India and Mercosur Sign Protocol to Enable Electronic Certificates of Origin

India and the five-nation Mercosur bloc formalised a protocol that recognises electronic Certificates of Origin as legally equivalent to traditional paper documents, a step announced after Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met Uruguay’s foreign minister Mario Lubetkin. In New Delhi, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal signed the pact with Uruguay’s ambassador Alberto Guani and Paraguay’s ambassador Fleming Raul Duarte Ramos.

The new provision amends the Rules of Origin section of the 2004 India-Mercosur preferential trade agreement, which covers roughly 450 Indian and 452 Mercosur tariff lines. Once each side completes its internal approvals, the digital system is expected to lower transaction costs, speed customs clearance and deepen trade ties. Bilateral trade between the parties reached $21.8 billion in 2025-26, and the move signals a broader push to modernise customs practices under the PTA.