São Paulo – The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce brings an innovation to Brazilian exporters and Arab importers with regard to certification of documents. Starting this month it is already possible to accompany on the Internet all stages of certification necessary for exports to the Arab world. "On delivering the documents, the receipt includes a login (the company registration number) and a password (that may be modified). This should allow exporters to track all stages of the process," said the supervisor of the Certification department at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Simone Cássia Rojas.
In the period, the client may check on the Internet the status of the process, from delivery, analysis, signing and availability for collection (which may only take place after payment). "This should greatly simplify the process for clients, granting feedback to forwarders, for example," said Simone. The Arab Brazilian Chamber receives between 60 and 100 processes a day and issues around 3,500 certificates of origin a month.
According to the supervisor, before online tracking, it was only possible to accompany the process by telephoning the department. With a few days in operation, Simone guarantees that the quality of the service has improved and the quantity of telephone calls to check the stage of the process has reduced.
"Traceability is not only for exporters, but for importers too, who can check the authenticity of the product," said the supervisor. In the case of the importer, the documents include a label with a security key that allows them to access the network.
Since August 1st, the Arab Brazilian Chamber has also simplified for exporters the form of payment for the certification fee. What could only previously be paid at the organisation’s offices, through the issuing of a receipt, can now be replaced for an electronic bank bill. With this, exporters or their legal representatives may receive the bill on their personal e-mails, which they themselves informed. According to Simone, this new procedure also makes it possible for the company to pay the bill on the Internet, avoiding the need to go to the bank or to the Arab Brazilian Chamber offices. The authenticated bill also serves as proof of payment, eliminating the need for issuing a receipt.
A third procedure for simplification of the certification process is the Online Form of Origin. "In the past, it was necessary to come and collect the form at the Chamber offices, or to ask us to send it by post," said Simone. This form, which is the certificate of origin, is a compulsory document that attests the origin of the product. The document is approved by the General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Arab Countries and should be filled out in English.
Certification
According to Simone, certification of documents for export represents a guarantee to Arab importers and Brazilian exporters. Apart from that, the Arab Brazilian Chamber analyses the documents in detail with the objective of complying with the norms of origin and demands of Arab importers. The Arab embassies in Brasília only legalize export documents certified by the Arab Brazilian Chamber.
Further information
Certification Department
Tel.: (+55 11) 3283-4066
Link to the form of origin: http://www.ccab.org.br/site/download/certificate_origin.pdf
*Translated by Mark Ament
