Q1053. How to process Certificate of Origin (CO) translations for international trade?

Answered by the NYC Visa & Translation certified translation team

Certificates of Origin are issued in Thailand by the Thai Chamber of Commerce or the Department of Foreign Trade (for preferential schemes like ASEAN FTA, RCEP, or GSP), and the standard Thai CO is already bilingual Thai-English — so the translation question usually arises in two narrower cases. First, foreign COs presented in Thailand: a CO in a third language accompanying imports claiming preferential tariffs under an FTA must be in English or accompanied by an English translation per the relevant scheme's operational procedures — Thai Customs assesses origin claims on the CO data fields (exporter, consignee, HS code, origin criterion), and those fields must be complete and consistent with the invoice and bill of lading. Second, supporting documents for CO applications: when applying for a Thai CO, the manufacturer 's cost statements or production declarations in a foreign language may need Thai translation for the issuing body. Practical points: the origin criterion code (WO, PSR, RVC percentages) is the substantive field — errors there void the preference; COs have strict issuance and presentation deadlines under each FTA; and for back-to-back COs or third-country invoicing under ASEAN schemes, the documentation chain must be preserved exactly. Confirm the specific FTA's operational certification requirements with the Department of Foreign Trade or the Thai Chamber before preparing documents.