Certification Introduction

The Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) is the Nigerian government agency responsible for formulating and enforcing quality standards for imported goods and domestically manufactured products. In order to ensure that the regulated products comply with the approved technical standards of the country or other international standards, and to protect Nigerian consumers from unsafe products or products that do not meet the standards, the Nigerian National Bureau of Standards has decided to implement the implementation of regulated products exported to the country. Pre-shipment Mandatory Conformity Assessment Procedure (hereinafter referred to as SONCAP).

On March 1, 2013, the Nigerian Bureau of Standards officially released the new SONCAP operation process. In the future, each independent third-party organization will no longer issue SONCAP certification directly, instead, exporters will apply for product conformity certification (CoC) in the exporting country. The importer then applies for the SC certificate to the Nigerian Bureau of Standards (SON) with a valid CoC.

Several Concepts in SONCAP Certification

In SONCAP certification, customers may mention these names: PC, SC, COC. These names are slightly different, but in most cases the meaning is the same, that is, if you want to obtain compulsory certification for products sold in Nigeria, for imported products, you need to go to Nigeria customs for customs clearance. Here are a few more specific concepts:

·SON - the abbreviation of Standards Organisation of Nigeria, that is, the Nigerian Standards Organization. This is a Nigerian government agency that can also be called the Nigerian Bureau of Standards. In January 2013, SON officially released a new SONCAP procedure with a revised full conformity assessment structure.

·SONCAP - the abbreviation of Standards Organization of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme, that is, the Nigeria Standards Organization Conformity Assessment Program. It can be understood that SONCAP is a procedure and basis issued by SON to evaluate whether a product meets the minimum safety standards in Nigeria.

·PC - the abbreviation of Product Certificate, that is, product certificate, mandatory, obtaining PC certificate is the first step to be completed in the SONCAP program. The SONCAP conformity assessment procedure requires that the PC certificate must be obtained first before applying for the SONCAP certificate. It is also a prerequisite for Nigerian importers to obtain Form M. Some banks even need to present the PC certificate before issuing the letter of credit.

·FORM M - The importer uses the PC certificate to apply at the local bank, which is similar to a form for import declaration, and is also the necessary information for the subsequent application of the SONCAP certificate.

·SC - short for SONCAP Certification, that is, SONCAP certificate. It is the certificate that the importer applies for before shipment through PC certificate and FORM M, and submits the bill of lading after shipment. It is also the certificate that is finally handed over to the customs for customs clearance.

·COC——The abbreviation of Certificate of Conformity, that is, the certificate of conformity, the certificate of conformity for a single batch of products, and the single batch is valid. This step has been abolished in the latest process, but because it has been in the SONCAP program for a while, it will still be mentioned frequently.

Applicable product range

Products currently regulated by SONCAP are as follows:

·Toy

· Electrical and electronic products that can be used by the public such as in residential, office, retail, leisure and other environments. Including, but not limited to, home appliances, IT products, communication products, lighting products, audio-visual products, etc.

·Second hand car

·Automobile spare parts

·Car tires

·car windscreen

·Automobile spare parts

Chemical products (such as motor oil, paint, asphalt, school chalk, kitchen utensils and cutlery)

·Construction and building materials

Mechanical equipment and gas appliances (such as galvanized steel products, faucets and valves, ceramics and sanitary ware, suspended ceilings, gas tanks, kerosene stoves and hurricane lamps, aluminum products, mechanical backpacks, sprayers, electric pressure cookers, cement and plaster, etc.)

· Paper and stationery

·Safety protection equipment (such as fire fighting equipment, electronic safety equipment, etc.)

· Textiles and textile products

·Footwear

·medical instruments

·furniture

· Arts and crafts

· Leather, plastic and rubber products

The following products are not suitable for SONCAP:

·food

·Drugs (Chinese medicine)

· Medical examination equipment and machines, etc.

· Chemicals used as raw materials

·Military sanitary ware and equipment

· Goods listed as contraband by the Federal Government of Nigeria

· Used cars and other goods

Process and Materials

The latest certification procedure of the Nigerian Standard (SON) stipulates that SONCAP certification is obtained in three steps:

The first step is to obtain a PC certificate for Nigerian importers to apply for FORM M No. and exporters to apply for a SONCAP certificate for batch shipments. There are 3 modes of PC certificate, which will be described in detail later. The required information is as follows:

· Apply for a company business license

·Application form

Product pictures (mechanical products with manuals and general assembly drawings)

·Product internal test report

· Third-party laboratory product test report (17025 qualified laboratories use relevant standard tests)

The second step, get FORM M

· The importer obtains it at the local bank through the PC certificate;

The third step is to obtain a SONCAP certificate. Apply for SONCAP certification on the eve of each shipment, make an appointment for pre-shipment inspection, and issue the certificate to the importer for customs clearance together with other documents. The following information is required:

·PC certificate

·FORM M

·Application form

·bill

·Packing list

·product photo

· Bill of Lading

other

Importers use the SONCAP certificate to go to Nigeria Customs for customs clearance. All regulated products will be rejected by the customs when they arrive at the customs (ports, airports, land borders) in Nigeria without the SONCAP certificate, and the exporter/importer will bear all costs for sampling and testing the goods as required by Nigeria ( Sampling, testing, demurrage), and finally may face the confiscation and destruction of the goods.