With the enforcement of the India-European Free Trade Association Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (India-EFTA TEPA) from October 01, 2025, exporters must apply for Preferential Certificates of Origin (CoO) through the Trade Connect ePlatform (www.trade.gov.in). The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has prescribed stepwise procedures for filing and issuance of eCoO under both self-declaration and agency routes.

Details of Changes

A. Self-Declaration based eCOO

1. IEC profile must be linked with a valid Digital Signature Certificate (DSC).
2. Upload a scanned copy of the applicant’s ink-signed signature.
3. Select agreement as “India EFTA TEPA (Self-Declaration)”.
4. Fill in all details as per the application form and submit using DSC or Aadhaar authentication. No fee is required.
5. Choose the relevant branch address. The system will auto-map the jurisdictional RA/SEZ.
6. Application status will appear as “Auto Approved Pending Issuance”.
7. Generate the CoO by clicking on “Generate Self-Declared CoO” and upload scanned signature if not already done.
8. Use DSC to generate the final CoO.
9. Two copies are issued:
   • Electronic Copy with scanned signature.
   • Physical Copy with blank signature space for manual signing.
10. Copies may be submitted to the recipient EFTA country as per requirement.

B. Agency-Issued eCOO

1. Select agreement as “India EFTA TEPA (Agency Issued)”.
2. Choose an authorised agency from the notified list.
3. Submit completed application to the agency.
4. On approval, the system generates an Electronic Copy with QR code, digital signature, issuing officer’s signature image, and agency stamp.

C. Common Guidelines for All Applicants

1. Use existing DGFT login credentials for Trade Connect.
2. Additional users may be created and linked via DSC.
3. Name in user profile must exactly match with DSC.
4. IEC details must be updated in DGFT system to reflect correctly during application.
5. Authenticity of any eCoO can be verified via QR code or “Verify Certificate” option on Trade Connect.

D. Support Channels

• Ticketing system under “Certificate of Origin” service on Trade Connect.
• Toll-free helplines: 011-23061495 / 011-23061499.
• Email: coo-dgft@gov.in.