A Certificate of Origin is a document issued by an exporting country to confirm that the goods in question have met the origin criteria to be considered as “originating” in that country, based on the Rules of Origin guidelines set out in a trade agreement. It serves as a proof of origin for a good(s) under a specified trade agreement.
The Certificate of Origin is obtained from the designated competent authority, in the country of export that is Party to the trade agreement, upon presentation of the relevant documents pertaining to the goods seeking preferences. The competent authority may be the Customs administration, Chamber of Commerce, the Ministry with responsibility for trade or other designated body under the Agreement. In Jamaica, the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) is the competent authority for the CARIFORUM – EU and CARIFORUM – UK Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), while the Trade Board Limited is the competent authority for all the other trade agreements Jamaica is Party to.
The Certificate of Origin is used by the importer as a proof of origin, allowing him/her to access preferential duty-free treatment under a trade agreement, subject to the other criteria under said Agreement being met.
The certificate must be the one prescribed under the Agreement. It must be completed accurately, and it must bear the authorized certifying stamp and signature (as appropriate) that was notified under the Agreement.
The Movement Certificate EUR.1 Form is available for purchase at the Trade Board Limited.
The importer may put up security, in the form of a deposit, to cover the applicable duties, and proceed with clearance of the goods, pending the outcome of the verification investigations.
No, it is not. In addition to presenting a valid, original Certificate of Origin, to benefit from preferential treatment, the goods must meet the required general and product specific rules of origin and be directly transported from the exporting country (party to the Agreement) to the importing country (party to the Agreement).
Verification of origin is a provision in every trade agreement. It entails the Customs administration in the importing party making a request to the Customs administration in the exporting party to verify that goods presented for preferential duty treatment have met the originating criteria. Each trade agreement has its own stipulated timeline for completion of a verification request, which can range from four (4) weeks to ten (10) months, depending on the Agreement.
Import Duty (ID)-0%, General Consumption Tax (GCT)-15% and Environmental Levy (ENVL)-0.5%. Duties and fees are calculated on the Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) amount. A Customs Administrative Fee (CAF) is also payable.
Import Duty (ID) -20%, GCT-15% (individual), 20% (registered commercial importer), Standard Compliance Fee (SCF) -0.3% and Environmental Levy (ENVL) -0.5%. Duties and fees are calculated on the Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) amount. A Customs Administrative Fee (CAF) is also payable.
Import Duty (ID)-0%, GCT -exempt using Additional National Code (ANC) DA4, Environmental Levy (ENVL) -0.5% and Customs Administrative Fee (CAF).
Import Duty (ID) -20%, General Consumption Tax (GCT)-25%, Standard Compliance Fee (SCF) - 0.3% and Environmental Levy (ENVL)-0.5%. Duties and fees are payable on the Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) amount. A Customs Administrative Fee (CAF) is also payable.
The tariff codes are 8703.2190.12 (gas, individual) or 8703.2190.32(gas, dealer).
The Import Duty and GCT are waived on musical instruments of Chapter 92 (except for steel band instruments).Additional National Code (ANC) MU3 should be used to facilitate clearance. Standard Compliance Fee (SCF) of 0.3%, Environmental Levy (ENVL) of 0.5% and Customs Administrative Fee (CAF) are payable.
Lithium- ion batteries, for use in solar application, are exempt from Import Duty (for the period January 05, 2022 to December 31, 2023) and GCT. Standard Compliance Fee (SCF) of 0.3%, Environmental Levy (ENVL) of 0.5% and Customs Administrative Fee (CAF) are payable.
Yes, sanitary towels and tampons are exempt from payment of GCT using Additional National Code (ANC) Y07. All other duties and fees are payable.
Import Duty (ID) - 0%, GCT- exempt using Additional National Code (ANC) EC3. Standard Compliance Fee (SCF) of 0.3%, Environmental Levy (ENVL) of 0.5% and Customs Administrative Fee (CAF) are payable.
Yes. Additional National Code (ANC) V14 should be used to facilitate clearance.
