C4T and DigiChambers share the belief that a digital-first approach isn’t just the future—it’s already upon us. That’s why we partnered to implement the first API-driven Certificates of Origin, a key component of the CAS Origin Management Module.
More than 10 years ago, the Belgian Chambers of Commerce worked together with a major sports retailer to pioneer the digital issuance of Certificates of Origin (CoO) via FTP using a platform called DigiChambers. While this was innovative when it was launched, the FTP integration is not fully interactive and is no longer the most advanced way of integrating systems. In an effort to go to any lengths to improve their service to exporters, the Belgian Chambers of Commerce undertook the initiative to further develop DigiChambers. Backed by the Federal Public Service Economy in a commitment to support the competitiveness of Belgian companies in international trade, DigiChambers developed an API that provides one of the fastest, most efficient ways to obtain a CoO. Today, more than 95% of the CoOs issued by the Belgian Chambers are issued through DigiChambers, displaying the ICC quality label for CoOs.
Already in the process of developing the CAS Origin Management Module, C4T became the first company to integrate with DigiChambers via their API, incorporating the issuance of CoOs into the greater customs automation offering available through our customs management solution, CAS. More than 95% of the CoOs issued by the Belgian Chambers are issued through DigiChambers. Now, with CAS, CoO requests are integrated with your declarations filing, providing significant time savings. In fact, the same sports retailer that partnered with DigiChambers to pioneer CoOs via FTP is now a CAS customer, taking advantage of the API integration to generate their CoOs directly from CAS.
“C4T’s technologists used our API to integrate the generation of electronic CoOs into their digital customs management solution, CAS, with very little support needed from our developers. This combined effort is a testament to how the Belgian Chambers are supporting businesses with state-of-the-art technology.” - Christophe Coulie, Legal Affairs Manager, Belgian Chambers of Commerce
Within CAS, users can trigger the generation of a CoO directly from the Declarations Module. This can be configured to occur automatically for certain flows, providing the necessary non-preferential origin certificates via CAS’s integration with DigiChambers without the need to manually enter information for every CoO request. The CoO is simply triggered by the export declaration and created within the Origin Management module, then submitted to DigiChambers via API for approval. The approved CoO is then attached to the declaration, providing proof of non-preferential origin of the goods to the customs authority of the importing country.
The Origin Management Module assists C4T’s customers with both preferential and non-preferential origin management, and as the first software provider to integrate with DigiChambers via API, we are once again able to offer a digital solution that simplifies and accelerates the customs process.
If you are interested in streamlining your customs declarations, contact us today. We’ll be happy to walk you through a demonstration of how CAS can save you time and money.
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