SONCAP stands for Standards Organization of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Program, which is a mandatory conformity assessment program in Nigeria. SONCAP is a new policy implemented by Nigeria to inspect and control the export of substandard and unsafe products into the country.

The Angolan government mandates that all goods imported into Angola by sea must obtain the CNCA LOADING CERTIFICATE (CONSELHO NACIONAL DE CARREGADORES DE Angola). The CNCA number must be shown on the bill of lading, and the CNCA number must be provided when submitting the bill of lading draft to the shipping line. Failure to apply for this certificate will be considered a violation of Angola’s transport regulatory regulations and will prevent smooth customs clearance at the destination port. The Angolan government has strict rules regarding the retroactive issuance of CNCA certificates.

The Chad ECTN (or Chad CTN) is a mandatory certification document for exports to Chad. Failure to obtain it may result in the shipping line at the port of loading being unable to issue the bill of lading, or the consignee at the destination port being unable to clear customs. One bill of lading corresponds to one ECTN, and the details on the ECTN must match those on the bill of lading.

The Central African Republic, abbreviated as CAR, requires that effective from January 11, 2010 (based on the bill of lading date), all cargo destined for any port in CAR must obtain a Cargo Tracking Note (BESC/ECTN Number) before loading and have this number shown on the bill of lading. When submitting the bill of lading draft to the shipping line, the CAR BESC/ECTN number must also be provided.

Effective May 20, 2017, as required by the shipping line in accordance with Gabon Customs regulations, shipping instructions containing a valid BIETC number must be submitted before loading. Without a BIETC number, we will not allow the cargo to be loaded on board. The BIETC number must be activated within 5 days after vessel departure. Please promptly provide the activated BIETC document to the local customer service department for verification. The original bill of lading can only be released after successful verification. If you fail to provide a valid BIETC document within 5 days after vessel departure, all resulting customs penalties at the destination port, and even the costs of returning the cargo on the original vessel, will be borne by you. If you have any questions, please contact us for consultation.

Since September 1, 2013, Tanzania has implemented the ECTN certification. Any cargo shipped without an ECTN certificate will face severe penalties at the destination port. The ECTN is a mandatory clearance document for exports to Tanzania. Failure to obtain it may result in the shipping line at the port of origin being unable to issue a bill of lading, or the consignee being unable to clear customs at the destination port.

Kenya COC certification, also known as PVOC certification, is a mandatory certificate for exports to Kenya. Without it, goods cannot be cleared through local customs. The COC certification requires full-container loading supervision. Once the factory has finished producing the goods, the shipping container is arranged to be on-site, where an inspector conducts an on-site inspection, supervises the loading of the goods into the container, and finally affixes a seal to the container.

According to the latest news from Tanzania, the country will implement the Certificate of Conformity (COC), which falls under pre-shipment inspection, starting from February 1, 2012. All products listed in Tanzania's controlled catalogue must apply for a COC before shipment; otherwise, customs clearance at the destination port will not be possible. Unlike the previous Tanzania shipment inspection, the Tanzania COC must be applied for before the goods are shipped. Once the cargo has departed, it will be impossible to obtain a COC retroactively. In addition, the Tanzania COC application also requires the submission of product testing reports and other documents for initial review.

Starting from July 16, 2018, the COC policy (Certificate of Conformity) will be officially implemented. The Ivory Coast COC certification is often also referred to as VOC certification or PVOC certification. In fact, these are all product conformity certifications and represent the same certificate as the COC, just with different names. Products listed in the Ivory Coast import control catalog must be accompanied by a Certificate of Conformity (COC) during customs clearance; otherwise, they will face heavy fines from local customs!

Effective from August 1, 2015, this certification is mandatory and constitutes a compulsory conformity assessment program implemented by AGANOR (Agence Gabonaise de Normalisation) for products prior to export. It is now enforced to ensure that consumers in Gabon receive high-quality and safe imported products.

The mandatory COC (Certification of Conformity) program for Uganda is scheduled to be re-implemented on December 3, 2012. All regulated products exported to Uganda must apply for a COC before shipment in order to clear customs at the destination port.

Starting from October 1, 2014, following an official announcement, Ghana formally began implementing the GCAP Conformity Certification Program, with the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) designated to oversee and regulate the execution of this GCAP certification program. The Ghana COC conformity certification is used for customs clearance of goods in Ghana.