The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has notified the electronic filing and issuance mechanism for Preferential Certificates of Origin (CoO) under the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which will come into effect from 15 July 2026. The instructions have been issued through Trade Notice No. 11/2026-2027 dated 13 July 2026.
With the India-UK CETA coming into force, Preferential Certificates of Origin for Indian exports to the United Kingdom will be made available electronically through the Trade Connect ePlatform, the unified digital platform for application and issuance of electronic Certificates of Origin (eCoO) for Indian exports. The initiative is aimed at providing exporters with a streamlined, transparent and digitally enabled mechanism for availing preferential tariff benefits under the Agreement.
Under the agreed provisions of the India-UK CETA, Preferential eCoO will be available through the “Certificate of Origin” service on the Trade Connect ePlatform through two routes—self-declaration by the exporter and issuance by an authorised agency.
For issuance of a Preferential eCoO on a self-declaration basis, exporters will be required to select “India UK CETA (Self-Declaration)” while filing the application. A valid Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) linked with the Importer Exporter Code (IEC) will be mandatory for generation of the self-declared eCoO. The applicant will also be required to upload a scanned copy of the ink-signed signature for generation of the certificate.
The application for a self-declared eCoO may be submitted using a Digital Signature Certificate or Aadhaar authentication without payment of any fee. Based on the branch address selected from the IEC details, the jurisdictional DGFT Regional Authority or Special Economic Zone authority will be automatically mapped to the application for undertaking verification, wherever required under the Agreement.
Upon submission, the application will reflect the status “Auto Approved Pending Issuance”, following which the applicant may proceed to generate the self-declared CoO. The certificate will be generated using the applicant’s linked DSC. Two downloadable versions will be made available—an “Electronic Copy”, carrying the scanned signature of the applicant, and a “Physical Copy”, containing space for the applicant’s physical signature after printing. Both copies will carry a QR code and digital signature and may be submitted to the recipient country’s authorities as required.
For eCoO issued through an authorised agency, applicants will be required to select “India-UK CETA (Agency Issued)” on the platform and choose from the list of duly notified authorised agencies. Following approval by the selected agency, the system will generate an Electronic Copy of the eCoO carrying a QR code and digital signature. The certificate will also bear the image of the issuing officer’s signature and the stamp of the issuing agency.
DGFT has further clarified that existing user credentials for the DGFT website may be used to log in to the Trade Connect ePlatform, and exporters will not be required to create separate login credentials. Additional user accounts linked to the same IEC may also be created and linked through DSC, where necessary. IEC holders have been advised to ensure that their user profile details are updated and that the name appearing in the DGFT/Trade Connect profile exactly matches the name recorded in the Digital Signature Certificate.
A dedicated online verification mechanism has also been provided for authorities seeking to verify the genuineness of Certificates of Origin. The concerned authority may access the “Verify Certificate” facility under the Certificate of Origin service on the Trade Connect ePlatform and enter the relevant CoO number to view the corresponding certificate details available on the system.
Exporters and other stakeholders may approach the DGFT Helpdesk for queries, suggestions or feedback relating to the eCoO module. Assistance will be available through DGFT’s support channels, including the helpdesk email coo-dgft@gov.in.
The electronic issuance framework is expected to facilitate smooth operationalisation of the preferential origin certification mechanism under the India-UK CETA and enable Indian exporters to access the benefits of the Agreement through a secure, paperless and digitally verifiable process.
The Trade Notice can be accessed at: https://a2ztaxcorp.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/trade-notice-1.pdf
