Arab Certificates of Origin

An Arab Certificate of Origin is issued for goods that are being sold and permanently exported to Arab League countries, as per table below. We can also process any other commercial document required for international trade, either alongside the Certificate of Origin or as a separate document.

Algeria	Bahrain	Djibouti	Iraq	Jordan
Kuwait	Lebanon	Libya	Mauritania	Morocco
Oman	Qatar	Saudi Arabia	Somalia	Sudan
Syria	Tunisia	UAE	Yemen

What documents do we process?

Arab Certificates of Origin
Invoices and Packing Lists
Hajj and Umrah documents (certification only)
Any other commercial or legal documents required for international trade such as: Power of Attorney, Distributor Agreement, Health Certificate, Certificate of Free Sale, Trademark Certificate, Commercial Contract, Article of Association, Certificate of Incorporation etc. Please note that any such will only be certified or legalized if they show country of destination, either within the body of the text or handwritten on the reverse of the document “for use in <insert country of destination>” (in pen).

Are there any specific requirements for commercial documentation?

Please note that we can only certify or legalize original documents
Copies of commercial or legal documents can also be processed, provided that they have been certified as “true copy of the original document” by a Notary Public, Solicitor or an Authorized Signatory of the company (whose signature is on the Formal Undertaking)
Certain embassies may require documents to be apostilled at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office prior to legalization (usually Contracts, Distributor Agreements and POAs). Iraqi embassy requires all documents to be apostilled by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Libyan Embassy requires that all processed documents are translated into Arabic
Documents produced in British Virgin Islands, Cayman island, Jersey or Guernsey will need to be apostilled by the BVI / Cayman Island Governor or Guernsey / Jersey Bailiwick first and then by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London before being submitted to LCCI for further processing
Any documents produced in a language other than English will need to be accompanied by a translation.

Please consult the Embassy Charges Matrix for a list of requirements for each country

What processing options may be required?

Certification: documents (submitted by 11am) are processed by LCCI on the same day and forwarded to the Arab Chamber for certification. Any such documents are usually returned to the LCCI by 3.30pm on the following working day. Please note that Barking and Hounslow documents take an additional day to process.
Legalization: once the documents have been certified by LCCI and Arab Chamber, they can be taken to the embassy for legalization. Please note that legalization is mandatory for Kuwait, Qatar and UAE.

Express: LCCI will process the document while you wait. You can then take the document to the Arab Chamber in person where it is certified immediately and then proceed to the relevant Embassy for legalization (if required). Please note that the express service is NOT available for Kuwait, Qatar and UAE (documents for these countries must be left with the LCCI and we will organize legalization).

Notarisation by Notary Public
Foreign and Commonwealth Office apostille

What documents do I need to supply as a backup for Certificate of Origin applications?

Commercial Invoice and packing list
If the goods are of foreign origin, we will also require commercial documentary proof such as a copy of the Certificate of Origin provided by the manufacturer, a Manufacturer’s Commercial Invoice or a Suppliers Declaration.

Processing of multiple copies of the (same) invoice: multiple instances of the same invoice can be certified or legalized, however, you must specify how these should be processed by us:

Process the set as one original invoice and the remaining invoices as copies
Process all invoices as originals (in this case all invoices must be stamped with “Original” stamp before being submitted to LCCI for processing).

If applying manually (counter or post), we will require cover letter specifying what needs to be done, payment (if applicable) and contact details in case of a query.

Do I have to provide extra copies of the document for processing?

Certification (London Chamber and Arab Chamber stamping)

Certificate of Origin – 1 copy
Invoice – 2 copies
Any other documents – 2 copies

Legalisation (London Chamber, Arab Chamber and Arab League Embassy)

Certificate of Origin – 1 copy
Invoice – 4 copies
Any other documents – 4 copies

Please note that we are unable to make any photocopies for the customers.

How do I apply for an Arab Certificate of Origin and other commercial documents?

Complete a Formal Undertaking. Once this has been emailed to LCCI, you will be set up with an online certification system account. This document will need to be renewed every 12 months.

Apply electronically (this option is applicable to Certificates of Origin and Invoices only):

Existing and new customers can log in via: www.tradecert.com/london Please note that the Arab option is available to charge account holders only.

Such an account is initiated by you depositing a set amount, representing your average monthly documentation usage, with us before commencing trading under this method. The Chamber will hold the deposit as security and the invoices issued must be settled by your company within 30 days of receipt. You can at any time request, in writing, a refund of this deposit but we reserve the right to deduct money owed to us from the deposit before it is returned.

Should you wish to set up a charge account, email us on edocuments@londonchamber.co.uk indicating the number of documents that will be processed in a month, type of documents and countries that you will export to.

Apply in person, by courier or post. Any commercial or legal documents must be submitted manually as original documents are required.

Purchase a blank Arab Certificate of Origin from one of our issuing offices (by sending cheque payable to LCCI, or over the counter)
Read our Guidance Notes and Frequently Asked Questions for instructions on how to complete the Certificate of Origin application
Complete the Certificate using the excel template
Post completed documents, payment (cheque made payable to LCCI or cash) and processing instructions to our issuing offices or apply over the counter.

Handwritten documents are not allowed.

What document handling options are available?

Post – Arab documents are returned by 1^st class registered post. It is, however, strongly advised that the applicant uses the Special Post service as we cannot take responsibility for any items lost in the postal system. The cost of this service is currently £6.45 per batch
Courier – courier collection will need to be organised by the applicant. The courier must quote the applicant’s company name as a reference when collecting documents
In person – applicant’s company name must be quoted as a reference when collecting documents.