The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has introduced an Open Application Programming Interface (API) facility for Certificates of Origin (CoOs) on the Trade Connect e-Platform, vide Trade Notice No. 25/2026-27 dated September 07, 2026.
The facility has been made available to eligible exporters and systems in accordance with the prescribed onboarding process and technical requirements. The initiative forms part of DGFT’s efforts towards digitalisation and ease of doing business.
The Open API facility enables exporters to integrate their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), accounting or other software systems with DGFT’s Certificate of Origin system. This integration facilitates electronic submission and exchange of CoO-related information, reduces duplicate data entry and supports a more efficient application process.
Coverage of preferential and non-preferential Certificates of Origin
The framework supports both preferential and non-preferential CoOs. Preferential certificates are issued under Free Trade Agreements, Regional Trade Agreements and Preferential Trade Agreements for obtaining applicable tariff concessions in importing countries. Non-preferential certificates serve compliance, customs clearance, trade remedy and other trade-related purposes without providing preferential tariff benefits.
Annexure-I to the Trade Notice lists supported agreements and schemes, including India-Japan CEPA, India-Korea CEPA, SAFTA, SAPTA, ASEAN-India FTA, India-Singapore CECA, India-Malaysia CECA, India-Chile PTA, India-Mercosur PTA, India-UAE CEPA, India-Australia ECTA, India-Oman CEPA, India-EFTA TEPA, India-UK CETA, the Generalized System of Preferences and the Non-Preferential CoO Scheme.
Applications are dynamically validated according to the selected agreement, including its mandatory fields, origin criteria, shipment requirements and producer or exporter declarations.
Access and onboarding
Exporters can access the registration, authentication and technical integration process through the “API Management for Exporters” section on the Certificate of Origin page of the Trade Connect e-Platform. A step-by-step Help Manual is provided in Annexure-I to the Trade Notice.
Integration requires users to obtain API credentials, whitelist the public IP addresses from which API calls will originate and configure a document signer for digitally signing data before transmission. Only API calls originating from whitelisted public IP addresses will be permitted.
Electronic submission and certificate verification
The framework provides three principal API functions:
- Authentication API: Validates credentials and generates an access token, which remains valid for 60 minutes and may be reused during that period.
- CoO File API: Enables submission of applications in the prescribed standard format and receipt of the certificate and associated data upon successful processing.
- Certificate Verification API: Enables verification of issued certificates using file and certificate particulars, returning the validity status, certificate PDF URL and verification remarks.
The application framework captures relevant applicant, importer, producer, invoice, export product and shipment information, together with supporting documents and mandatory declarations.
Security and transaction tracking
The prescribed security framework includes API credentials, IP whitelisting and PBKDF2-based password hashing with a dynamic salt. All requests and responses are required to be digitally signed using SHA-256 RSA digital signatures and 2048-bit X.509 certificates, supporting data integrity, sender authentication and non-repudiation.
A ledger is to be maintained for each API transaction, with statuses including Draft, In Process, Approved, Certificate Issued and Rejected. Following successful processing, the exporter’s ledger must record the acknowledgement ID, file number, file date, certificate number, response code and remarks returned by the system.
Stakeholder participation and support
DGFT has encouraged exporters and other stakeholders to undertake the necessary technical integration and use the facility in accordance with the prescribed procedures and specifications. Detailed technical information is available under the API Help tab in the API Management section.
Queries, suggestions and feedback relating to the eCoO module may be taken up with the DGFT Helpdesk through its toll-free assistance and email support channels.
The Trade Notice can be accessed at: https://a2ztaxcorp.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/TN-No.25-dated-07.09.2026.pdf