Jamaica is party to the CARIFORUM – EU Economic Partnership Agreement, which provides for motor vehicles which meet the origin criteria outlined in Protocol I to the Agreement to benefit from a rate of 0% import duty as of January 1, 2023. However, not all countries in Europe are members of the European Union (EU), therefore motor vehicles which originate in a European country that is not a member of the EU will be subject to the normal rates of duty when imported into Jamaica.
A list of the FTAs Jamaica is party to, a brief summary, along with the text of the Agreements can be found on the JCA’s website at: https://jacustoms.gov.jm/service/trade-agreements.
No. For some of Jamaica’s FTAs the import duty for eligible items is 0%. However, under the CARIFORUM – EU Economic Partnership Agreement and the CARIFORUM – UK Economic Partnership Agreement, preferential treatment may be granted at a reduced or 0% rate of import duty, for eligible items, depending on the product. Under the EPAs, Additional Stamp Duty (ASD), where applicable, would also be at 0%. All other duties and taxes remain payable.
No. Each FTA outlines the duty/tax type which will either be granted a reduced or a 0% rate of duty when eligible goods are traded under that Agreement. All other duties and taxes remain payable.
No. The specific Agreement must be consulted to determine which goods are eligible for preferential access. For e.g., under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (CARICOM), all goods are eligible, however for the other FTAs Jamaica is party to there are some goods which have been excluded from preferential treatment.
The Integrated Tariff, which is available on the Jamaica Customs Agency’s website, provides the relevant duties and taxes payable for each commodity being imported into Jamaica.
You may access it at: Integrated Tariff
No. The vehicle would not qualify for duty-free treatment, as the requirement for direct transport, along with other origin criteria under the CARIFORUM – EU EPA would not have been met.
The Caribbean - Canada Free Trade Agreement (CARIBCAN) and the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI/CBERA) are non-reciprocal trading arrangements between Jamaica and Canada, and Jamaica and the USA. This means originating exports from Jamaica may access preferential duty rates when exported to those countries, however goods originating in Canada, or the USA are subject to the normal rates of duty when imported into Jamaica. For more information on these Agreements, you may call or visit the website of the Trade Board Limited.
The following requirements must be met when importing motor vehicles under the CARIFORUM- European Union or the CARIFORUM - United Kingdom Economic Partnership Agreements:
- The motor vehicle must satisfy the general and product specific rules of origin criteria as set out in Protocol I under the respective EPA.
- The motor vehicle must have been directly transported from the United Kingdom in the case of the CARIFORUM – UK EPA or from the European Union to Jamaica in the case of the CARIFORUM -EU EPA.
- A valid, original EUR.1 Movement Certificate must be submitted with the import declaration for the motor vehicle seeking preferential access.
No. The exemptions covered under these Agreements are in relation to duties and taxes. Jamaica’s Motor Vehicle Policy remains applicable. The Trade Board Limited may be contacted for more information regarding vehicle age limit requirements.
As per Article 14 of Protocol I, direct transport means that a motor vehicle which meets the criteria to be considered as “originating” in the EU would need to be directly transported from the EU to Jamaica to be eligible under the CARIFORUM - EU Economic Partnership Agreement. Similarly, to benefit under the CARIFORUM - UK Economic Partnership Agreement, a motor vehicle which meets the criteria to be considered as “originating” in the UK would have to be directly transported from the UK to Jamaica to be eligible under the CARIFORUM - UK Economic Partnership Agreement.
Neither the CARIFORUM – EU EPA nor the CARIFORUM – UK EPA is specific to a brand, make or model of motor vehicle. Once the motor vehicle meets the origin criteria of the respective EPA, it may claim preferential access.
The motor vehicle must “originate” in any one of the twenty-seven (27) Member States of the European Union and be directly transported to Jamaica from the EU in the case of the CARIFORUM -EU EPA; or in the case of the CARIFORUM – UK EPA, it must “originate” in the United Kingdom and be directly transported from there. The product specific rule of origin to be met to be considered as “originating” is found in Annex II to Protocol I Concerning the definition of the concept of ‘originating products’ and methods of administrative cooperation. A valid, original Movement Certificate EUR.1 must also be submitted to the JCA along with your import declaration for clearance.
