it.
US manufacturers, brand owners, or authorized company representatives such as freight forwarders, logistics companies, or regulatory companies can apply for the certificate.
Products such as food, vitamins, supplements, juices, beverages, seafood, exempt medical devices, dietary supplements, soft drinks, CBD products, cosmetics, beauty and wellness products, gummies, and general manufactured goods require a CFS. Essentially, if the product is consumed on the body or in the body, you need a certificate of free sale to meet foreign government regulation requirements.
Enhance product reputation, improve consumer confidence, facilitate international trade, and comply with regulatory standards.
For assistance or questions, contact our Trade Services Team at trade@norcalwtc.org or call (916) 447-9827.