Zhejiang Daily: Ningbo Launches First Bank-Based Self-Service Hubs for Certificate of Origin Printing

Zhejiang Daily - By ReporterLi Hua and CorrespondentsChen Yan & Lin Miao

“Printing a Customs-issued Certificate of Origin right at the bank branch downstairs is a real game-changer!” exclaimed Yang Cui, a representative at Ningbo Shunway Electrical Appliances Co., Ltd., after successfully printing a Certificate of Origin Form for Korea-China FTA for a shipment of the company’s export garment steamers. Using a dedicated self-service terminal for the Certificate of Origin printing service at the head office business department of Bankof Ningbo, she accessed the China International Trade Single Window and completed the process smoothly.

This document represents the first Customs-issuedCertificate of Origin printed via a self-service terminal at a bank branch in Ningbo, marking the formal launch of Ningbo Customs' innovative "Customs-Bank Collaboration" model, a significant move to extend the reach of certification services directly to exporters' doorsteps.

A Certificate of Origin is a statutory document that serves as legal proof of a commodity's place of origin. As the core credential for exported goods to claim tariff preferences in importing countries or regions, it plays a pivotal role in reducing business costs and expanding into international markets. It is thus acclaimed as both a "passport" and "paper gold" in international trade. Before this initiative, small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMEs), typically without dedicated resources, were often stuck between the high expense of self-printing and the logistical challenge of traveling to Customs offices to complete the procedure.

To tackle this challenge, Ningbo Customs joined forces with Bank of Ningboto create a new service network. By capitalizing on the bank's extensive and densely distributed branch network, the partners have deployed the first batch of 19 self-service printing pointsfor Certificate of Originwithin the bank's outlets. This deployment marks another practical step by Ningbo Customs in enhancing its "full-process online, zero in-person interaction" service model, building upon the earlier integration of this service into the "Ningbo Affairs" government self-service terminals.

October 14, 2025 | Zhejiang Daily (Source: Tariff Department and Haishu Customs of Ningbo Customs)