NAFTA allows your company to send qualified goods to customers in Canada and Mexico duty-free. Goods can be challenged in different ways depending on NAFTA`s rules of origin. This may be because the products are fully obtained or manufactured in a NAFTA party, or because, according to the product`s rule of origin, it takes enough work and equipment in a part of NAFTA to make the product what it is when it is exported. A certificate of origin is a document attesting to the country in which the goods were produced. The customs authority of the country in which the goods are imported may require a certificate of origin. It is also commonly used to determine the amount of duties paid by the importer to bring the goods. I see that my product is subject to a tariff in another NAFTA country, but is eligible for duty-free treatment under NAFTA. How can I receive duty-free treatment? The issuer of a written declaration of origin must, in addition to other supporting documents, certify that, in accordance with NAFTA rules of origin, goods are considered original products for products entering Canada for a period of five years from the date of import of goods for products entering Mexico. In the United States, the exporter is required to keep the original or a copy of the certificate for five years from the date of signature. The importer is required to keep the certificate and all other relevant documents five years after the goods are imported. Appropriate records of the goods, their materials and their production must support the facts alleged in the certificate. Mexican exporters must keep a copy of the certificate for 10 years.

Canadian importers and exporters are required to keep the certificate for the importer for six years and six years from the date of signature for the Canadian exporter. A NAFTA certificate of origin is not required for the commercial importation of a product valued at less than $1,000. However, in order for products to benefit from NAFTA`s preferential duties, the invoice attached to commercial import must include a declaration that they are considered to be originating under NAFTA`s rules of origin. The declaration must be handwritten, stamped, cut or attached to the commercial invoice. Any party to the export operation can apply for a certificate/declaration of FREI. For example, an exporter (if the exporter is not the producer) may apply for a certificate from a U.S. producer by a trader, importer or customs authority.