COC (certificate of conformity) product conformity certificate. In order to ensure the quality of imported products, prevent unsafe and inferior products from entering the country and endangering national health and safety, and take into account environmental protection, some countries require exporters/importers to entrust third-party inspection and certification institutions to test and inspect products before shipment, and issue product conformity certificates (COC certificates) to products that meet the requirements of the importing country, so that the goods can be cleared smoothly in the importing country, otherwise they will not be imported. If the COC certificates are not provided as required, the goods will face high fines at the destination port.

2. COC certificate

COC certificate is a requirement of many countries. For the goods exported to Saudi Arabia, Iran and other Middle Eastern regions, the customs of the importing country need the importer to provide a COC,certificate of conformance) issued by a recognized international certification company. Among them, SASO stipulates that imported goods must have a COC customs clearance certificate.

the full name of COC certification is declaration of conformity. COC certificate is a necessary customs clearance certificate document for products exported to Middle East and African countries, which has different forms in different countries, among which Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in East Africa are all called PVOC certification, so COC certification in Kenya is equal to PVOC certification in Kenya.

the products in the p>PVOC catalogue must obtain a COC before shipment, and provide it to Kenya Customs upon arrival, otherwise they will not be able to enter the country. As an exception, KEBS can accept the importer's application and conduct inspection at the port of arrival in Kenya, but the importer will bear a fine of 15% of the CIF goods value, a deposit of 15% and inspection and testing fees.

2. How to obtain CoC certificate

Method A: Product testing and inspection Each batch of export goods must be tested by product sampling or provide an approved laboratory test report or certificate before shipment. The test report must be issued by a third-party laboratory and tested by African standards or international standards, and the date of issuance is within one year, and the inspection before shipment;

mode b: product registration, frequent export of similar products with stable quality can be registered, and the registration certificate is valid for one year, and each batch of mandatory tests can be exempted from shipment, only pre-shipment inspection is required.

mode c: issue product licenses, and manufacturers who meet the requirements for a long time can apply for product licenses for frequently exported products that have been registered. We will test your products to assess whether they meet Kenyan standards, and at the same time, we will conduct on-site review of the production enterprises and issue licenses after passing.

III. COC certification process

A. Exporters submit an application form for certification (RFC)

b.COC National Office reviews the application form/certification documents

c.COC National Office appoints designated inspectors to carry out on-site inspection

D. Carry out bulk sampling test

e.COC National Office issues a certificate of conformity (CoC)

. Materials to be prepared for COC certification in Kenya:

1. packing list: Packing List

2. proforma invoice: Proforma Invoice

3.IDF: import license, which shall be handled by the importer in the importing country, and provided to the exporter for PVOC

4. Product test report: there is no need to repeat the test if there is a test report, except for sampling test. Most products can accept ISO＋+internal test report

5.PVOC application form: blank application form is provided by the handling institution

coc certification

6. COC certification precautions:

1. Application form, packing list and invoice information need to be stamped;

2. Validation period of test report:

(1) Recent test reports are required for disposable medical products, dry batteries, stationery, cosmetics, disposable sanitary products, fertilizers, textiles, tiles and PVC floors (within 3 months), and the validity period of test reports for other products can be extended to one year;

(2) Electrical products need to provide CE certificates or safety performance test reports;

(3) products belonging to the legal inspection category need to provide copies of replacement vouchers or release documents issued by CIQ, test reports, health certificates and other materials; (Note that the shelf life after arrival in Hong Kong must be within 75%. If the goods cannot be provided, sampling test shall be arranged, and the expenses shall be borne by the applicant)

3. If the goods are packaged with wood and plant materials, please provide the fumigation certificate or visible fumigation mark of the official or its recognized institution.

export to Kenya requires COC certificate, which is used for customs clearance at the destination port. COC can only be issued by an authorized third party, and CCPIT is not qualified to issue COC certificates in Kenya. If you apply for COC, please submit application forms, box invoices, IDF and other materials before delivery, and the documents will be approved for inspection, among which IDF will be handled by the importer in Kenya.

COC certification fee: testing fee, quoted according to specific products. Inspection fee, .5% of the value, 25USD lower, for reference only, depending on the product

COC certification period: depending on the product, it will take about 2 weeks.