Rules of Origin and Certification of Origin
The Marketing and Export Promotion Division of the Ministry of Commerce is responsible for assisting exporters to meet, and to prove that they have met, the rules of origin requirements of importing countries. For further information, forms or assistance, please contact Cornelius Donga on 21207, or marketing [at] commerce [dot] gov [dot] sb.
| Agreement | Countries included | Rules of Origin | Certification of Origin | Authorised Signatories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSG | Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu | Annex I of the MSG Agreement | MSG Form A | |
| PICTA | Some Forum island countries1) | Download ROO Manual | FIC1 | |
| EBA | European Union2) | A traders' guide to EBA rules of origin | GSP Form A | |
| GSP | Some developed countries3) | Rules of origin vary from scheme to scheme | Most GSP schemes accept GSP Form A |
Rules of Origin
Preferential trade agreements permit goods from some countries to be taxed at a lower rate than goods from other countries. All preferential trade agreements contain rules of origin. These rules determine which goods “originate” in countries entitled to the lower duty, and which are required to pay a higher duty.
For some products, it may be very clear which is the country of origin. For instance, coal mined in Australia and exported to Solomon Islands clearly originates in Australia. But other products may be more complex, particularly if they contain inputs manufactured in a lot of different places. If a good manufactured in Solomon Islands includes a lot of inputs from overseas, then whether that good qualifies for preferential treatment in overseas markets will depend on which rules are used to determine its origin.
Certification of Origin
A certificate of origin is a document which endorses that a particular shipment of a particular good meets all rules of origin, and therefore originates in a certain state for the purposes of a particular trade agreement.
A certificate of origin normally contains some sort of declaration from the government of the exporting state that states that the good meets the relevant rules of origin.
Endorsement
The Marketing and Export Promotion Division can advise you of who will need to endorse a particular certificate of origin. In most cases, the Marketing and Export Promotion Division will be able to endorse it themselves. Occasionally, Customs may need to endorse a certificate of origin.
Quarantine and other requirements
In addition to a certificate of origin, certain goods have other requirements (for instance, to prove that they meet health standards in the importing country).
Fish Export Permit
Available from the Offshore Fisheries Management Division of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, PO Box G13, Honiara; phone 38730, email the Principal Fisheries Officer Mrs Lipa: slipa [at] fisheries [dot] gov [dot] sb.
This export fee is $100 for a commercial export (in which case a license will be issued), or $50 if the export is for personal consumption (in which case no license is needed). The same form should be submitted in each case.
Customs Charges
$10 Acceptance Fee is payable when a Customs cashier accepts the export documents submitted by an exporter (payable on every export), additional to any export duty.
Trade Agreements
Everything but Arms
“Everything but Arms” (EBA) is the name of the European Union's GSP scheme. Solomon Islands has been exporting to the EU under these preferences since the expiry of Cotonou (Lome) preferential market access on 1st January, 2008. The EU accepts the standard GSP Form A designed by UNCTAD as a certificate of origin. This must be printed with a green guilloché background, and the format of the form is strictly enforced by EC customs.
Paper copies of the form can be obtained from the Marketing and Export Promotion Division of the Ministry of Commerce. Contact Cornelius Donga on 21207, or marketing [at] commerce [dot] gov [dot] sb.
If you wish to procure compliant forms in bulk, then you might consider using the printer that supplies Government. The firm is Plain-Talk Print in the UK, phone +44 800 077 6467 or email jodi [at] plaintalkprint [dot] com.
A guide to EBA Rules of Origin for traders can be found on the EC website.
