Certificate of Origin

Draft USMCA/NAFTA Certificates of Origin in Minutes

10 minutes with Para

Explore this workflow

Get started with Para

Para is an AI colleague for legal teams. Send it this work by email, Teams or Slack, and it hands back the finished document.

10 minutes with Para

What you'll need

Commercial Invoices & Bills of Materials
Production Records
Party Information

Plans from $20 a month, with usage included.

Workflow

Overview

CaseMark's Certificate of Origin skill automates the drafting of legally compliant USMCA and NAFTA Certificates of Origin for goods traded between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The AI analyzes your commercial invoices, production records, and party information to verify origin criteria, validate HS classifications, and generate complete certification documents ready for customs submission.

Preparing Certificates of Origin for preferential tariff treatment requires painstaking verification of origin criteria, HS classifications, regional value content calculations, and compliance with complex trade agreement provisions. A single error can result in denied duty preferences, customs penalties, or costly shipment delays—yet many trade professionals still draft these certificates manually using outdated templates.

CaseMark automates the entire Certificate of Origin drafting process by analyzing your commercial documents, production records, and party information against USMCA and NAFTA requirements. The AI determines the correct agreement, verifies origin criteria, cross-references HS classifications, and generates a complete, legally structured certificate with proper declarations and signature blocks.

How to hand this to Para

1. Send Para the files
Email them, drop them in a Teams or Slack message, or upload them.
2. Para runs the Certificate of Origin skill
It works from your files and checks its citations against the record.
3. The finished document comes back
Para returns it where you asked, usually as a DOCX, and offers the next step.

Example request · email, Teams or Slack

Para, run the Certificate of Origin skill for the Garcia matter. I've attached the Commercial Invoices & Bills of Materials, Production Records and Party Information. Send the finished draft back here as a DOCX.

What Para does

1. Upload commercial invoices, production records, and party information
2. AI analyzes goods, verifies HS classifications, and determines origin criteria
3. Review the drafted Certificate of Origin with compliance checks
4. Export the finalized certificate in your preferred format (DOCX, PDF)

What you get

Agreement Determination & Coverage Type
Party Information Summary
Goods Description with HS Classifications
Origin Criterion Analysis
Regional Value Content Assessment
Certificate of Origin with Legal Declarations & Signature Block

What it handles

Automatic USMCA vs. NAFTA agreement determination based on shipment date
Origin criterion analysis (A/B/C/D) with supporting justification
HS tariff classification verification and cross-referencing
Regional value content calculation and compliance checks
Complete certification statement with legal declarations and signature block
Support for single shipment and blanket certificates

Required documents

Commercial Invoices & Bills of Materials
Invoices and material lists for the goods being certified, including product descriptions, quantities, and values
.pdf, .docx, .xlsx
Production Records
Manufacturing records, material sourcing documentation, and supplier information establishing where and how goods were produced
.pdf, .docx, .xlsx
Party Information
Legal names, physical addresses, and tax ID or business registration numbers for the exporter, producer, and importer
.pdf, .docx, .txt

Supporting documents

Prior Origin Determinations
Any previous origin rulings, tariff determinations, or customs decisions related to the same or similar goods
.pdf, .docx
HS Classification Documentation
Existing tariff classification records or binding rulings specifying 6-, 8-, or 10-digit HS codes for the goods
.pdf, .docx, .xlsx

Why teams use it

Reduce certificate preparation time from hours of manual research and drafting to minutes of AI-assisted generation

Minimize costly errors in origin criterion determinations and HS classifications that can trigger customs audits or denied duty preferences

Ensure consistent compliance with USMCA and NAFTA certification requirements across all shipments

Streamline handling of complex scenarios including confidential producers, unknown importers, and blanket certifications

Questions

Does CaseMark determine whether USMCA or NAFTA applies?

Yes. CaseMark automatically identifies the correct agreement based on your shipment date—USMCA for shipments on or after July 1, 2020, and NAFTA for earlier shipments. This ensures your certificate references the proper legal framework.

Can I generate blanket certificates covering multiple shipments?

Absolutely. CaseMark supports both single-shipment and blanket certificates covering up to 12 months from the signature date, in accordance with USMCA Article 5.2. Simply indicate your preferred coverage type when uploading your documents.

How does the AI determine the correct origin criterion?

CaseMark analyzes your production records, material sourcing, and HS classifications to determine whether goods qualify under Criterion A (wholly obtained), B (produced exclusively from originating materials), C (tariff shift and/or regional value content), or D (other qualifying provisions).

Does CaseMark verify HS tariff classifications?

Yes. CaseMark cross-references your HS codes against the goods descriptions and technical specifications you provide, flagging potential mismatches or classifications that may not support your preferential tariff claim.

What if the producer information is confidential?

CaseMark handles confidential producer scenarios per USMCA Article 5.2, noting that producer details are 'Available to Customs upon request' while alerting you to potential verification risks associated with this approach.

Is the generated certificate legally compliant?

CaseMark drafts certificates following the official USMCA and NAFTA certification requirements, including all required data elements and legal declarations. However, you should always review the output with your trade compliance team before submission to customs authorities.