27/02/07 - Chambers lead the way on electronic certificates
Chambers of Commerce in the UK have been issuing Certificates of Origin since 1923 and their continuing use is crucial to orderly and efficient exporting. Last year well over 500,000 certificates were authenticated and processed by Chambers in the UK. Almost 7 years ago, the BCC launched “e-Cert” as a fast, secure and free service to exporters enabling Certificate of Origin applications to be received and approved over the internet, reducing what was normally a 3-day process to a matter of hours.
In 2005, “e-Cert eXpress” was launched, allowing exporters to apply for and receive Certificates of Origin electronically, ready for printing-off at their own premises onto officially supplied documents, a process that can now be completed in minutes.
The benefits to UK exporters in terms of speed, simplicity and ease-of-use are clear and customers also benefit through greater efficiency, better responsiveness and improved customer care. There is guaranteed security as the form is digitally stamped and signed and cannot therefore be viewed or altered in transit by any third party and is corroborated by the insertion of the unique document serial number in the stamp.
BCC have now extended the service to include online versions of EUR1 and ATR documents. The system works in an identical way to “e-Cert” and has been endorsed by HMRC as a major breakthrough in trade facilitation, putting UK exporters ahead of their European counterparts. It also fits squarely with the UK government’s “single window” initiative.
The new version has been successfully demonstrated to HMRC, the WCO (World Customs Organisation and Europe.
However, we are unable to offer you this new service until the European Commission can be persuaded to make amendments to EU trade agreements to reflect electronic advancements in international trade.
We are keen to secure the go ahead from Customs to introduce this simple development which will further reduce the burden of time and paperwork on the part of the UK exporter BUT we need to show there is a groundswell of opinion amongst exporters who now consider the lack of an electronic version of EUR1 & ATR as an impediment to their export documentation processes.
If you agree with the BCC that this development should be introduced without further delay, we ask you to simply confirm your support for the BCC Electronic EUR1/ATR Campaign with your local Chamber of Commerce.
Help us to help you benefit from this new development by agreeing to support the UK Chambers’ campaign to lobby the EC for a change in the rules.
Email your support to…
…exportdocs@northants-chamber.co.ukNorthamptonshire Chamber of Commerce
