The origin declaration on the invoice. The exact text, agreement by agreement.
The origin declaration on the invoice is a fixed sentence, and it changes from one agreement to another. Here you choose the country and the language, and the page gives you the text of the right agreement, with the number in the right place, ready to copy onto the invoice.
Every agreement has its own text. The Pan-Euro-Mediterranean convention, the agreement with the United Kingdom, the one with Japan and CETA with Canada each word the sentence differently, and Japan also asks for the origin criterion code.
Below EUR 6,000 any exporter can make it out. Above that you need a number: an approved exporter number in the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean area, a REX registration number for the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada.
The texts are copied from the official annexes to the agreements, read on 8 October 2026 in the Official Journal of the European Union, in Italian and English.
This page gives you the text to write. How to become an approved exporter, and when it pays off, is on the page about the approved exporter and REX; which proof of origin you need, EUR.1 or a declaration, is on the page about EUR.1 or certificate of origin.
The right text, in one step
Country, language, value of the consignment and your number, if you have one: the text comes out ready. If the value is over EUR 6,000 and the number is missing, the page tells you so instead of giving you a sentence that is not valid at customs. The tool works only in your browser and saves nothing.
The text appears here as soon as you choose the country and enter the value.
Above EUR 6,000 you need an approved exporter number. Without one, the proof of origin is an EUR.1 endorsed by customs. How to obtain the status is on the page about the approved exporter.
Above EUR 6,000 you need a REX registration number. Without one, this consignment is not covered by the preference. Registration is explained on the page about the approved exporter and REX.
Copied.
The text goes on the invoice or on another commercial document that describes the products, with place and date, and for Canada and the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean area with a signature. Have it checked by your forwarder before the first shipment.
The texts, agreement by agreement
Four official texts, each with its source in the Official Journal of the European Union. The dots are the blanks to fill in: the number, the origin of the products and, for Japan, the criterion. The notes in the annexes explain how to fill them in and, as the agreements themselves say, are not reproduced on the invoice.
| Agreement | The text in English | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Pan-Euro-Mediterranean arearevised convention, Annex III | «The exporter of the products covered by this document (customs authorisation No …) declares that, except where otherwise clearly indicated, these products are of … preferential origin.» | The number is the approved exporter number; without one, the words in brackets are left out. |
| United KingdomTrade and Cooperation Agreement, Annex 7 | «The exporter of the products covered by this document (Exporter Reference No …) declares that, except where otherwise clearly indicated, these products are of … preferential origin.» | The number is the REX number; it is called a statement on origin and does not require a signature. |
| JapanEconomic Partnership Agreement, Annex 3-D | «The exporter of the products covered by this document (Exporter Reference No …) declares that, except where otherwise clearly indicated, these products are of … preferential origin. (Origin criteria used …)» | It asks for the origin criterion code, from A to E. |
| CanadaCETA, Protocol on rules of origin, Annex 2 | «The exporter of the products covered by this document (customs authorisation No …) declares that, except where otherwise clearly indicated, these products are of … preferential origin.» | For an EU exporter the number is the customs authorisation or REX registration number. |
Which countries the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean text applies to. Since 1 January 2026 only the revised rules apply between the EU and the parties to the convention, except with countries that have not yet ratified them. The Commission says so on Access2Markets: for exports to Morocco, Egypt, Palestine and Tunisia, EU exporters still use the revised rules. With Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands, the Western Balkans, Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, this is the text. For Israel, Algeria, Lebanon and Türkiye, confirm the text with your forwarder before writing it.
The €6,000 threshold
Below EUR 6,000 of originating products, any exporter can make out the declaration. The Pan-Euro-Mediterranean convention says so in Article 18: the declaration may be made out «by any exporter for any consignment consisting of one or more packages containing originating products whose total value does not exceed EUR 6 000». Above that, you need approved exporter status.
For the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada the system is that of registered exporters: above EUR 6,000 the declaration carries the REX number. The value that counts is that of the originating products in the consignment, not of the whole invoice, if the same invoice also includes non-originating products.
Where it goes, and what you add
On the invoice or on another commercial document that describes the products in enough detail to identify them. You add the place and date, if they are not already on the document, and the name of the exporter; the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean text and CETA ask for a signature. The origin is given with the Union’s abbreviation, UE in Italian and EU in English.
If the same invoice carries originating and non-originating products, the non-originating ones must be clearly identified: that is what «except where otherwise clearly indicated» means in all four texts. For repeated shipments of identical products, the agreements with the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada allow a declaration valid for a period of up to 12 months.
The sentence gets copied by hand, and by hand you get the number wrong or put it on the wrong invoice. A system would write it by itself on the invoices going to the right countries, above or below the threshold, and a person would check it before it goes out. The demonstration from order to packing list shows how.
How do you write the origin declaration on the invoice?
You copy the fixed text of the agreement with the destination country, in an accepted language, with your approved exporter or REX number in its place and the origin of the products.
Then the place, date and name of the exporter. The text changes from one agreement to another, which is why a generic sample risks not being valid.
Do you need to be an approved exporter to make the declaration on the invoice?
Only above EUR 6,000 of originating products per consignment. Below that, any exporter can make out the declaration.
Above it, in the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean area you need approved exporter status; for the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada you need REX registration.
Can the origin declaration be written in English?
Yes. The agreements list the accepted language versions, and both English and Italian are in all four of the agreements on this page.
The English text is as fixed as the Italian one: you copy it, you do not translate it.
What do you write in place of the origin?
The origin of the products: for an Italian exporter, the European Union, written UE in Italian and EU in English.
If the invoice also includes non-originating products, they must be clearly identified: that is what «except where otherwise clearly indicated» means.
Why does Japan require the origin criterion?
Because the EU-Japan agreement asks for it in the text of the declaration itself: a code from A to E that says how the product became originating.
A if wholly obtained, B if made only from originating materials, C if the product-specific rule was applied, D for cumulation, E for tolerances.
Notes on sources
- Decision No 1/2023 of the Joint Committee of the Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin, of 7 December 2023, Annex III, text of the origin declaration, and Article 18 on the EUR 6,000 threshold, quoted word for word.
- Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom, Annex 7, text of the statement on origin.
- Agreement between the European Union and Japan for an Economic Partnership, Annex 3-D, text of the statement on origin, with the origin criterion codes.
- Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union, Protocol on rules of origin, Annex 2.
- Texts read on 8 October 2026 from the official text of the Publications Office of the European Union, in Italian and English. The agreements are amended by decisions of the joint committees: before an important shipment, confirm the text with your forwarder.
The sentence is fixed. Getting it wrong costs your customer the full duty.
A declaration with the wrong number or for the wrong country counts as no declaration at all. At Itria we build tailored systems for SMEs that export: documents are generated from the orders, with the right text for each country, and a person approves them before they go out. Drop us a line: in fifteen minutes we can see whether it would make sense for yours.