Conformity and documentation
Certification that gets
the machine through customs
Why the certificate decides the schedule
Most of the markets we supply operate some form of pre-export verification of conformity. The principle is the same everywhere it exists: an inspection body appointed by the destination's standards authority examines the goods in the country of export, before they sail, and issues a certificate that the importer presents at clearance. Without it, a consignment of machinery can sit on the quay accruing demurrage while a certificate is applied for retrospectively — and in several of these countries a retrospective certificate is not accepted at all, which leaves re-export or destruction as the alternatives.
That is why we settle the conformity question at quotation rather than at packing. A tender schedule that does not say which scheme applies is a schedule with an unpriced risk in it, and the risk sits with whoever is clearing the goods.
The second thing worth knowing is that scope is set by tariff heading, not by what the machine is called. Several of these programmes cover only a scheduled list of products. A machine that sounds industrial may fall inside a schedule written for consumer goods, and a machine that sounds exotic may fall outside the schedule entirely. So the first question on an enquiry is the HS code, because it decides whether a certificate is needed before it decides anything else.
The schemes in our markets
All markets →| Market | Conformity regime | Procuring authority |
|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | CE / ISO 9001 as supplied | Sri Lanka Customs; CoO, packing list, pre-shipment inspection where required |
| Bangladesh | CE / ISO 9001 as supplied | NBR Bangladesh Customs; CoO, LC documents, PSI |
| Nepal | CE / ISO 9001 as supplied | Nepal Customs; CoO, transit declaration through India |
| Namibia | No pre-shipment programme; NSI compulsory standards by product | Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) |
| Ethiopia | ECAE pre-export verification, closed HS list | Public Procurement and Property Authority (PPPA); egp.ppa.gov.et |
| Uganda | PVoC pre-export CoC, UNBS; exemptions need a UNBS letter | PPDA; egpuganda.go.ug |
| Zimbabwe | CBCA pre-export CoC, scheduled by tariff heading | Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ); egp.praz.org.zw |
| Mauritius | No general programme; CoC list covers domestic appliances only | Procurement Policy Office; Central Procurement Board; e-PS |
| Ghana | EasyPASS pre-shipment verification, Ghana Standards Authority | Public Procurement Authority (PPA); GHANEPS |
| Kenya | PVoC pre-export verification, KEBS | Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA); tenders.go.ke |
| Lebanon | CE / ISO 9001 as supplied | Lebanese Customs; CoO, invoice legalisation |
| Tanzania | PVoC pre-shipment CoC, TBS; capital goods exemptible | Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA); NeST e-procurement |
| Saudi Arabia | CE / ISO 9001 as supplied | Saudi Customs; SABER / SASO certificate of conformity, CoO |
| Turkey | CE / ISO 9001 as supplied | Turkish Customs; CoO (EUR.1 / ATR where applicable), CE marking |
| Trinidad and Tobago | CE / ISO 9001 as supplied | Customs and Excise Division; CoO, invoice |
| Jamaica | CE / ISO 9001 as supplied | Jamaica Customs Agency; CoO, import licence where required |
| Thailand | CE / ISO 9001 as supplied | Thai Customs; CoO (Form D / FTA), invoice |
| Nigeria | SONCAP: Product Certificate + SONCAP Certificate pre-shipment | Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP); nocopo.bpp.gov.ng |
| Malawi | No pre-shipment programme; MBS inspects at destination | Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) |
These regimes are revised, renamed and occasionally suspended. We confirm the current position for your tariff heading at quotation rather than relying on what was true last year — Ghana's programme and its application route both changed during 2026.
How a certificate is obtained
Scope check
The HS code goes against the destination's schedule. If the heading is outside it, there is nothing to certify and we say so rather than selling an inspection nobody needs.
Application and documents
The request for certification goes in with the invoice, the packing list, the technical specification and whatever test reports and conformity declarations the manufacturer holds for that machine.
Inspection, and testing where required
Physical inspection at the works. Some headings also need witnessed testing or a sample sent ahead — on a first consignment into certain markets that sample sits on the critical path, so it is raised early or not at all.
Certificate before the seal
The certificate issues, the container is sealed, and it travels with the shipping set so your clearing agent has it in hand well before the vessel is alongside.
What leaves here with the machine
Certificate of origin
Issued in China for every consignment. Used for duty assessment and for any preferential rate your country extends to Chinese goods.
Conformity or inspection certificate
Where the destination requires one. Issued pre-shipment by the body its standards authority appoints.
Test records and declarations
The manufacturer's test report and declaration of conformity for that machine, where they exist for it. Named in the supply contract so there is no argument later about what was promised.
Operating and maintenance manual
In English as standard. Tell us at order if the tender requires another language and we will confirm what can be supplied.
Electrical details
Supply voltage, frequency, phase and connected load, stated against the destination rather than left at the factory default — it is the commonest cause of a machine arriving and not running.
Packing and marks
Packing list with case contents, gross and net weights, dimensions and shipping marks, matched to the container and seal numbers.
What we claim, and what we do not
A certificate belongs to a product and a factory, not to a company, so we do not publish a blanket claim over a catalogue of this size. Where a machine carries a manufacturer's certification, test report or declaration of conformity, we supply it with that machine and name it in the supply contract. If a tender requires a specific mark or scheme, tell us at enquiry: we will confirm in writing whether it can be met for that machine before you build it into a bid, rather than after.
We do not sell spares or after-sales service. Warranty, installation service and training depend upon the supply contract — they are agreed there, in writing, against the machine and the destination, and they are not implied by anything on this website.
Common questions
- What is a certificate of conformity?
- A document issued before shipment confirming that the goods meet the destination country's applicable standards. Many African and South Asian customs authorities will not release a consignment of machinery without one, and a certificate obtained after the vessel has sailed is usually not accepted.
- Who issues it, and when?
- An inspection body appointed by the destination's standards authority, working in the country of export. It is done at pre-shipment inspection, before the container is sealed, which is why the scheme has to be identified at quotation rather than discovered at the port.
- Does every machine need one?
- No. Several schemes apply only to a scheduled list of products or tariff headings, so the HS code decides it rather than the machine name. Ethiopia works from a closed product list; Mauritius schedules domestic appliances and leaves capital equipment outside; Malawi runs no pre-shipment programme at all.
- Do you hold CE or ISO certification?
- Where a machine carries a manufacturer's certification or test report, we supply it with that machine and name it in the supply contract. We do not make blanket claims across a catalogue of this size, because a certificate applies to a product and a factory, not to a company.
- What do you supply with the shipment?
- Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and certificate of origin as standard, the conformity or inspection certificate where the destination requires one, and the machine documentation: operating manual, electrical details and test records where the manufacturer issues them.
- Do you handle after-sales service and spares?
- No. We do not sell spares or after-sales service. Warranty, installation service and training depend upon the supply contract and are agreed there in writing.
Send the HS code and the destination
Those two decide whether a certificate is needed, which scheme issues it, and what it adds to the lead time. We will tell you before you quote, not after.