Export/Import Procedures and Documentation, 5th Edition

Chapter 11

Determining the Proper Country of Origin

In an ever-growing global economy, determining a single country of origin is an extremely difficult task, but it is necessary for all imported goods and in many cases for exported goods. We strongly suggest consulting legal counsel before making any determinations about origin as an incorrect determination can result in penalties and fines. While this chapter is essentially U.S.-centric, the bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements negotiated among other countries follow the same rules, and so a review of U.S. rules will provide an understanding of the general methodologies used.

The United States has multiple rules to determine the country of origin of any finished good. For example, ...