Tools · preferential rules of origin

Zero duty, or the full rate plus a penalty.

A trade agreement only gives you preferential duty if the goods actually originate — and "originate" is a technical test, not where they were shipped from. This tool runs the three routes (wholly obtained, change of tariff heading, value-added) against five agreements and tells you which proof you'd have to hold. It stops short of certainty on purpose.

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5
Agreements
3
Qualifying routes
£0
To find out
PSR
Annex rule decides
The check · /api/origin

Three routes to originating status. Only one has to pass.

Wholly obtained — grown, mined or produced entirely in the country, no processing test needed. Change of tariff heading — the non-originating inputs entered under a different 4-digit HS heading than the finished good. Value-added — non-originating materials stay under a percentage of the ex-works price. Which of those counts is set per HS code by the agreement's Annex.

Sets the default value limit, the cumulation scope and the proof required.
The finished good. Don't know it? Classify it in the instant quote.
If yes, no processing test is needed and the other fields are ignored.
Compare the non-originating materials' HS heading with the finished good's.
Customs value of the imported inputs that don't already originate.
Price of the finished good at the factory gate — the value-rule denominator.
This is the field that matters. Look up your HS code in the agreement's Annex and set it — the verdict only becomes definitive here.
The maximum non-originating percentage your HS code's Annex rule allows. Blank uses the agreement's representative default.

Indicative · CTH and value-added are NOT interchangeable · confirm the Annex rule · not customs advice

The honest version

Why the verdict says "likely" and not "yes".

the cap

The Annex rule is per HS code

Every agreement carries a Product-Specific Rule table running to thousands of lines. Your code might demand CTH only, value only, or both. Without that rule confirmed, this tool assesses against a representative either-route assumption and caps the verdict at "likely". Confirm the Annex rule to make it definitive.

common error

CTH and value are not interchangeable

Passing the value test does not save you if your Annex rule is CTH-only, and vice versa. Treating them as substitutes is one of the most common ways a preference claim goes wrong.

the downside

A wrong claim costs more than the duty

Claim preference you aren't entitled to and you owe the full MFN duty retrospectively plus a penalty — and you're the one who has to hold the evidence if HMRC asks. "Probably fine" is not a records position.

your obligation

You must hold the proof

Whether it's a statement on origin, importer's knowledge or a certificate, the proof is a document you have to be able to produce. The tool names which one each agreement requires — it doesn't create it for you.

FAQ

The goods shipped from Germany. Doesn't that make them EU origin?
No. Where goods were shipped from has nothing to do with origin. Goods made in China, warehoused in Rotterdam and shipped to the UK are Chinese origin and pay the full MFN rate. Origin is about where the goods were produced or substantially transformed.
Where do I find the Product-Specific Rule for my code?
In the origin annex of the agreement itself — Annex 3 (Product-Specific Rules of Origin) for the UK–EU TCA, and the equivalent annex in each other agreement. Look up your 4- or 6-digit HS code, read the rule, then set it in the field above. That single lookup is what turns "likely" into a defensible position.
What is cumulation?
It lets materials from a partner country count as originating rather than as non-originating inputs. The tool shows which cumulation applies to the agreement you picked — bilateral for the TCA, full across all parties for CPTPP, regional where allowed under DCTS. It can turn a failing value calculation into a passing one, so it's worth checking before you give up on preference.
Is this customs advice?
No. It's a screening tool. The declarant stays accountable for the preference claim and for holding the proof. For a binding position, apply for an Advance Origin Ruling from HMRC or speak to your customs broker.
Indicative decision support, not customs advice. The declarant stays accountable for the preference claim.