Free tool

FTA eligibility checker

Which trade agreement gives you a lower duty into your destination market? Enter origin, destination, and HS code to see the best preferential rate, the MFN baseline, and your savings per shipment.

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You checked one shipping route. XportStack checks every distributor you sell to. It shows the saving from each trade agreement. It reminds you when documents are about to expire.

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Built for F&B brand owners who quote international buyers.

F&B exporters need answers fast, before the quote goes out. The three questions that come up before every shipment:

Does an FTA cover my origin to my buyer's country, and what duty does my buyer actually pay?
If multiple FTAs apply (RCEP and a bilateral EPA), which one gives the lower rate?
How much margin am I leaving on the table if my buyer pays MFN instead of the preferential rate?

This tool answers those questions. It was built from eight years of running export quotes at Popsmalaya. That includes the year we shipped to Japan and Korea on MFN rates because no one on the team knew which FTA applied. After we mapped it out, the same container saved us 8 percent on duty. So we built the lookup we wished we had on day one.

890+ origin-destination pairs

Coverage across ATIGA, RCEP, CPTPP, USMCA, MAFTA, AANZFTA, MJEPA, ACFTA, AKFTA, AIFTA, EU bilaterals, and more. Every row cross-checked against the source treaty schedule. Updated when phase-in milestones move rates.

Preferential vs MFN, side by side

The checker shows the MFN baseline that applies if no Certificate of Origin is filed, then every applicable FTA with its preferential rate. As a result, you see exactly how much each agreement saves and which one is worth the CoO paperwork.

Multi-agreement comparison

Most exporter-importer pairs are covered by 2 to 4 agreements. For example, Malaysia to Japan has RCEP plus the bilateral MJEPA, and the rate under each can differ for the same HS code. The checker surfaces all of them so you can pick the lowest you can satisfy on Rules of Origin.

How to find the lowest duty rate in four steps

The four steps below mirror what the checker does behind the scenes. Once you run them once for a route, the answer holds until the product or the destination's FTA schedule changes.

1. Enter origin and destination
First, select where your goods are produced (origin) and where they are landing (destination). The checker queries every FTA covering that pair. Then it compares each one against the MFN baseline that would apply if no Certificate of Origin were filed.
2. Enter the HS code
Next, paste the 6-digit HS code for your product. If you don't have one yet, use the HS Code Lookup. Some FTAs have sensitive-list exclusions for specific HS chapters. The checker flags when an agreement excludes your product so you don't waste time getting a Certificate of Origin that customs will reject.
3. Review applicable agreements and pick the lowest
The checker lists every FTA covering your pair, the preferential rate under each, and the MFN baseline. For example, Malaysia to Japan is often covered by both RCEP and the bilateral MJEPA. So pick the lowest rate, but verify you can meet that agreement's Rules of Origin (typically a regional value content threshold or tariff-shift rule).
4. Obtain a Certificate of Origin to claim the rate
Finally, get the Certificate of Origin that the agreement requires. Most ASEAN countries issue it through a government trade ministry (Malaysia uses MITI via the ePCO system). Japan, New Zealand, and parts of Europe use authorised chambers of commerce. Modern FTAs like CPTPP, USMCA, and the EU REX system allow exporter self-certification on the commercial invoice. Without a valid CoO or self-certification, destination customs defaults to the MFN rate, often a 5 to 25 percent margin hit on the shipment.

Pair the FTA checker with the rest of the toolkit

The FTA rate is one input. The full picture also needs the HS code, the full landed cost, and how the cargo fits in the container.

HS Code Lookup

Find the right tariff classification for your product before checking the duty rate.

Duty Calculator

Add VAT/GST, freight, and broker fees to the duty rate to see the full landed cost.

Container Optimiser

See how many cartons fit per container and where to place dunnage and desiccants.

FTA eligibility: FAQ

The questions F&B exporters ask when choosing which agreement to claim.

What is an FTA (Free Trade Agreement)?

A Free Trade Agreement is a treaty between two or more countries that reduces or eliminates import duties on goods originating in member countries. FTAs come in three forms: bilateral (two countries, e.g. MAFTA between Malaysia and Australia), regional (a bloc, e.g. ATIGA covering all 10 ASEAN members), and mega-regional (multi-country, e.g. RCEP with 15 Asia-Pacific members, or CPTPP with 11 Pacific Rim members). For F&B exporters, FTAs typically eliminate duty on chapters 01-21 and most non-alcoholic beverages in chapter 22.

What are Rules of Origin?

Rules of Origin (RoO) are the criteria each FTA uses to determine whether a product is genuinely 'originating' in a member country and therefore qualifies for the preferential rate. Common rule types: wholly obtained (e.g. raw agricultural products grown in the origin country), regional value content (a minimum percentage of the product's value added in member countries, typically 35-50%), and tariff-shift (the HS code of the final product must differ from the HS codes of imported inputs). For F&B, RoO usually focus on the origin of key ingredients.

Can I use multiple FTAs for the same shipment?

No. For any single shipment, you elect one FTA and submit one Certificate of Origin. You cannot stack preferential rates from different agreements. However, you can choose which FTA to use shipment-by-shipment based on which gives the lowest duty AND which Rules of Origin you can satisfy. For example, Malaysia to Japan F&B exporters often choose between RCEP and the bilateral MJEPA depending on which has the lower rate for their specific HS code.

What's the difference between RCEP, CPTPP, and ASEAN AFTA?

ATIGA (the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement, sometimes called ASEAN AFTA) is the intra-ASEAN agreement covering BN, ID, KH, LA, MM, MY, PH, SG, TH, VN. It eliminated duty on most F&B by 2010-2015. RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) adds Australia, China, Japan, Korea, and NZ to the 10 ASEAN members for a 15-country bloc, effective 2022. CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership) links Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, NZ, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, with UK joining in 2024. CPTPP has stricter Rules of Origin but broader country coverage including the Americas.

How much can FTA preferential rates save per shipment?

It depends on the destination's MFN rate. For F&B, the savings range from 5% to 25% of CIF value, occasionally higher. Example: exporting confectionery (HS 1704) from Malaysia to China. MFN is 10%. ACFTA preferential rate is 0%. On a USD 50,000 shipment, that's USD 5,000 saved per container. Across a year of containers, the savings compound and frequently dwarf the cost of obtaining Certificates of Origin.

How this works

We pull every duty rate row in our dataset for the destination country and HS code. The row with no origin specifiedis the MFN (Most-Favoured-Nation) baseline that applies to any importer. Rows where the origin matches yours and there's a preferential rate are FTA agreements you qualify for. We pick the lowest preferential rate as your best option.

Multiple FTAs covering the same pair:common scenario. For example, Malaysia → Japan is covered by both RCEP and the bilateral Malaysia-Japan EPA (MJEPA). You can usually elect whichever gives you the lowest rate, provided you can satisfy that agreement's Rules of Origin (typically a regional value content threshold or tariff-shift rule).

What you need to claim a preferential rate:a Certificate of Origin from your origin country, documenting that your product meets the agreement's Rules of Origin. Issued by exporter self-certification (under some agreements like CPTPP) or by an authorised chamber of commerce.

Limits:the checker covers duty rates. It doesn't calculate full landed cost (which adds destination VAT/GST, freight, broker fees). For full landed cost, use the Duty Calculator.