A certificate of origin from China is the document that takes Georgia’s import duty from 12% or 5% down to 0%. Without it, Chinese cargo clears at the full rate: on a 12% tariff line, a 50,000 GEL shipment means 6,000 GEL you did not have to pay. The real problem is timing — the certificate can be issued later, but customs needs the original, and that travels from China by post while your cargo sits at the border accruing storage charges.
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⚡ The short version
- The China–Georgia Free Trade Agreement has been in force since 1 January 2018.
- Georgia’s import duty has three levels: 0%, 5% or 12%. Most goods are already 0%, so the HS code comes first.
- On a 5% or 12% line, a correct certificate of origin from China zeroes that duty.
- VAT (18%) is not zeroed — the certificate only affects import duty.
- You need the CGFTA form specifically, not an ordinary “Certificate of Origin”.
- It is valid for one year from issue and can be verified online.
In this article
- Why this document is worth thousands of lari
- What a certificate of origin from China is
- Four conditions for 0%
- All 14 boxes — instructions
- Box 10 — origin criteria
- Sample and downloadable form (PDF)
- How to verify it online
- 9 mistakes that make it useless
- Two real cases
- When to start — timeline
- When you don’t need one
- Frequently asked questions
Why this document is worth thousands of lari
Import duty is a pure loss — it becomes part of your cost and never comes back. VAT is different: a VAT-registered company reclaims it through input credit. So when you have no certificate, what you actually lose is exactly that 12% (or 5%) paid in duty, and it goes straight into the landed cost of the goods.
What you lose without the certificate
| Customs value | 5% tariff line | 12% tariff line |
|---|---|---|
| 20,000 GEL | 1,000 GEL | 2,400 GEL |
| 50,000 GEL | 2,500 GEL | 6,000 GEL |
| 100,000 GEL | 5,000 GEL | 12,000 GEL |
| 180,000 GEL | 9,000 GEL | 21,600 GEL |
This is money that stays in the budget and never returns. VAT is deliberately left out of the table: it comes back through input credit and is not a loss — provided your company holds VAT-payer and qualified-company status. Without those statuses VAT becomes a cost too; our accountants can help you obtain them.
💡 To get the exact figure for your shipment, use the customs clearance calculator and compare both scenarios (0% and 12%) side by side. The full tax logic is explained on customs clearance and import taxes.
What a certificate of origin from China is
A certificate of origin is an official document in which an authorised Chinese body confirms that these specific goods were really produced in China. That confirmation is what activates the free trade agreement preference and zeroes the import duty.
Careful — this is the most common mistake: there is an “ordinary” certificate of origin (ordinary CO) issued in China for any export. It grants no preference. You need the agreement’s own form — Annex II-B, whose header reads:
CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN
Form for China-Georgia Free Trade Agreement
If that line is missing from the header, nothing else matters — the preference will not apply.
Who issues it in China
- China Customs (GACC — General Administration of Customs of China)
- CCPIT — China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and its local sub-councils
The certificate is obtained by the exporter or producer in China — as the importer you cannot apply for it yourself. That is exactly why the requirement has to be fixed at the ordering stage.
Four conditions for 0%
A certificate of origin from China zeroes the duty only when all four conditions are met at once. Break one and the base rate stays.
| # | Condition | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Country of origin is China | The goods must be produced or sufficiently processed in China. “Shipped from China” and “made in China” are two different things. |
| 2 | The HS code qualifies | Under the agreement Georgia zeroes the tariff on 96.5% of Chinese products — but not on everything. There is an exclusion list (mainly agricultural lines) where the certificate cannot remove the duty. |
| 3 | The certificate is correct, valid and covers the cargo | Every box filled in, data matching the invoice, signature and stamp present, not expired, and quantitatively covering the goods declared. |
| 4 | The cargo comes directly from China | The preference applies only to goods consigned directly from China. If the goods are made in China but shipped from, say, a warehouse in Russia, the certificate stops working and the duty is not zeroed, however correctly it is filled in. Transit through a third country is allowed only as transit, under customs control, with the matching transport document. |
⚠️ Condition 2 is the one most often left unchecked. The correct order is: first establish the HS code, then the rate that applies to it. If the rate is already 0%, a certificate of origin changes nothing and there is no need to ask the exporter for one. If the rate is 5% or 12%, work on the certificate has to start at the ordering stage.
