AsemconnectVietnam - The Ministry of Industry and Trade's issuance of Circular No. 40/2025/TT-BCT paves the way for strong decentralization in C/O issuance, helping export enterprises save time, reduce costs and increase the ability to take advantage of incentives from FTAs.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade officially issued Circular No. 40/2025/TT-BCT regulating the issuance of Certificates of Origin of goods and written approval for traders to self-certify the origin of exported goods.
The Circular takes effect from July 1, 2025, and is a step to specify the regulations on decentralization and delegation in the field of industry and trade according to Decree No. 146/2025/ND-CP of the Government.
The most prominent point of Circular 40 is the clear establishment of two groups of entities with the authority to issue C/O and documents approving self-certification of origin.
Accordingly, the Import-Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade continues to be the presiding agency, while expanding the authority to organizations assigned by the People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities.
This strong decentralization aims to ensure consistency and comprehensiveness in state management of goods origin, while being consistent with the policies of the Law on Government Organization and the Law on Organization of Local Governments. In particular, the implementation of C/O issuance and approval documents must be carried out without disrupting international treaties or agreements to which Vietnam is a member.
To be assigned this important task, agencies and organizations need to meet strict conditions. That is, ensuring a team of qualified human resources, trained and coached in-depth knowledge of goods origin, and having an account to collect fees for certification of goods origin.
An indispensable factor in the current digital transformation context is a stable digital infrastructure to deploy the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Electronic Certificate of Origin Management and Issuance System (eCoSys) at www.ecosys.gov.vn. This system plays a key role in smoothly implementing the process of fee collection, electronic C/O issuance and data transmission.
In addition, having a separate storage area and necessary equipment for records and documents is also a mandatory requirement. Meeting these conditions is done on the basis of self-assessment and reporting to superiors.
With the newly delegated role, the Provincial People's Committee has a great responsibility in organizing the implementation of C/O issuance and approval documents within 90 days from the effective date of the Circular. At the same time, localities also need to publicly announce state management information on goods origin, guide traders, as well as monitor and handle violations during the implementation process.
Organizations assigned by the provincial People's Committees must also maintain the prescribed conditions, properly implement the C/O issuance process and procedures, ensure the principles of publicity, transparency and facilitation for businesses. These organizations also need to monitor, guide traders, verify issued C/Os and periodically report on the C/O issuance and fee collection situation.
On the part of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Import-Export Department will take the lead role in synthesizing the situation, developing training programs, and periodically or suddenly inspecting the C/O issuing agencies. Meanwhile, the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy is responsible for managing the technical infrastructure of the eCoSys System, ensuring data connection with the National Single Window Portal, creating accounts and granting codes to competent units.
Circular No. 40/2025/TT-BCT is not only a new legal regulation but also an important step towards administrative reform, process transparency and the application of digital technology in the management of goods origin. This promises to bring many advantages to the Vietnamese export business community, helping them improve their competitiveness and integrate more deeply into the global economy.
CK
Source: VITIC/ haiquanonline.com.vn