Launch of Revamped Preferential Certificate of Origin (eCoO) 2.0 System –reg.

Government of India Ministry of Commerce and Industry Department of Commerce Directorate General of Foreign Trade

Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi Date: $06^{\text{th}}$ December 2024

Trade Notice No. 23/2024-25

To,

1. All Exporters/Members of Trade & Industry
2. All Agencies / Chamber enlisted under FTP
3. All Export Promotion Councils / Trade and Industry Associations
4. All DGFT Regional Authorities

Subject: Launch of Revamped Preferential Certificate of Origin (eCoO) 2.0 System –reg.

Reference is drawn to Trade Notice No. 13/2023-24 dated $16^{\text{th}}$ August 2024, wherein this Directorate introduced the enhanced Non-Preferential Certificate of Origin (eCoO) system on the eCoO 2.0 platform. In addition to this, it is hereby informed that enhanced version of the Preferential Certificate of Origin (eCoO) system - eCoO 2.0 - is scheduled for launch. This upgraded system offers several new and user-friendly features aimed at streamlining the certification process for exporters. Some notable features of the revamped eCoO 2.0 system include:

• (I) Multi-User Access: Exporters can now assign multiple users/applicants under a single Importer Exporter Code (IEC).
• (II) E-Signature Options: In addition to the digital signature token, Aadhaar-based e-signing would be available.
• (III) Integrated Dashboard: A common platform will provide seamless access to eCoO and other related services such as Free Trade Agreement (FTA) information, trade events, and more.
• (IV) Cost Sheet Digitization: Enhanced digitization facilitates easier preparation and submission of cost sheets.

The eCoO 2.0 system is hosted on the following web-domain: https://trade.gov.in

2. Key Dates for Implementation:

• (I) Filing of Preferential Certificates: Exporters may begin filing Preferential Certificates of Origin through the new system with issuing agencies starting from 21.12.2024.
• (II) Migration of All Data: All data, including non-preferential and preferential CoO, as well as e-wallet balances, will be migrated from the legacy platform to the new eCoO 2.0 platform. This migration will take place shortly after the successful stabilisation of the preferential CoO workflow and will be notified separately.

3. Specific points for attention of the Issuing Agencies are as follows:

• (I) For the Issuing Agency Administrator Account:

  • (i) All authorized issuing agencies are required to designate an administrator for online user management and office management functionalities. The administrator shall register on the eCoO 2.0 system by navigating to the eCoO 2.0 system website $\rightarrow$ Register and select ‘Register User As’ - ‘CoO Authorized Agency’. Then, select the concerned issuing agency and the role (Administrator) and attach the authorisation letter. The administrator user shall attach the authorisation letter on the issuing agency’s letterhead along with their official email as recorded with DGFT.
  • (ii) After successful activation of their account, the administrator shall add their regional office(s) details navigating to: My Dashboard $\rightarrow$ Office Management $\rightarrow$ Add office details.
  • (iii) The Administrator shall ensure that the payment gateway parameters (Merchant ID and Checksum) are accurately mapped without any spaces or extra characters. Mistakes such as incorrect entries or leaving these fields blank may result in a error for exporters. It is essential to enter the Merchant ID and Checksum correctly and ensure these fields are not left empty.
  • (iv) The agency administrator can enable the e-wallet facility for their specific offices while adding offices details using the office management tab under the "My Dashboard" section.
  • (v) As a one-time exercise, upload images of the stamps for all regional offices under My Dashboard $\rightarrow$ Office Management.
  • (vi) As a one-time exercise, upload images of all Issuing Officers’ signatures under My Dashboard $\rightarrow$ User Management.
  • (vii) Administrators must ensure to remove the background from the stamp and signature images before uploading.
  • (viii) Agencies may Activate, deactivate, or map issuing officers to respective offices through the User Management tab under My Dashboard.

• (II) For the Agency/Chamber Officer Account:

  • (i) All issuing officers are required to register by navigating to the eCoO system website $\rightarrow$ Register, selecting ‘Register User As’ - ‘CoO Authorized Agency’, choosing the issuing agency, selecting the regional office, and then selecting the role (Officer). This request shall be assigned to the respective Issuing agency’s Administrator for approval and shall be visible under My Dashboard $\rightarrow$ User Management to Agency Administrator.
  • (ii) Issuing officers must use only their official email address for registration.
  • (iii) Issuing officers must register their digital token key under My Dashboard $\rightarrow$ Register Digital Signature Certificate to enable them to digitally sign the eCoOs.

4. Specific points for managing the given transition is submitted for attention of concerned exporters and issuing agencies as follows–

• (I) Issuing Agencies shall process all pending Preferential Certificate of Origin (CoO) applications submitted up to 20.12.2024 in the legacy eCoO 1.0 system (https://coo.dgft.gov.in). Agencies shall continue to handle subsequent actions on these applications in the existing platform after 20.12.2024. For e.g. application for in-lieu CoO applied against a Preferential eCoO issued on from the legacy eCoO1.0 system shall be filed on the legacy 1.0 system even after 21.12.2024. Submission of new Preferential CoO applications in the legacy system shall however be stopped with effect from 21.12.2024.
• (II) All new Preferential CoO applications on or after 21.12.2024 shall be filed on the revamped eCoO 2.0 system (https://trade.gov.in).
• (III) The exporters’ login credentials as created on the DGFT website (https://dgft.gov.in) shall also work on the revamped eCoO 2.0 system. There is no need for the exporter to create new accounts on this eCoO 2.0 system. However, if any additional exporter accounts are required, the same may be created on the DGFT Website. All exporter accounts created on the DGFT Website shall be automatically synced with the eCoO 2.0 user accounts.
• (IV) In case any exporters are not registered on DGFT Website, they would be required to register on DGFT Website and link their email to their IEC as per the defined processes. Please refer to the Application Help & FAQs section on DGFT Website $\rightarrow$ Learn (https://www.dgft.gov.in/CP/?opt=application-help) for more details.
• (V) Any updates to the exporter's basic details, such as registered address, branch details, and GSTIN, shall be made on https://dgft.gov.in by Modify Your IEC. The updated details will automatically populate on the new platform.

5. E-Wallet Facility on eCoO 2.0– The E-Wallet facility has also been implemented on the new eCoO 2.0 system and is managed by the agency administrator at the office level. However, the e-Wallet amount in the legacy system shall be transferred/migrated to the new platform following the stabilisation of the preferential CoO process. A separate notification will be issued regarding this transfer.

6. Verification of eCoO: Validation/Verification of the CoO can be performed using the following methods:

• (I) The system allows officers to get CoO authentication from the eCoO 2.0 Platform itself. The officers need not to enter credentials; rather it can be checked pre-login. Steps to be followed by officers: Go to eCoO 2.0 website (https://trade.gov.in) $\rightarrow$ Home Page $\rightarrow$ Get Certificate of Origin Tab $\rightarrow$ Click on Verify Certificate $\rightarrow$ Enter CoO Certificate Number $\rightarrow$ enter capture code $\rightarrow$ Click on Verify Certificate $\rightarrow$ All the details in the CoO certificate will be shown on the screen.
• (II) By scanning the QR code provided on the issued CoO certificate.

Note: The validation and verification of the Certificate of Origin (CoO) issued earlier from the legacy platform (i.e., https://coo.dgft.gov.in) will continue to follow the existing process.