1. The application types that get refused
Applications fail for identifiable reasons, and most of them are procedural.
2. Incomplete supporting documents
CCPIT requires supporting documentation for the certification requested.
For an invoice certification, the contract or purchase order and the packing list.
For a business licence, the current licence.
For a contract, the executed contract with both signatures.
Where the supporting documents are incomplete, the application waits.
3. Company record mismatch
The company name, registration number or legal representative presented does not match CCPIT’s record.
This happens after a company change, such as a name change or an address change, where the record has not been updated.
4. The document is not certifiable
Some documents cannot be certified.
A document that is not the applicant’s own.
A document whose content CCPIT cannot verify.
A document that is incomplete on its face.
5. Inconsistent content across documents
The invoice describes goods differently from the certificate of origin.
The contract’s parties differ from the invoice’s.
The value differs across documents.
CCPIT’s review catches these, and the application returns for correction.
6. The wrong certification type
The applicant asks for the wrong document.
Requesting a certificate of origin for a purpose the commercial certificate serves, or vice versa.
Requesting a commercial certificate where the destination requires notarization, in which case CCPIT cannot help.
7. Language and translation problems
A document presented only in Chinese where the purpose requires English.
An English translation whose company name differs from the registered name.
Prices or quantities differing between the Chinese and English versions.
8. Signature and stamp problems
The document is not signed.
The stamp is the wrong one, or illegible.
The signatory is not authorised, where the certification requires authority to be established.
9. Timing pressure
The application is submitted too late for the purpose it was intended for.
CCPIT’s processing time is one to three working days, but the review is not expedited for urgency. Where a deadline is short, the application should have been filed earlier.
10. Prevention
Four checks before filing.
Supporting documents complete.
Company record current with CCPIT.
Document consistent with the other documents in the transaction.
Certification type correct for the receiving body’s requirement.
The fourth is where the most consequential failures occur, because a correct application of the wrong type produces a valid certificate that does not serve the purpose.
11. Closing view
CCPIT refusals are almost always about preparation rather than judgement.
The document set has to be internally consistent before it is filed, and the certification type has to be right before it is chosen.
*This article is based on the commercial certification services provided by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. Exporters should confirm requirements with their local CCPIT office.*