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Legal Instrument

Title

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP)

Dates of the instrument
Signature: 15 November 2020
Entry into force*: 01 January 2022
Summary

The objective of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement is to establish comprehensive economic partnership agreement establishing modern trade rules among Asia-Pacific nations.

Specific paperless trade provisions include:

  • Implementation requirements for paperless trading (Article 12.5)
  • Legal equivalence of electronic trade administration documents (Article 12.6)
  • Framework for electronic authentication and e-signatures (Article 12.6)
  • Electronic submission of customs documentation
  • Digital certificates of origin
  • Electronic SPS certificates
  • Cross-border data flows facilitation
  • Standards for electronic systems interoperability

Geographical coverage : Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

Website(s)
RCEP Agreement Summary
Relevant document(s)
--
Geographical coverage
Regional: Asia and the Pacific
Legal nature
Regional Trade Agreements
Trade processes
Commercial Processes
Transport Processes
Border and Regulatory Processes
Financial Processes
Trade documents
Commercial Invoice (INV)
Packing List (PL)
Bill of Lading (BoL)
Dangerous Goods Declaration (DGD)
Export/Import License for agricultural products (EIL)
Preferential Certificate of Origin (PCoO)
Customs Declaration (CD)
Phytosanitary certificate (ePhyto)
International Veterinary Certificates (WOAH)
Letter of Credit (LC)
Payment Confirmation (PC)
Contact point
RCEP Secretariat (ASEAN Secretariat)
public@asean.org
https://asean.org/
Contact point
* For a model law – entry into force of the law enacting a model law; for a treaty–entry into force

Last Update: 10 February 2025

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