Canadian Chamber of Commerce first in Canada to be accredited for International Certificate of Origin documentation

(OTTAWA) – July 10, 2019 – Canadian businesses need to use certificates of origin when they ship to countries that don’t have free trade agreements with Canada.

A number of Canadian providers can offer this kind of service, but only the Canadian Chamber of Commerce is accredited globally.

The international governing body that accredits organizations to provide certificates of origin for international shipments is the International Chamber of Commerce World Chambers Federation International Certificate of Origin Accreditation Chain, or ICC WCF.

The ICC WCF is the gold standard for certificates of origin documentation that is recognized worldwide, and it accredited the Canadian Chamber last week.

“The Canadian Chamber has been providing certificates of origin for many years, and the high quality of our due diligence has earned us the honour of being the first Canadian organization to be internationally recognized. Our members can expect the same great service with the added bonus of the ICC stamp of approval, which will provide even faster border clearance times for their exports,” said Anick de Sousa, Director, Business Services, Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Canadian businesses in the agriculture, machinery, manufacturing, and food product sectors are heavy users of certificates of origin. Delays at borders can often represent significant costs and penalties for these Canadian businesses.

Certificates of origin are also are particularly important when shipping to the Middle East and Asian countries that are not part of CPTPP, given their customs requirements.

“The Canadian chamber offers our service online, making it easy and convenient for Canadian businesses. Our new international accreditation means that Canadian businesses will likely no longer need to pay for notarization fees like they do with other service providers. It’s an easy, cost effective solution to make sure your shipments get through international customs without a hitch,” added de Sousa.

Adding the internationally recognized ICC CO label to the Canadian Chamber’s certificates of origin will confirm to foreign authorities that the Canadian Chamber is a trusted and reliable third party, compliant with international harmonized certification standards.

The accreditation is a benefit to Canadian exporters by:

·        Adding a third party verification to your certificates of origin, improving their acceptance worldwide

·        Allowing for speedy authenticity checks online by foreign authorities

·        Advancing world acceptance of electronic certificates of origin

·        Allowing Canada to participate in international discussions about Cos and representing Canada’s interests on a global stage.

“We are very pleased to welcome the Canadian Chamber of Commerce as the 25th chamber member of the ICC WCF International CO Accreditation Chain. The accreditation committee was impressed by the quality of the application and is sure that the Canadian Chamber of Commerce will be able to bring the CO issue to the next level in Canada thanks to this membership and the close cooperation it has with the International CO Council,” said Martin Van der Weide, Chair of Accreditation Committee.

For more information, please contact Anick de Souza, Director, Services.

The Voice of Canadian Business

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is Canada’s largest and most representative business association, which speaks with one unified voice on behalf of nearly a quarter million businesses. The Chamber’s job is to help Canadian businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions grow their business. We do this by helping them connect to each other, new opportunities, providing essential business services, and influencing government policy on their behalf. For more information visit www.Chamber.ca or follow us @CdnChamberofCom.

For more information, please contact:

Phil Taylor
Senior Director, Strategic Communications and Public Affairs
ptaylor@chamber.ca (preferred and fastest response time)
613.238.4000 (2231)