CEPA Registration in India - Process, Fees & Documents
CEPA full form is Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. It is a trade agreement between countries that aims to liberalize and promote trade in goods and services between the participating countries.
India has signed CEPA agreements with several countries, including Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. These agreements aim to boost trade and economic cooperation between India and these countries.
CEPA agreements typically involve reducing or eliminating tariffs and other trade barriers & measures to promote investment and facilitate the movement of people and goods between the agreed countries.
CEPA Certificate [Sample]
Process for CEPA Registration
The process for CEPA Registration involves several key steps to ensure the authenticity and compliance of your products for export. These steps are outlined as follows:
1 - Account ID creation:- An account will be created on the DGFT site using DSC or any other recognized government portal to apply for CEPA certification.
2 - Documentation:- When applying, the applicant must provide verifiable documents and any pertinent paperwork to corroborate the authenticity of their products.
3 - Verification & authorization:- The issuing authority will assess and conduct a full inspection through a risk management system to verify & authenticate the origin of the Product.
4 - Certification:- Once the approval has been given following verification and inspection. Authorities will issue a CEPA certificate, also known as a Certificate of origin. As per the CEPA agreement's established norms certificate should be in English. The certificate must contain all the necessary information about the Product and the exporting entity.
Documents Required for CEPA Certificate of Origin
To apply for a CEPA Certificate of Origin, the following documents and details are required to ensure a smooth and efficient process for verifying the origin of goods being exported.
- Organization based Digital Signature Certificate
- DGFT Login ID
- Updated Import Export Code
- Digital Signature Certificate software
- Mobile No. & Email address
- Commercial Invoice
- Purchase Bill that has details of quantity, origin of raw materials, consumables used in product meant for export
- Manufacturer Exporter Declaration on the company’s Letterhead
- Product Description
- Purchase order from importer company
Cost & validity of CEPA Certificate Registration
The fee required for the registration of the CEPA certificate is 3,208 rupees, including our professional fees. The registration will be valid for up to 12 months from the date of issuance.
Exporters can apply for re-issuance of the certificate of origin once the validity period has expired.
The fee can be breakdown into the following:-
| Particulars | Fees |
|---|---|
| Government Fee | ₹708 |
| One-time registration fee | ₹500 |
| Application Fee | ₹2000 |
| Total Fee | ₹3208 |
| Validity of CEPA | 12 months from the date of issuance |
Note: The aforementioned Fees is exclusive of GST.
What is the CEPA Registration?
CEPA registration is a process through which an entity can trade with others countries under special preferential treatment of CEPA agreement. Exporters of various products and services can benefit from traffic reduction under this agreement.
Exporters can get the certificate of origin from government agencies such as DGFT, the spices board of India, and other government-recognized apex bodies.
CEPA- Rules of origin (RoO)
Per the CEPA agreement between India and other nations, the products shall be deemed as originating in a party country per the following criteria.
- Wholly Obtained goods
- Value-added Criteria for goods
- Change in headers & subheadings
- Change in the harmonized system (HS)
- Final production before export must be done in the exporting nation.
- Sharing specific product details with authorities to comply with preferential treatment
- The Product has undergone adequate working or manufacturing per the Product specific rules (PSR) as agreed by the parties under CEPA
Proof of origin:
Exporters are required to give evidence of the Product's origin by any of the following means:-
- Entirely digital certifications issued by any approved government organizations.
- A paper certificate of origin of CEPA registration in electronic or hard copy format issued by the appropriate government authority.
- A certificate of origin of the declaration given by a licensed exporter as per the requirements.
Product Eligibility under CEPA Certificate agreement
If the Product meets the following criteria, it will be considered to have come from a contracting nation and be eligible for preferential treatment.
Wholly Obtained Or Produced Products such as
- Live animals
- Agri products
- Products made of animals
- Products made of Marine animals
- Products made of natural resources
- Product produced in the territory of the country exclusively
- Products have undergone sufficient working or production according to the Product Specific Rules
Note:- Exporters must provide a certificate of origin for their Product to establish the authenticity as per the agreed CEPA free trade agreement among the participating parties.
Benefits of CEPA Certificate Registration
The main benefit of this agreement is that it allows for an easier flow of goods and services between the two countries, which can lead to increased trade and economic growth.
- Reducing tariffs & trade barriers in preferred countries
- Encouraging cross- border transactions between the territories of the Contracting counties.
- Promoting fair competition in the free trade states
- Ensuring equitable benefits to all Contracting countries
- Effective mechanism for joint administration & resolution of disputes
- Framework for regional cooperation and enhance mutual benefits for trade.
Responsibility of Exporters under CEPA Certificate
Under the CEPA Certificate, exporters have specific responsibilities to ensure compliance throughout the certification process. These responsibilities include:
- The exporters are responsible for providing asked documents during the CEPA certification process.
- Exporters proving misleading information and documents are liable to be punished or penalized.
- Exporters need to keep minimum information & supporting documents of their products for 5 years from the expiry date of their CEPA certificate.
- The exporter shall keep appropriate accounting records of the production supply of the products.
- The exporter shall notify the issuing authority, custom authority, and the importer of any chances that could affect the accuracy or validity.
Non-compliance & Penalties
Non-compliance with the CEPA Certificate of Origin regulations can lead to significant penalties. The following outlines the consequences for non-compliance:
- Customs duties will be charged if the Product's certificate of origin shows that it doesn't meet the rules of origin of CEPA.
- Each Party must also ensure civil and administrative laws are to be followed. When necessary, it will use criminal punishments for people who break its customs laws.