All 14 boxes — what goes in each
The form has 14 boxes. Below are the official instructions, next to the mistakes we actually see on real shipments. Print this table and send it to your exporter — that is the fastest way to get it fixed.
| Box | What it must contain | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Exporter | Full legal name, address and country | A trading brand or agent name is written instead, while the invoice shows a different company |
| 2. Producer | Full name and address. If exporter and producer are the same — “SAME”. For confidentiality — “Available to the competent authority or authorised body upon request” | The box is left empty instead of using one of the permitted entries |
| 3. Importer | Your company’s exact name and address in Georgia | The name is abbreviated or differs from the invoice |
| 4. Transport and route | Departure date, vessel/flight/train/vehicle number, port of loading and port of discharge | The port of discharge names another country while the cargo is bound for Georgia |
| 5. Remarks | Order number, letter of credit number. If the invoice is issued by a non-Party operator (a Hong Kong or Singapore trader, for example) its name, address and country must be stated here | A trader’s invoice is used and box 5 is empty — the preference is put in doubt |
| 6. Item number | Sequential number of the line | — |
| 7. Marks on packages | Shipping marks and numbers. If an image — “IMAGE OR SYMBOL (I/S)”; if none — “NO MARKS AND NUMBERS (N/M)” | The box is left empty |
| 8. Packages and description | Number and kind of packages plus a full description of the goods. Unpacked cargo — “in bulk”. The description ends with “***” or “\” | The description is too generic (“goods”, “spare parts”) and customs cannot tie it to the invoice and the HS code |
| 9. HS code | Six-digit code for each line | The code does not match the one used on the declaration |
| 10. Origin criterion | WO / WP / PSR or a percentage (e.g. “40%”) — see the table below | Empty, or a random letter entered |
| 11. Weight | Gross or net weight in kilograms (or another exact unit) for each line | ⚠️ One of the most frequent omissions — the box is empty and the certificate no longer “fits” the cargo |
| 12. Invoice number and date | Number and date of the commercial invoice | ⚠️ The second most frequent omission. Or a proforma number is given while the real invoice is a different one |
| 13. Exporter’s declaration | Country of production, importing country, place, date and signature of the authorised person | Georgia is not named as the importing country |
| 14. Certification | Place, date, signature and stamp of the authorised body | The stamp is illegible or cropped on the scan, or the date precedes box 13 |
Box 10 — origin criteria
Box 10 carries a single code that explains why the goods count as Chinese. There are four options:
| Code | Meaning | Typical example |
|---|---|---|
| WO | Wholly obtained or produced in China | Agricultural produce, minerals |
| WP | Produced exclusively from materials of Chinese origin | Goods made from local raw materials |
| PSR | Non-originating materials used, but the product-specific rule is met | Machinery, assembled goods — the most common case |
| 40% (or another %) | Produced with non-originating materials, with regional value content of at least 40% | Products assembled from mixed components |
The importer should not pick this code — it is the producer’s responsibility. But an empty box 10 is already a problem: such a certificate counts as incompletely filled in.
Sample — what a certificate of origin from China looks like
This is the form your exporter in China has to obtain. Note the header — that is what separates this document from an ordinary certificate of origin.
📄 Download the official form and instructions
- Certificate of Origin form + overleaf instructions — English (PDF)
- The same form and instructions — Georgian (PDF)
Both are the same document — Annex II-B of the agreement, in two languages. Send the English version to your exporter in China and keep the Georgian one for your own records.
