Certificates of Origin in Algeria: CACI, EUR.1, GAFTA and AfCFTA

How to get a certificate of origin in Algeria: CACI and chamber certificates, EUR.1 from customs, GAFTA, AfCFTA and Tunisia proofs, and common pitfalls.

A certificate of origin tells the importing country where your goods come from. In some cases it simply satisfies an administrative or letter-of-credit requirement. In others it is worth real money: with the right proof of origin, your buyer in Lyon, Dubai or Nairobi pays a reduced or zero import duty, which makes your price more competitive than a supplier from a country without an agreement.

Algeria has several preferential agreements, and each one has its own proof of origin issued by a different body. Exporters often lose the preference because they request the wrong document, request it from the wrong office, or ship to a country that does not yet apply the agreement. This lesson sorts this out: which certificate for which destination, who issues it, what you need to apply, and how to keep your origin claims safe.

The general principles are explained in certificates of origin and rules of origin. Here we apply them to Algeria, based on information published by the Direction Générale des Douanes and the Ministry of Commerce.

Preferential or non-preferential: which do you need?

• A non-preferential certificate only states the country of origin. Buyers ask for it to satisfy their customs, a letter of credit, a tender or a statistical requirement. It gives no duty reduction.
• A preferential proof of origin shows that the goods meet the rules of origin of a trade agreement, so the importer can claim the reduced duty. It is issued only for goods and destinations covered by the agreement.

If your buyer is in a country that has an agreement with Algeria, always ask: "Do you want the preferential proof?" Most will say yes once they see the duty saving.

Which certificate for which destination?

How to get a certificate from the CACI or a regional chamber

The Chambre Algérienne de Commerce et d'Industrie (CACI) in Algiers and the regional chambers of commerce and industry across the country issue non-preferential certificates, the Arab (GAFTA) certificate and the Tunisia and Jordan certificates.

1. Get the form from the chamber. The Arab certificate is completed in Arabic.
2. Fill it in consistently with the domiciled invoice: exporter, consignee, transport details, marks and numbers, description, HS code, quantities and weights, invoice number and date.
3. Sign and stamp it as the exporter.
4. Submit it with a copy of the domiciled export invoice. For your first application, add a copy of your commercial register extract and your tax identification number (NIF), as listed by the Ministry of Commerce.
5. Collect the certified certificate and, for preferential certificates, have it endorsed by customs at the office from which the goods are exported.

The CACI has introduced electronic certificates of origin with electronic signature for remote issuance; ask your chamber whether this service covers your certificate type.

How to get an EUR.1 or an AfCFTA certificate from customs

For the EU and the AfCFTA, the proof of origin is issued by Algerian customs, usually at the office where you file the export declaration.

• EUR.1. You complete the form and submit it with the declaration and the evidence of origin. Customs checks it and endorses it. An approved exporter can instead make an invoice declaration, which saves the trip to customs for each shipment.
• AfCFTA certificate. Issued by customs at the exporter's written request, on the model of Appendix I of Annex 2 of the agreement. Instead of a certificate, an approved exporter may make an origin declaration on the invoice, as may any exporter for a consignment whose total value does not exceed USD 5,000. The proof is valid for 12 months.

Before applying for an AfCFTA proof, check two things on the AfCFTA side: that the destination appears on the list of countries applying the agreement published by Algerian customs (updated from notifications by the ministry in charge of foreign trade), and the destination's tariff for your HS code in the AfCFTA e-tariff book.

Does your product qualify for preferential origin?

For borderline cases, customs offers binding origin information (renseignement contraignant en matière d'origine), which you can request before you commit to a price based on a preference.

A worked example: one date exporter, three markets

A packer in Tolga sells Deglet Nour dates to three customers in the same week.

• Dubai, 2 pallets of 1-kg boxes. The UAE is a GAFTA member. The packer requests the Arab certificate of origin from the regional chamber of commerce in Biskra, in Arabic, attaches the domiciled invoice, and has it endorsed by customs at the exit office. The buyer clears the dates duty-free, subject to the GAFTA product lists.
• Lyon, one 20-foot reefer. The packer asks customs to endorse an EUR.1 with the export declaration, so the French importer can claim whatever EU–Algeria preference applies to dates, which the importer checks in the EU tariff.
• Jakarta, one 40-foot reefer. Indonesia has no agreement with Algeria. The buyer's bank requires a certificate of origin under the letter of credit, so the packer obtains a non-preferential certificate from the chamber, wording the goods description exactly as in the credit.

Common mistakes

• Asking the chamber for an EUR.1, or customs for a GAFTA certificate: the issuing bodies are different.
• Sending goods for GAFTA via a third country without meeting the direct transport rule.
• Issuing an AfCFTA proof for a country that is not yet applying the agreement.
• Descriptions, weights or invoice numbers on the certificate that differ from the invoice and the letter of credit.
• Claiming preferential origin for goods only repacked in Algeria.
• Forgetting that the GAFTA proof expires after six months, for goods held in a warehouse before sale.

To understand what each agreement offers in duty terms, continue with Algeria's trade agreements.