Certificates of Origin in Zambia: Pay Less Duty Under AfCFTA

You have a buyer in Malawi, Kenya or further afield who likes your product but keeps asking about the duty they pay at their border. Often the answer is a single document: a certificate of origin. It proves your goods were made in Zambia, so your buyer can claim the lower duty rates that Zambia's trade agreements offer.

The timing matters. On 8 October 2026, Commerce, Trade and Industry Permanent Secretary Lillian Bwalya told the ZICA business conference in Livingstone that Zambia has negotiated market access under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) but has not yet fully turned it into exports. She urged businesses to make full use of these markets and to report non-tariff barriers so government can intervene. Here is how to make the paperwork work for you.

What a certificate of origin does

A certificate of origin travels with your shipment. Customs in the buyer's country checks it and, if your goods qualify, applies the preferential (lower or zero) duty instead of the full rate. Without it, your buyer pays the standard rate, even if your product would have qualified.

Zambia exporters can use three main regional arrangements:

• COMESA Free Trade Area - trade with fellow members such as Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Rwanda and Egypt.
• SADC Free Trade Area - trade with Southern African Development Community partners.
• AfCFTA - the continental agreement, which opens preferences with up to 33 African countries where Zambia had no earlier preferential deal, according to a July 2026 tralac guide for Zambia.

AfCFTA preferences can be used alongside the existing COMESA and SADC arrangements, so the right choice depends on your product and your buyer's country. Zambia's AfCFTA tariff schedule was gazetted through Statutory Instrument No. 92 of 30 December 2024.

Do your goods qualify? The rules of origin

Every agreement has rules of origin that decide whether a product counts as Zambian. In broad terms, your goods qualify if they are:

1. Wholly obtained in Zambia - for example crops grown here, live animals raised here or minerals extracted here.
2. Sufficiently processed in Zambia - if you use imported materials, your manufacturing must transform them enough.

How "enough" is measured depends on the agreement:

• COMESA (as summarised by the Zambia Development Agency): imported materials must not exceed 60% of the total cost of materials used, or value added must be at least 35%, or the product must change tariff heading. Some goods of particular economic importance qualify with at least 25% value added.
• SADC: qualification is based on sufficient working or processing, often product by product, as set out in the SADC Protocol on Trade.
• AfCFTA: the general value-added test is a minimum of 35% local content, alongside other tests such as change in tariff heading. Many products have their own specific rule, so check yours before you quote a price.

If your product is mostly imported content with little processing in Zambia, assume it does not qualify until the rule for its tariff code says otherwise.

How to get a certificate of origin

The process is manageable once you are set up:

1. Find your product's tariff code (HS code). Everything else - the rule of origin and the duty saving - hangs on this.
2. Register as an exporter with ZRA. Under SADC rules, the Zambia Revenue Authority is the competent authority for exporter registration. For AfCFTA, tralac's guide says you register with ZRA's Customs Services Division as an AfCFTA exporter.
3. Prepare your evidence. Manufacturers may be asked for production details, process descriptions, cost breakdowns and purchase invoices for materials - the information that proves origin.
4. Apply for the certificate for each shipment. Typical supporting documents are the invoice and packing list, plus a supplier's declaration if you are exporting goods someone else produced.
5. Send the certificate with your consignment and keep copies of everything, including your cost and supplier records.

Registration helps clearance but does not by itself guarantee the preferential rate - each shipment still has to meet the rules.

Small cross-border traders: the Simplified Trade Regime

If you trade small consignments with Zimbabwe or Malawi, the COMESA Simplified Trade Regime (STR) may suit you better. The Zambia Development Agency's guidance describes it for consignments of US$500 or less, using a simplified customs document without a clearing agent. Goods on the agreed common list displayed at the border can enter duty-free, with a simplified certificate of origin obtained at the border or at a Cross Border Traders Association office. Confirm the current value limit and product list before you travel.

Common mistakes that cost exporters money

• Wrong HS code. A misclassified product can fail the origin test or be denied the preference.
• Assuming "made in Zambia" is enough. It must meet the specific rule for that product under that agreement.
• Missing or late certificates. If the document does not arrive with the goods, your buyer may pay full duty.
• Inconsistent paperwork. Descriptions, quantities and values must match across invoice, packing list and certificate.
• Poor records. Keep cost and supplier records. ZRA has just reminded traders, after a multi-agency operation in early October, to keep valid customs documents at all times.

How Rayema Enterprise helps

Our clearing and forwarding service handles the export side end to end. We help you confirm the tariff code, check which agreement gives your buyer the best rate, prepare the bill of entry and certificate of origin documents, and coordinate freight across the border. If you also need equipment or materials brought in for production, we can clear those imports too.

Requirements and forms change, so confirm the current process and fees with our team before you ship. If a product is unlikely to qualify, we will tell you plainly.

Next step

Planning your first regional export, or not sure your goods qualify? Request a quote or WhatsApp us on +260 770 578 280 with your product and destination, and we will tell you which certificate you need and what it takes to get it.