List of Issuing Authority for CEPA Registration
| Agency | Product Category |
|---|---|
| Export inspection Council & Export inspection Agencies | All products |
| Marine Products Export Development Authority and regional offices | Marine products |
| Development Commissioner, Handicraft & regional offices | Handicraft |
| Spices Board | Spices and Cashew Nuts |
| Coir Board | Coir and Coir products |
| Textile Committee and regional offices | Textiles and Clothing |
| Central Silk Board and regional offices | Silk products |
| MEPZ special Economic Zone | All products by Units in Madras SEZ and EOUs located within the jurisdiction. |
| Kandla Special Economic zone | Kandla Special Economic zone |
| SEEPZ Special Economic Zone | All products manufactured by Units in SEEPZ SEZ and EOUs located within the respective jurisdiction |
| Cochin Special Economic Zone | All products manufactured by Units in Cochin SEZ and EOUs located within the respective jurisdiction |
| NOIDA Special Economic Zone | All products manufactured by Units in Noida SEZ and EOUs located within the respective jurisdiction |
| Visakhapatnam Special Economic Zone | All products manufactured by Units in Visakhapatnam SEZ and EOUs located Within the respective jurisdiction |
| Falta Special Economic Zone | All products manufactured by Units in Falta SEZ and EOUs located within the respective jurisdiction |
| Directorate General of Foreign Trade and regional offices | All products |
| Tobacco Board | Tobacco and tobacco products |
| Agricultural and Processed Food Products | Agricultural Products Export Development Authority /APEDA) |
Other Free Trade Agreement
India has enhanced its market access commitments for neighbouring service providers. These commitments provide companies with an opportunity to build market expertise and grow by international expansion. Under Free or Preferential Trade Agreement there are multiple options where certificate of origin can be generated from India for import benefits to importing companies:-
ICPTA - India Chile Preferential Trade Agreement
SAFTA - South Asia Free Trade Agreement
SAPTA - SAARC Preferential Trade Agreement
IKCEPA - India Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement
IJCEPA - India Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements
AIFTA - ASEAN India Free Trade Agreement
ISFTA - India Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement
APTA - Asia Pacific Trade Agreement
GSP - Generalized System of Preferences
GSTP - Global System of Trade Preferences
IMCECA - India Malaysia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement
ISCECA - India Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement
FAQs on CEPA Certificate
What does CEPA stand for?
CEPA stands for comprehensive economic partnership agreement. It is a free trade agreement between India and other countries.
What are the benefits of CEPA?
- Promote cross-border trade
- Less duty on imported goods
- Increase the volume of exports from India
- There will be less duty on goods exported from India.
Where to get a CEPA certificate of origin?
You can get the CEPA certificate of origin in 3 simple steps
- Contact us
- Provide documents
- Issuance of CoO (certificate of origin)
How is cepa/ceca different from FTA (free trade agreement)?
CECA/CEPA is more ambitious in terms of comprehensive coverage of many areas, such as services, investment, IPR, government procurement, and litigation; in contrast, a standard FTA focuses only on products.
With how many countries has India signed the CEPA trade agreement?
India has signed CEPA/CEPA agreements with various countries to promote trade and investments.Here is the list of countries India has signed CEPA agreements:
- India-japan cepa trade agreement
- India-Korea Cepa trade agreement
- India-Uae Cepa trade agreement
- India-Australia ceca trade agreement
What are the rules of origin of a product?
According to the agreement, an exporter must fulfil certain conditions to ensure their products meet the origin criteria.
- Must be manufactured and produced in the country
- Product made of material procured from the agreed Party
- Sharing details of the Product with authorities such as the customs department
Speak Directly to our Expert Today
Reliable
Affordable
Assured
Industries Served by
Professional Utilities
Apparels
Footwear
Furniture
Gems and Jewellery
Tourism & Hospitality
Consumer Electronics
Chemicals
Telecom
Oils & Gas
Hotel
Railways
Liquor
Health & Medical
Food Processing
Dangerous/ Haz. Goods
Tea & Coffee
Capital Goods
Recycling
Rubber
NGOs
Silk
Handloom
IT & BPM
Steel
Automobile
Tobacco
Constructions
Testimonials
"Explore how Professional Utilities have helped businesses reach new heights as their trusted partner."
It was a great experience working withProfessional Utilities. They have provided the smoothly. It shows the amount of confidence they are having in their field of work.
Atish Singh
It was professional and friendly experience quick response and remarkable assistance. I loved PU service for section 8 company registration for our Vidyadhare Foundation.
Ravi Kumar
I needed a material safety data sheet for my product and they got it delivered in just 3 days. I am very happy with their professional and timely service. Trust me you can count on them.
Ananya Sharma
Great & helpful support by everyone. I got response & support whenever I called to your system. Heartly thanx for Great & Super Service. Have a Great & Bright future of team & your company.
Prashant Agawekar
Thank you so muchProfessional Utilitiesteam for their wonderful help. I really appreciate your efforts in getting start business. Pvt Ltd company registration was smooth yet quick.
Abhishek Kumar
I applied for Drug licence and company registration and their follow-up for work and regular updates helped me a lot. They are happily available for any kind of business consultancy.
Vidushi Saini
Great experience went to get my ITR done, process was quite convenient and fast. Had a few queries, am happy about the fact those people explained me all things I wanted to know.
Taniya Garyali
Great services provided by Professional Utilities. They are best in this industry and the best part is their prices are so affordable. Kudos to you. Now you guys are my full-time consultant.
Aftab Alam
Trusted By
.svg)
