What Is The History of
The Country of Origin
Labeling?
What Is Country of
Origin?
Significance of Country
of Origin in Import
TABLE OF CONTENT
Country of Origin
Labeling Requirements
How to Determine
Country of Origin?
Exceptions to Country
of Origin Marking
01 02 03
04 05 06

WHAT IS COUNTRY
OF ORIGIN?
According to Part 134.1 of the
Customs Regulations:
The term "country of origin" refers to
the nation from which any item coming
into the United States was made,
produced, or grown.

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
LABELING?

David Wengrow discovered
archeological proof of brands
referencing the country of
manufacturing from 4,000 years
ago
Brand names & place names
were quite prevalent on items
throughout the Han Dynasty
(220 BC-AD 200) in China

Amphorae used in trade in the
Mediterranean between 1500-500
BCE displayed various shapes &
markings
Country of origin labeling legislation
started in late 19th-century Europe

SIGNIFICANCE OF COUNTRY
OF ORIGIN IN IMPORT
Trade sanctions
Duty rates
The country of origin sets & control:
Import quotas
Preferential trade agreements

HOW TO DETERMINE
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN?
If any of the numerous free trade agreements
or duty preference schemes apply to the
imported consignment, the nation of origin is
specified in full.

The regulation enables
the import of eligible
items without having to
follow export
administration rules.
DE MINIMIS RULE
WHOLLY OBTAINED OR
WHOLLY PRODUCED
PRODUCT
A product won't be labeled
'Made in USA' unless it's
entirely produced using US-
origin materials & entirely
manufactured by US laborers.
The country of origin refers
to the most recent nation in
which the imported goods
experienced a significant
modification
SUBSTANTIAL
TRANSFORMATION
RULE

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELING
REQUIREMENTS
The words 'Made in' must be marked only when the name of a
location other than the country/locality where the article was
manufactured appears on the article
The words 'assembled in' can be used to identify the country of origin
of a product, where the country of origin refers to the country in which
the article was fully assembled

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELING
REQUIREMENTS (CONT.)
Permanent, legible, and precise markings are required. The font
should be legible, with all letters the same size
The markings should be placed in such a way that they can be seen
even when the article is handled casually

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELING
REQUIREMENTS (CONT.)
Any attachments or additions must not cover or conceal the
markings
Abbreviations and variant spellings that indicate a country's name are
acceptable. However, it is preferable to spell out a country's name
completely to avoid any confusion

EXCEPTIONS TO
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
MARKING
A consignment can be exempted from the
country of origin marking rules only if the
following conditions are met:

The article is unable to be marked
The item cannot be marked before it is shipped to the United States
without causing injury or damage to the item
The item cannot be labeled before it is transported to the US since doing
so could be expensive and might make importing it commercially
unviable
When the container containing the article reasonably indicates the
identity of the article

The article is a raw material
The item is being imported for the importer's personal use and is not
intended for sale in its imported or any other form
The importer must prepare the item in such a way that any markings are
permanently covered up or destroyed
Before being imported into the US, the piece was created more than 20
years ago

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