Regional Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP)

     This is because the Regional Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) is made up of member countries at different levels of development, and it is the first free trade agreement with some member states, such as China and Japan. As a result, member states might not be able to open their markets equally to other members, and as a result, the import of a similar product from one member nation might be treated differently from the import of a similar product from another member country in terms of benefits. 

     Therefore, the procedure for obtaining preferential treatment under the RECP requires the inspection of preferential goods by all 15 member countries of importation, with certain tax obligations imposed on them.

     The next step is to verify the origin of the goods according to the manufacturing process, i.e. all acquired or manufactured goods in the Member States (WO), goods that are obtained or manufactured wholly using materials of origin in the Contracting Parties under the Agreement (PE), or the Product Specific Rules (PSR).

     The criteria for considering the RCEP Country of Origin stipulate that 

     1. Goods must be goods of origin under the RCEP, either on a WO, PE, or PSR (CTC RVC CR) basis. They must not be less than 20% of their production value in the exporting country (Calculated in the same format as RVC, but counting only raw materials originating in Thailand, excluding raw materials originating from other member countries). If the proportion of production value is not less than 20%, the RCEP Country of Origin of the product is the exporting country. If less, specify RCEP Country of Origin.

      2. If the items meet the PE criteria, further thought must be given to whether the product has a production process that extends beyond the straightforward procedure (Minimal Operation). If it exceeds the Minimal Operation RCEP, the Country of Origin of the goods is the exporting country. If it is only Minimal Operation, specify the RCEP Country of Origin.

      3. If the RCEP Country of Origin of the exporting country cannot be used, the RCEP Country of Origin shall be the country with the highest proportion of raw materials originating in the production process.

     If conditional proof is not required, or cannot be proven, or does not wish to specify the country of origin of the goods, the exporter can choose to specify the maximum country of origin for which the importing country levies duty on the goods. 

     Upon fulfilling the specified conditions, a certificate of origin of the product will be issued in order to receive benefits according to the agreement.

Source: DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN TRADE
Tel: +66 2-528-7500-29