EUR.1 or certificate of origin. They aren't two names for the same thing.
The buyer writes «send me the certificate of origin» and the freight forwarder replies «you need the EUR.1». They are both right, and they are talking about two different documents.
The certificate of origin attests non-preferential origin, that is, the «made in». The Chamber of Commerce issues it, it gives no right to any reduction in duty and it is needed where the European Union has no agreement, for example towards the United States.
The EUR.1 attests preferential origin, that is, the right to pay less duty. Customs endorses it and it is valid only towards countries with which the Union has an agreement. It should be kept distinct from the EX-1 export declaration, which concerns not the origin of the goods but the fact that they leave. It is a document that saves the buyer money, not a certificate of provenance.
Below €6,000 you often need neither: the origin declaration is made directly on the invoice. Above that threshold you need the endorsed certificate or a registered exporter status.
This piece is part of the guide to export operations for the small food producer and clarifies two documents that get confused. The full folder that accompanies a shipment, with invoice and packing list, is in the documents for a food shipment abroad.
The template, to download
Two files for the same decision. The PDF draws the tree: four questions, the answers, and the six cases in one line each. The Excel sheet does the same with drop-downs: choose the country, write the value, answer on origin and on the Chamber certificate, and two cells say which proof you need and which you don't. Both files are in Italian.
| File | What it contains | Link |
|---|---|---|
| The treePDF, to read | The four questions with the answers, and the six typical cases with the preferential proof and the Chamber certificate side by side. |
|
| The sheetExcel, drop-down | Country, value, origin and certificate request: the two dark cells give the answer. |
The files are free. There is no form in front of them, we don't ask for an address and we receive no notification when someone downloads them. Neither file checks on your behalf whether the product meets the agreement's rules of origin: that answer is built agreement by agreement, with the freight forwarder, and until it exists the sheet has you declare nothing.
The two origins, and why there are two
Goods always have a non-preferential origin, which says where they were produced. They can also have a preferential one, which is an extra qualification: it means they meet the rules of a trade agreement and so enter that country paying less duty, or none.
From this come two separate documents, with two different bodies and two different functions. Calling both «certificate of origin» in correspondence is the quickest way to be sent the wrong one and notice when the goods have already left.
| Document | What it attests and who issues it | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of originnon-preferential origin | It attests where the goods were produced, the «made in». The competent local Chamber of Commerce issues it, at the exporter's request. |
Towards countries with which the European Union has no customs agreements in force, and whenever the buyer or a letter of credit requires it. |
| EUR.1preferential origin | It attests that the goods meet the requirements for the preferential treatment provided for by an agreement. The customs authority endorses it, normally through the freight forwarder. |
Towards countries linked to the Union by a preferential agreement, when the value exceeds the threshold below which the invoice declaration is enough. |
| Invoice declarationpreferential origin | An origin statement written on the invoice by the exporter themselves. No body issues it and nobody endorses it. |
Below €6,000 of consignment value. Above that, you need approved exporter status or REX registration. |
The certificate of origin, in detail
The Turin Chamber of Commerce defines it in a line that removes all ambiguity: «The Certificate of Origin is a document, issued by the competent local Chamber of Commerce, that attests the (non-preferential) origin of the goods».
Two practical consequences. First: it doesn't save the buyer a cent of duty, because that isn't its job. Second: if the buyer asks you for it thinking they will get a concession, they are asking for the wrong document, and it pays to tell them before the shipment rather than after.
It is requested from the Chamber of Commerce of the province where you are based, with the sales invoice in support. Issuing is quick and the cost is in the order of a few tens of euros, figures that in practice sway no decision.
The EUR.1, and the countries where it applies
The EUR.1 only exists where an agreement exists. The Turin Chamber of Commerce lists among the countries with preferential customs agreements with the Union, among others, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Turkey, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia.
Customs endorses the document, usually through the freight forwarder, and the economic benefit is entirely the buyer's: with the EUR.1 in hand they pay the reduced duty or none at all. For you it is a real sales argument, because it lowers the final price without touching yours. It is endorsed in the same customs step in which the export declaration is lodged, which is a different document and carries the proof that the goods have left the Union.
The flip side is that preferential origin has to be proven, not declared. The rules change from agreement to agreement and look at the processing, not just at the place of packing: a product assembled in Italy with foreign raw materials can be Italian for «made in» purposes and not for preferential purposes.
The €6,000 threshold
Below €6,000 of consignment value, proof of preferential origin is given with a declaration written on the invoice by the exporter, without going through customs. That is why many first shipments never come across an EUR.1 and those who make them don't suspect the document exists.
Above that threshold you need the certificate endorsed by customs, or a registered status authorising you to declare origin yourselves. Towards the United Kingdom, for example, the reference is the REX number: GOV.UK writes that REX numbers «are needed if the exporter exports consignments with a total value of more than 6,000 euros».
