Customs & Compliance

What is Rules of Origin?

Criteria that determine a product's economic nationality for tariff purposes.

Rules of origin are the criteria used to determine the country of origin of a product — for example a change of HS tariff classification, a regional value-content threshold, or specific processing. They decide whether goods qualify for a preferential duty rate under a free-trade agreement, and underpin the certificate of origin.

Related terms

Trade tools

Trade with verified professionals

Paddock is the professional network for verified importers, exporters, freight forwarders and customs brokers.

Join Paddock →