On June 11, 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Trade issues the Circular No. 02/2021/TT-BCT regarding rules of origin of goods in UKVFTA.

According to this Circular, in order to be entitled to tariff incentives under UKVFTA, proofs of origin must be submitted to Vietnam's customs authorities within 02 years before importation.

Customs authorities can require non-English proofs of origin to be translated into Vietnamese.

In addition, regulations on the validity period of a proof of origin in UKVFTA are as follows:

- Each proof of origin has the validity period of 12 months from the date of issuance at the importing member state and must be submitted to the customs authority of the importing member state within the validity period.

- A proof of origin submitted to the customs authority of the importing member state after the validity period prescribed in clause 1 of Article 26 in the Circular No. 02/2021 may be approved for entitlement to tariff incentives in UKVFTA if:

The importer is unable to submit that proof of origin within the validity period due to force majeure or other justifiable cause existing beyond the control of the importer.

- In case of late submission, the customs authority of the importing member state may accept the proof of origin for goods imported within the validity period stipulated in clause 1 of Article 26 in the Circular No. 02/2021.

Circular No. 02/2021/TT-BTC is entering into force as of June 27, 2021.