Below is a worked example — sea freight from China, one line item. This is how a correctly completed form should read.
| Box | Example entry |
|---|---|
| Certificate No. | Number and place of issue (Issued in: China) |
| 1. Exporter | NINGBO EXAMPLE IMPORT & EXPORT CO., LTD No. 123 Zhongshan Road, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China |
| 2. Producer | SAME |
| 3. Importer | LLC EXAMPLE GEORGIA Vazha-Pshavela Ave. 00, Tbilisi, Georgia |
| 4. Transport | Departure date: 12.03.2026 Vessel No.: MSC EXAMPLE V.123 Port of loading: Ningbo Port of discharge: Poti, Georgia |
| 5. Remarks | P/O No. 2026-0451 (if a non-Party company issues the invoice — its name, address and country here) |
| 6. Item number | 1 |
| 7. Marks | NO MARKS AND NUMBERS (N/M) |
| 8. Packages and description | 320 CARTONS Ceramic floor tiles, glazed, 600×600 mm *** |
| 9. HS code | 690723 |
| 10. Criterion | PSR |
| 11. Weight | 18,400 kg (gross) / 17,950 kg (net) |
| 12. Invoice | INV-2026-0451, 05.03.2026 |
| 13. Exporter’s declaration | produced in: CHINA · exported to: GEORGIA Ningbo, 10.03.2026 + signature |
| 14. Certification | Authorised body, 11.03.2026 + signature and stamp |
🔍 Your own 60-second check: the description in box 8, the HS code in box 9, the weight in box 11 and the invoice number in box 12 must all four match the commercial invoice. If one of them differs or is empty, the certificate goes back.
How to verify a certificate of origin online
Verifying a certificate of origin is free — certificates issued in China sit in official electronic databases. Do this when you receive the scan, not when the cargo is already at the border.
- Take the certificate number and date of issue. Both are at the top of the form, next to “Certificate No.”.
- If CCPIT issued it (the stamp reads CCPIT or China Council for the Promotion of International Trade) — check it on their portal: check.ecoccpit.net
- If China Customs issued it — check the official platform: origin.customs.gov.cn (E-government Platform for the Origin of China’s Exports)
- Compare line by line. The description, HS code, weight and invoice number shown in the database must match the paper in your hands — and the commercial invoice.
💡 Certificates of origin issued in Georgia (for exports) are checked separately — on the Revenue Service page.
⚠️ If the number cannot be found in the database at all, that is a serious signal. Filing a declaration on such a document is a risk: the preference will not apply and a penalty becomes a possibility.
9 mistakes that make the certificate useless
- It is an ordinary CO form, not the China–Georgia Free Trade Agreement form.
- Box 11 (weight) is empty. The most common omission.
- Box 12 has no invoice number — or carries a proforma number while the real invoice is different.
- The description does not match the invoice. The invoice lists items in detail, the certificate says “various goods”.
- The HS code differs. One six-digit code on the certificate, a different one on the declaration.
- The certificate covers only part of the cargo. Five line items in the container, three on the certificate. Duty is charged on the other two.
- A non-Party company issued the invoice and box 5 is empty.
- It has expired — more than one year since issue.
- The stamp or signature is missing (box 13 or 14), or cropped on the scan.
Eight of these nine are fixable — the exporter can have the certificate reissued. The only question is time: while the new original travels from China by post, your cargo sits and storage charges accrue. That is why it pays to catch the mistake on the scan, while the cargo is still in transit.
Two real cases — one saved, one not
✅ Case 1 — caught in time
Two containers from China, customs value 178,430 GEL, a 12% tariff line. The client had the certificate and was confident everything was in order.
Checking the documents turned up two things: box 11 (gross weight) was empty and box 12 carried no invoice number at all. Formally such a certificate is “about Chinese goods”, but for customs it cannot be tied to this particular shipment — so the preference would not have applied.
What we did: the cargo was still in transit. The same day we sent the exporter an exact list — which box needed what, and which invoice it had to reference. The exporter applied to the authorised body again and the corrected certificate reached us before the cargo arrived.
Result: the shipment cleared at 0%. Import duty saved — 21,411 GEL (178,430 GEL × 12%).
❌ Case 2 — the question came too late
Another importer thought about the certificate only when the cargo had already arrived. Value — 64,780 GEL, a 12% tariff line.
The exporter first said “yes, we will send it”. After two weeks of correspondence it turned out that part of the goods had been bought from another factory and he could not obtain the confirmation the free trade agreement form required. The cargo stood, costs grew — the declaration was filed at the base rate.
