Korea Export Declaration Certificate: Where Is It Used?

The export declaration certificate (수출신고필증, often called the export licence) is the record that Korean customs has accepted your export declaration, and you print it from UNI-PASS. After that it serves as proof of export for duty drawback, FTA certificate-of-origin applications and export performance certificates. Timing, the 30-day loading deadline after acceptance, extensions and fines are covered in Korea Export Declaration: What If You Miss 30 Days?; this guide focuses on the certificate itself.

Key takeaways

• Once an export declaration under Customs Act Article 241 is accepted, you print the certificate from the UNI-PASS customs forms menu. If a broker filed it, the broker must register you as the owner first.
• The certificate shows the declaration number, exporter and manufacturer, 10-digit HS code, FOB declared value, drawback applicant and loading deadline, among other fields.
• It links to duty drawback, certificates of origin and export performance proof, and must be kept for three years from acceptance (Enforcement Decree Art. 3).

What is the export declaration certificate?

It is the document showing that customs has accepted an export declaration made under Customs Act Article 241. The form-completion guide in the KCS notice on export and return clearance splits the same declaration into a “declaration (retained copy)” and the “export declaration certificate” issued to the declarant. In Korean practice it is often called 수출면장, the export licence.

The declaration is filed before loading, and the goods must be loaded within 30 days of acceptance (Customs Act Art. 251). Some sources describe this as “filing within 30 days before loading”, but the 30 days is the loading obligation that starts at acceptance, not a filing window.

When and how do you get the certificate?

Once the declaration clears risk selection and is accepted automatically, or after document review or inspection, the certificate can be printed. You print it from the UNI-PASS screen e-Declaration > Customs forms output > Import/Export declaration certificate. If a customs broker filed for you, the broker must register you as the owner before you can print it yourself.

The KCS UNI-PASS FAQ explains that under electronic issuance only owners registered by the filing broker can print certificates. The owner needs a UNI-PASS business account with the customs clearance code (통관고유부호) set up. If the certificate does not appear, the first five characters of the declaration number identify the declarant (broker), so you can contact them to register you.

Which fields on the certificate should you check?

Start with the declaration number, the exporter, manufacturer and buyer, the HS code and description, the declared value, the payment amount and Incoterm, the drawback applicant and the loading deadline. If any of these differ from your invoice, drawback or origin papers, a correction will be needed later. The meanings below follow the KCS form-completion guide.

Field	Meaning in the guide	Linked to
Declaration number	5-character declarant code + 2-digit year + 7-character serial (the last character marks an export filing; see the official form guide for the exact format)	UNI-PASS lookups, drawback and origin
Exporter type and manufacturer	Agent export, finished-goods supply, manufacturer clearance code	Who can claim drawback
HS code	10-digit tariff number	Drawback, origin
Declared value	FOB value in Korean won	Export performance, statistics
Payment amount and terms	Incoterms 2020 code and actual amount	Match with invoice and payment
Drawback applicant	1: export agent or owner, 2: manufacturer	Duty drawback
FTA certificate of origin	Whether one is (to be) issued and under which agreement	Certificate of origin
Loading deadline and acceptance date	Filled in automatically by the system	Loading deadline

The guide’s sample number is “12345-04-000123X”. Rather than calling it a 14-digit number, read it as a five-character declarant code, a two-digit year and a seven-character yearly serial managed by the declarant. With this number you can check shipment details in UNI-PASS under export fulfilment history (Information > Customs information > Export).

Where is the certificate used?

The main uses are duty drawback, applications for an authority-issued FTA certificate of origin, and export performance certificates. Many agencies now confirm the export electronically, so a paper copy is often not needed. Either way, the certificate’s data is the reference the other documents must match.

• Duty drawback: the drawback applicant on the certificate must match whoever claims. See Korea Export Duty Drawback: How Long Do You Have to Claim?.
• FTA certificate of origin: the KCS FTA portal lists a copy of the export declaration certificate as a required document for authority issuance, which can be omitted if the issuer can verify the export electronically (FTA Customs Act Enforcement Rule Art. 10). See How to Issue a Certificate of Origin.
• Export performance: for ordinary exports, export performance is confirmed and certified by the Korea International Trade Association (Foreign Trade Management Regulation Art. 28). Easylaw lists uses such as trade-finance limits, applications to government and trade-support programmes (including those of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups) and VAT or customs filings.
• Zero-rate VAT: your zero-rate VAT documents for direct exports must agree with the export declaration. See Korea export zero-rate VAT: what documents do you need?.

There is also a retention duty. Customs Act Article 12 requires declarants to keep supporting records, including declaration certificates, and Enforcement Decree Article 3 sets three years from acceptance for export declaration certificates. Failing to keep certificates is subject to a fine of up to KRW 1 million (Art. 277(7)(2)).

How do you get an English export declaration certificate?

The English version is not produced automatically; you apply for it separately in UNI-PASS. You enter the required fields in English and send them to customs, and once customs approves and you pay the issued bill, you can print it. Check the fee on the bill shown in the application screen.

Points from the KCS UNI-PASS FAQ (2023):

• You need a business account with a registered certificate; general (individual) users cannot issue English certificates.
• You choose how to submit: the customs office of clearance, another specific office, or on paper.
• You must print within three days of paying; after that, delete the request and apply again.
• English certificates cannot be edited; if something is wrong, delete and reapply.

What mistakes do exporters make with the certificate?

Common errors are the wrong drawback applicant, a description or value that does not match the invoice, and a misclassified 10-digit HS code. Owners also often cannot print the certificate because the broker never registered them. Wrong data can lead to amendment requests or inspections.

• Naming the export owner as drawback applicant when the manufacturer is meant to claim
• Not reconciling the FOB declared value with the invoice amount and Incoterm
• Settling the HS code loosely at six digits, which undermines drawback and origin decisions (What Is an HS Code?)
• Descriptions or quantities that differ from the commercial invoice and packing list
• Leaving certificates in an inbox with no system for the three-year retention

FAQ

Do you get the certificate before shipment?

It can be printed as soon as the declaration is accepted, so you normally have it before loading. For the 30-day loading deadline after acceptance, see the loading deadline guide.

My broker filed the declaration, but UNI-PASS shows no certificate. Why?

Under electronic issuance the broker must register you as the owner before you can print it. Use the five-character declarant code at the start of the number to identify the broker and ask them to register you.

How long must you keep the export declaration certificate?

Three years from the acceptance of the declaration under Enforcement Decree Article 3. Import declaration certificates have a different period (five years), so keep the two apart.

Can some goods skip the declaration or use a simplified one?

Customs Act Article 241(2) allows the declaration to be omitted or simplified for items such as hand-carried, consigned or separately shipped goods, postal items and certain duty-exempt goods. Check KCS guidance for the exact scope and thresholds.

Sources

• Customs Act Art. 241 (Korean Law Information Center, Korean)
• Customs Act Art. 12 (record keeping)
• Enforcement Decree of the Customs Act Art. 3
• Customs Act Art. 277 (fines)
• KCS export clearance notice, Annex 1: export declaration form guide (Korean)
• Korea Customs Service, export clearance (Korean)
• KCS UNI-PASS user FAQ, Nov 2023 (Korean)
• KCS customer centre FAQ, checking export shipment status (Korean)
• KCS FTA portal, preparing an FTA certificate of origin (Korean)
• Easylaw, export performance management (Korean)
• UNI-PASS