The United Kingdom doesn't use the EUR.1
It is the exception that causes most confusion, because the United Kingdom is the first non-EU market for many Italian producers. The agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom doesn't provide for the EUR.1: the preference is claimed with a statement on origin made by the exporter, or on the basis of the importer's knowledge.
Anyone looking for an EUR.1 form for a shipment to London is looking for a document that doesn't exist in that relationship. The rest of the British procedure, with pre-notifications and health certificates, is in exporting food products to the United Kingdom.
Costs and timing, as stated by a Chamber of Commerce
Chamber fees are public and change little. The Lecce Chamber of Commerce states: certificate of origin with copy €10, each further copy €5, version with legalisation stamp €8, free sale certificate €3 in secretarial fees.
On timing, the same Chamber states two working days for the certificate of origin and three for the free sale certificate, counted from submission of the complete documentation. The figures apply to Lecce: other Chambers publish their own fees and timing, and it pays to read yours before promising a date.
When the folder stops putting itself together
With two shipments a year, remembering which document is needed for which country is a memory task that holds up. With fifteen shipments to six different markets, each with its own proof of origin and its own threshold, memory stops holding up, and that is where hold-ups begin.
That is the point where the list should be taken out of someone's head and put in a place that fills it in on its own, with documents formed from the same data instead of by hand each time. With a constraint that matters more than the technology, written in Ethics: the system prepares and flags, but no document goes out without a person having read and approved it. On a proof of origin that signature is substance, because a wrong declaration is a false declaration.
Which of the documents you need depends on two things only: the destination country and the value of the shipment. If you write them to us, we tell you which one you really need, and whether below the threshold you can avoid both. It is five minutes of our work, and it is on us.
A person replies, the same one who then builds the systems, within 24 hours, with a reading of the situation and not with a quote. You write from here, and one line is enough.
Questions and answers
What is the difference between EUR.1 and a certificate of origin?
They attest two different things. The certificate of origin attests non-preferential origin, that is, where the goods were produced; the Chamber of Commerce issues it and it gives no right to reductions in duty. The EUR.1 attests preferential origin; customs endorses it and it lets the buyer pay less duty or none.
They are also two different bodies: the Chamber of Commerce on one side, the customs authority on the other. Calling both «certificate of origin» in correspondence leads to being sent the wrong one.
When do you need the EUR.1 and when is the invoice declaration enough?
The threshold is €6,000 of consignment value. Below it, proof of preferential origin is given with a declaration written on the invoice by the exporter, without going through customs. Above it, you need the endorsed certificate or a registered status.
That is why many first shipments never come across an EUR.1: they stay below the threshold, and those who make them don't suspect the document exists.
Who issues the certificate of origin and how much does it cost?
The competent local Chamber of Commerce issues it, at the exporter's request and with the sales invoice in support. The Lecce Chamber of Commerce states €10 for the certificate with copy, €5 for each further copy, €8 for the version with legalisation stamp.
On timing, the same Chamber states two working days from submission of the complete documentation. Fees and timing vary from Chamber to Chamber: it pays to read your own before promising the buyer a date.
Do you need the EUR.1 to export to the United Kingdom?
No. The agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom doesn't provide for the EUR.1: the preference is claimed with a statement on origin made by the exporter, or on the basis of the importer's knowledge.
For shipments above €6,000 the European exporter must state their REX number. Anyone looking for an EUR.1 form for a shipment to the United Kingdom is looking for a document that doesn't exist in that relationship.
Does a product made in Italy always have Italian preferential origin?
Not automatically. The two origins follow different rules: non-preferential origin looks at where the substantial transformation took place, preferential origin follows the specific rules of the agreement with that country, which often set conditions on the raw materials used.
A product processed in Italy with ingredients from abroad may therefore be Italian for «made in» purposes and not qualify for preferential purposes. The check must be done agreement by agreement, before making a declaration that commits you.
Notes on sources
- Turin Chamber of Commerce, Certificates of origin, for the definition quoted (our translation) and for the non-preferential nature of the document.
- Turin Chamber of Commerce, what the EUR.1 is and who issues it, for the list of countries linked to the Union by preferential agreements and for issuing through the customs authority.
- Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency, note on the EUR.1, for the €6,000 threshold and the approved exporter.
- GOV.UK, Claiming preferential rates of duty between the UK and EU, for the statement on origin, the importer's knowledge and the €6,000 REX threshold. Page checked on 6 September 2026.
- Lecce Chamber of Commerce, costs, timing and procedures for issuing export documents. The fees and timing cited are those stated by this Chamber and don't count as a national tariff.
Knowing which document you need is decided before the negotiation, not after.
The right question to ask the buyer, on day one, is which proof of origin they need to clear customs. With Itria we start from the outside to build custom digital systems for exporters. For you that translates into more requests, fewer losses and less manual work. Write us a line about what weighs on you. We take the first step: what a buyer sees when they look you up, and what we found there. Even if we don't end up working together.