Government of India
Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Department of Commerce
Directorate General of Foreign Trade
Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi
Dated: September 30^th, 2025
Trade Notice No. 13/2025-2026
To,
- All Exporters/Members of Trade,
- All Designated Issuing Agencies under FTAs/PTAs
Subject: Electronic filing and Issuance of Preferential Certificate of Origin (CoO) under India-European Free Trade Association Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (India-EFTA TPA) with effect from October 01, 2025 - regarding.
It is informed that upon coming into force of India- European Free Trade Association Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (India-EFTA TEPA) on October 01, 2025, Preferential Certificates of Origin for exports to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland under the above said agreement will be rolled out on Trade Connect ePlatform (www.trade.gov.in ) which serves as the unified digital platform for application and issuance of all electronic Certificates of Origin (eCOO) for Indian exports.
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As per the agreed terms of the India-EFTA TEPA, eCOO will be available via the "Certificate of Origin" service on Trade Connect ePlatform for issuance on the basis of: (i) self-declaration, as well as (ii) by an authorised agency.
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The following key points may be noted regarding the issuance of Preferential eCOO for India-EFTA TEPA on self-declaration basis:
- i. Digital Signature (DSC) is a mandatory requirement for generation of Self-Declaration based eCOO. Only those users (referred to as applicant in this section) whose profiles are linked with the IEC with a valid DSC will be able to complete this process.
- ii. Uploading of scanned copy of ink signed signatures of the applicant is also a mandatory requirement for generation of Self-Declaration based eCOO. The option to upload the same will be available during the generation stage of the self-declaration based eCOO.
- iii. The applicant may proceed with the application for self-declaration based eCOO by selecting Agreement name as “India EFTA TEPA (Self-Declaration)”.
- iv. All necessary details maybe filled as per the application form available, and the application maybe submitted using Digital Signature (DSC) or Aaadhar authentication without payment of any fee.
- v. During the application, applicant will also select the necessary branch address as available in the corresponding IEC details. Based on the branch selected, mapping of the jurisdiction Regional Authority of DGFT or the jurisdictional SEZ will be automatically fetched and registered in the application. The concerned authority mapped will undertake verification activity in case of concerns raised by the partner countries as per the agreement.
- vi. Once submitted, the application appears with file status as “Auto Approved Pending Issuance”.
- vii. The applicant may then proceed by clicking on “Generate Self-Declared CoO” against the submitted application. The system will also prompt for uploading scanned copy of signature of the applicant (if not already uploaded during a previous application of the same type) which needs to be saved.
- viii. With the mandatory use of the linked DSC of the applicant, the Self-Declaration based eCOO may then be generated.
- ix. Self-Declaration based eCOO will be generated in two copies, both with QR code and digital signature, that can be downloaded and utilised by the applicant:
- • “Electronic Copy” with scanned signature in the place available for signature.
- • “Physical Copy” with blank space for the applicant to physically sign after printing the certificate.
- x. The above copies maybe submitted to recipient EFTA country as required by the concerned authorities.
- The following key points may be noted regarding the issuance of Preferential eCOO for India-EFTA TEPA by authorised agency:
- i. The applicant may proceed with the application by selecting the agreement name as “India EFTA TEPA (Agency Issued)”
- ii. The list of authorised agencies as per the terms of the agreement and duly notified will be available for selection by applicants.
- iii. On submission of the completed application and approval by the authorised agency, an “Electronic Copy” of the eCOO with QR code and digital signature will be generated by the system.
- iv. The “Electronic Copy” shall bear the image of the signature of the issuing officer as well as the stamp of the issuing agency which can be downloaded and utilised by the applicant.
- The following common guidelines are to be followed by all IEC holders and associated users/applicants:
- i. Existing user credentials for DGFT website (www.dgft.gov.in) may be used for login on Trade Connect ePlatform (www.trade.gov.in) without creation of new login credentials.
- ii. Additional user accounts for the same IEC, if necessary, maybe created and linked using DSC on www.dgft.gov.in and the credentials can be used on Trade Connect ePlatform for login including for filing/generating eCOO.
- iii. The types of digital signatures accepted in the DGFT common digital ecosystem and the process of linking DSC to IEC can be perused at www.dgft.gov.in by navigating to the “Learn” tab, selecting “Application Help and FAQs” (https://www.dgft.gov.in/CP/?opt=application-help ), and going through the help documents and videos under “IEC Profile Management” section.
- iv. All users may ensure that their name in the DGFT/Trade Connect user profile matches completely with the name in the Digital Signature (DSC).
- v. All IEC holders may ensure that that updated details related to the IEC are available in the DGFT system in order that the correct details are available for selection during application for eCOO.
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The authenticity of any eCoO issued from Trade Connect ePlatform may be verified by scanning the QR code on the certificate or by navigating to “Verify certificate” option under the Certificate of Origin service on Trade Connect ePlatform and keying in the certificate number.
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Support Channels: Exporters and stakeholders are encouraged to reach out to the Certificate of Origin (CoO) Helpdesk for assistance with any queries, suggestions, or feedback. Support is available through the following channels:
- i. Ticketing system is available under the option “Log a ticket” under the Certificate of Origin service of Trade Connect ePlatform.
- ii. Toll-Free Assistance maybe availed on the following phone numbers: 011-23061495 / 011-23061499.
- iii. Email inquiries may be sent to coo-dgft@gov.in.
This notice is issued with the approval of competent authority.
MANOJ KUMAR MEENA
Digitally signed by MANOJ KUMAR MEENA
Date: 2025.09.30 17:43:14 +05'30'
(Manoj Kumar Meena)
Deputy Director
e-mail: manoj.meena84@gov.in
