A Certificate of Origin Form A is issued only when it has been established that the goods concerned are manufactured by factories registered with the Trade and Industry Department and have met both the origin criteria of Hong Kong and the relevant origin criteria as stipulated under the respective donor country's generalised system of preferences. The Trade and Industry Department is responsible for the issue of Certificates of Origin Form A to all the aforementioned GSP donating countries. The five Government Approved Certification Organizations (see section on 'Other issuing organizations') are also authorised to issue preference certificates for GSP exports to Canada and the Russian Federation. The latest information on the product coverage, rules of origin and other aspects of the different schemes is regularly announced to the trade by way of circulars issued by the Factory Registration and Origin Certification Branch of the Trade and Industry Department.

The products eligible for GSP benefit differ from one generalised system of preferences to another, and so do the required origin criteria. Therefore, before submitting application for a Certificate of Origin Form A, the exporter or manufacturer should first find out from the Trade and Industry Department whether the products to be exported are eligible for preferences and whether they meet the applicable origin criteria.

An application for a Certificate of Origin Form A issued by the Department must be made on a prescribed form - TIC 185B (Rev.). The form can be purchased at the following office:

Trade and Industry Department
Collection Office
Room 104
1/F, Trade and Industry Department Tower
700 Nathan Road
Kowloon

Certificates of Origin Form A are available for sale at the following stationers:

1. Ying Wah Offset Printing Press
   Room 12, 2/F, Block A
   Wah Tat Industrial Centre
   8-10 Wah Sing Street
   Kwai Hing
   New Territories
   (Enquiry : 2401 1080)
   
   

2. Swindon Book Co. Ltd.
   13 - 15, Lock Road
   Tsim Sha Tsui
   Kowloon
   (Enquiry : 2730 0183)
   
   

3. Cheung Lee Printing Co.
   Room 319, China Insurance Group Building
   141 Des Voeux Road Central
   Hong Kong
   (Enquiry : 2543 8069)

If everything is in order, the Certificate of Origin Form A will be approved by the Department. The original plus the duplicate of the certificate will be issued to the applicant against the relevant receipt through the Customer Service Centre of Textiles Licensing Branch on the second floor of Trade and Industry Department Tower, 700 Nathan Road, Kowloon. The triplicate and the application form will be retained by the Department. Normally, a certificate is issued in 1.5 clear working days after submission. However, it may take a longer time if the preferential eligibility of the products under application is in doubt and physical verification is required.

If the Certificate of Origin Form A application is to be refused, a refusal letter will be issued to the applicant, stating the reasons for the refusal. The full set of application form and Certificate of Origin Form A will then be retained by the Department. The Department reserves the right to issue, refuse or cancel any application. After submission of an application, the application fee is not refundable in any circumstances.

Applications for Certificates of Origin Form A are required to be submitted at least two clear working days in advance of the departure date of the carrying vessel. If the application is not submitted in accordance with this condition, the Department reserves the right not to accept such late submissions.

1. a covering letter explaining the reasons for the late application;
   
   

2. a copy of the commercial invoice and the bill of lading/air waybill/postal receipt in respect of the consignments covered by the certificate;
   
   

3. a cost statement of the goods concerned if applicable; and
   
   

4. packing list.

This request should be submitted to the Certificate of Origin/Form A Section of the Factory Registration and Origin Certification Branch for approval. The Department may request the exporter to produce samples of the goods covered by the certificate for inspection. Further guidance can be obtained from the Customer Service Centre, Textiles Licensing Branch of the Department (see section on 'Enquiries').

Apart from the Trade and Industry Department, the following five Government Approved Certification Organizations are also authorised to issue Certificates of Origin Form A for GSP exports to Canada and the Russian Federation:

1. The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
   3/F, Silvercorp International Tower
   707-713 Nathan Road
   Kowloon
   (Enquiry: 2398 6024)
   
   

2. The Indian Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong
   2/F, 69 Wyndham Street
   Hong Kong
   (Enquiry : 2525 0138)
   
   

3. Federation of Hong Kong Industries
   Suite 1701, Wai Fung Plaza
   664 Nathan Road
   Kowloon
   (Enquiry : 2396 3318)
   
   

4. The Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong
   1/F, CMA Building
   64 Connaught Road Central
   Hong Kong
   (Enquiry : 2542 8613)
   
   

5. The Chinese General Chamber of Commerce
   4/F, 24-25 Connaught Road Central
   Hong Kong
   (Enquiry : 2526 0623)

Enquiries regarding the issue of certificates by these organizations should be made to the Certification Offices of these organizations.

Certificate of Origin/Form A Section
Factory Registration and Origin Certification Branch
Trade and Industry Department
2/F, Trade and Industry Department Tower
700 Nathan Road
Kowloon
(Tel. 2398 5545)