The certificate never arrived afterwards either.
Result: 7,773 GEL of import duty paid unnecessarily (64,780 GEL × 12%), plus storage. That money was never recovered.
The difference is one thing only: in the first case the conversation about the certificate started while the cargo was in transit. In the second, when it had already arrived. The document itself was equally hard to obtain in both.
When to start — timeline
| Stage | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before ordering | Check by HS code whether your line is 0% or 5/12%. If it is 0%, you do not need a certificate and the question is closed. |
| When ordering | Write the condition into the contract or proforma: “Certificate of Origin, Form for China-Georgia Free Trade Agreement, is required”. While the price is still being agreed, the exporter is flexible. |
| Before paying | Ask directly: “can you obtain this form?” A vague answer is also an answer. Some traders simply cannot get it, because the producer is someone else. |
| Before shipment | Request the scan and check four boxes (8, 9, 11, 12) against the invoice. At this stage a mistake is still easy to fix — nothing is standing anywhere. |
| At shipment | Have the original couriered — it has to arrive before the cargo does. |
| Before arrival | Hand the documents to your broker so the advance declaration is filed with the preference — which also gives you the lowest customs fee. |
When you don’t need a certificate of origin
- The line is already 0%. A large share of goods arriving from China falls into this category — a certificate changes nothing there.
- The customs value does not exceed USD 600. In that case presentation of a certificate may not be required. But if it emerges that one consignment was deliberately split into small parts to get around this threshold, the preference will not apply.
- The HS code is on the exclusion list. On those lines a certificate cannot remove the duty — the base rate stays.
That is why the first step is always the HS code, not the certificate. We help with establishing the code and preparing the customs declaration — see the prices here.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a certificate of origin from China valid?
One year from the date of issue. The cargo has to be cleared within that period, otherwise the document is no longer usable.
The certificate was issued after shipment — is it still valid?
Yes, if it is marked “ISSUED RETROACTIVELY”. Such a certificate may be issued no later than one year from shipment, where it was not issued in time due to force majeure, an error or another valid cause.
Does it zero VAT as well?
No. The 18% VAT remains. The certificate only affects import duty (0/5/12%). For a VAT-registered company this is not a problem — VAT comes back through input credit. Import duty does not come back: that is the real loss.
Will an ordinary “Certificate of Origin” do?
No. You need the free trade agreement form, whose header reads “Form for China-Georgia Free Trade Agreement”. No other form activates the preference.
Does cargo from Hong Kong need the same form?
No. Georgia has a separate free trade agreement with Hong Kong, with its own form. The Chinese form does not work for Hong Kong cargo and vice versa.
The certificate was lost — what now?
The authorised body can issue a certified copy bearing “CERTIFIED TRUE COPY of the original Certificate of Origin number ___ dated ___”. The copy is valid for the remaining term of the original.
The cargo has arrived and I have no certificate — what now?
Ask the exporter for a retroactive certificate (“ISSUED RETROACTIVELY”). That is possible, but customs needs the original — it comes from China by post, and meanwhile the cargo stands and storage charges accrue. If the declaration has already been filed at the base rate, recovering the money paid is a separate procedure and does not always work out.
Customs clearance of Chinese cargo
We clear cargo arriving from China — sea, land and air. The work is remote, under a state eCustoms licence: establishing the HS code, preparing the declaration in ASYCUDA and filing it in advance, before the cargo arrives. The certificate of origin is entered on the declaration together with the preference code.
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Related reading
- Customs clearance and import taxes — how duty and VAT are calculated
- Customs clearance calculator — work out the cost of your shipment
- eCustoms and ASYCUDA — advance declaration and the lowest fee
- Customs declaration — frequently asked questions
- Customs broker — how remote clearance works
- Customs checkpoints in Georgia — where clearance takes place
- Cargo tracking by vehicle number — where your cargo is right now
- Import prior notification — machinery, toys and construction products
- Phytosanitary control and Form 3 — for plant cargo
This article is based on the official text of the China–Georgia Free Trade Agreement and on practical experience. How we work with sources is described in our editorial policy. Any decision on a specific shipment is taken only after looking at the documents — get in touch.
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