Invoice and Certificate of Origin Translation for the USA

The A.TR and the EUR.1 have no effect in the USA

The A.TR movement certificate of the Türkiye-EU Customs Union means something only for free circulation within the Union; as far as US customs is concerned it has no force at all. In the same way, Pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential origin documents such as the EUR.1 and the EUR-MED do not extend to the USA, because the USA is not part of that preference system. Carrying the document set a Turkish exporter has prepared for Germany straight over to the USA is the commonest mistake of all; in a file bound for the USA these documents give way to the country’s own rules. Nor does the translation proceed on the assumption that they will “do the job”.

Customs matters in the USA are dealt with by the federal customs authority, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); origin is assessed not for a preferential tariff but in order to establish the source of the goods and the marking rules that apply. With no agreed preference in place, goods of Turkish origin are usually handled at the most favoured nation (MFN) tariff. Whether a certificate of origin or an origin declaration will be asked for depends on the product and on CBP practice.

The English-language invoice and the origin declaration

A commercial invoice is expected in English in the USA, so, unlike Germany, the need for translation on a Turkish invoice bound for the USA is far more concrete. The description of the goods, the quantity, the unit price and the total on the invoice are carried into English in full and consistently; delivery term abbreviations and customs tariff heading numbers are not translated but transferred as they stand. The chamber-endorsed structure of the certificate of origin is preserved; the name of the document and the official wording on it are not altered at will.

For certain product groups (textiles, for instance) additional declarations as to origin may be requested; the language and content of those declarations vary with CBP practice. Translation makes the document readable for the CBP officer and the US buyer; which document will be asked for, however, and which tariff will apply is a matter for the customs broker and the importer to judge. That the description of the goods on the invoice does not contradict the description on the origin document is the proof that the consignment is one and the same.

A US customs entry involves no “preferential origin” box of the kind found in EU files, since there is no preference agreement to apply. The importer instead makes the entry on the basis of the invoice and, where there is one, the origin document, and for certain products additional papers required by other federal agencies (the relevant regulators for food, medicines or agricultural products, for example) may come into play; these too are submitted in English. If the translation covers those additional documents, the description of the goods, the quantities and the party details are kept consistent with the invoice. A Turkish exporter who tries to use one and the same file for both Germany and the USA runs the risk of confusing the documents of two systems, which is why a US file is built separately from the outset. In practice the most workable approach is to settle at the start of the transaction, with the customs broker and the US importer, which documents will be translated into English, and to keep the tariff heading and the value data identical across every document; a correction made later can mean goods waiting at customs and additional cost.

• Do not put an A.TR or a EUR.1/EUR-MED in a US file; they have no effect.
• Translate the invoice into English in full; preserve the abbreviations and the tariff code.
• Carry the name of the origin document and its chamber endorsement across unchanged.

Certification: a signed certificate of accuracy

The USA has no sworn translator regime; the translation of a foreign document is usually accompanied by a signed certificate of accuracy, and some procedures ask for that statement to be signed before a notary public. By their nature commercial documents may follow the route of chamber endorsement and, where needed, consular legalisation rather than apostille; although the USA is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, whether an apostille applies to a commercial document depends on the nature of the document, and you should confirm the current position from the official HCCH list. You can run your export file through our single office in Ankara Kızılay, see the cost on our pricing page and upload your document to request a quote. This page is for general information only; confirm US customs rules with your customs broker and with CBP.