SONCAP - Standards Organization of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme. SONCAP is a process and criteria published by SON to assess whether products meet minimum safety standards in Nigeria.

PC -- Short for Product Certificate. Mandatory. Obtaining a PC certificate is the first step to be completed in the SONCAP program. the SONCAP conformity assessment procedure requires the PC certificate to obtain the certification before applying for the SONCAP certificate, which is also the prerequisite for Nigerian importers to obtain the Form M. Some banks even need to show the PC certificate before issuing the letter of credit.

FORM M- the importer uses the PC certificate to apply at the local bank. It is a form similar to import declaration, and is also the required information for later application of SONCAP certificate.

SC - Short for SONCAP Certification, SONCAP Certificate. It is the certificate that the importer applies for before shipment through PC certificate and FORM M, and finally gets after submitting the bill of lading after shipment. It is also the certificate that the importer finally submits to the customs for customs clearance.

COC - Certificate of Conformity, that is, Certificate of Conformity of a single batch of products, valid for a single batch. this step has been eliminated in the latest process, but because it was in the SONCAP program for a while, it is still mentioned frequently.

Introduction to SONCAP Certification

as can be seen from the above conceptual analysis, SONCAP certification is conducted step by step in accordance with the SONCAP conformity assessment procedure promulgated by SON, to examine the products applied for certification and confirm whether the products meet the minimum safety standards for imported products from Nigeria. after passing the test of this procedure, the qualified will be issued the relevant certificate.

the role of SONCAP certificate for import trade is finally reflected in that importers use SONCAP certificate to handle customs clearance in Nigeria. All controlled products upon arrival at Nigerian customs (ports, airports, land borders) without a SONCAP certificate will be refused release by customs. the goods will be sampled and tested as required by Nigeria. the exporter/importer will bear all costs (sampling, testing, demurrage charges) and may face confiscation and destruction of the goods.

SONCAP certification process and required information

the latest Nigerian Standard (SON) certification process states that SONCAP certification is achieved in three steps:

the first step is to obtain a PC certificate for Nigerian importers to apply for FORM M No. Apply for SONCAP certificate for batch shipment with exporter. There are three PC certificate modes, and the required documents are as follows:

Apply for a business license

Application form

Product pictures (mechanical and electrical products with instructions and final assembly drawing)

Internal product test report

Third party Laboratory product Test Report (17025 Qualified laboratory use standard test)

the second step is to obtain FORM M

Importer obtained through PC certificate in local bank;

the third step is to obtain a SONCAP certificate. Apply for SONCAP certification before each shipment, make an appointment for pre-shipment inspection, and send the certificate to the importer and other documents after obtaining it

Handle customs clearance together. The following information is required:

PC certificate

FORM M

Application form

Invoice

Packing list

Product photos

the bill of lading

Which products need SONCAP?

Products currently under SONCAP control are as follows:

toy

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

Used car

Automobile spare parts

Tire for automobile

Automobile glass

Automobile spare parts

Chemical products (such as motor oil, paint, asphalt, school chalk, kitchenware and tableware)

Building and building materials

Machinery and gas appliances (e.g. Galvanized steel products, faucets and valves, ceramics and sanitary ware, ceiling, gas canisters, kerosene ovens and hurricane lamps, aluminium products, mechanical backpacks, sprayers, electric pressure cookers, cement and gypsum, etc.)

Paper and stationery

Safety protection equipment (e.g. Fire protection equipment, electronic safety equipment, etc.)

Textiles and textile products

the footwear

Medical instrument

Furniture

Arts and crafts

Leather, plastic and rubber products

SONCAP is not applicable to the following products:

food

Medicine (Traditional Chinese medicine)

Medical examination equipment and machinery, etc

A chemical used as a raw material

Military sanitary ware and equipment

Goods classified as contraband by the Federal Government of Nigeria

Used cars and other goods

the above only lists the broad categories of products, specific products please provide information to our certified engineer query!

Three schemes for obtaining SONCAP certificates

Route A, for unregistered/unlicensed products (compliance verification)

Every batch of imported goods needs sampling, inspection, supervision and sealing. the steps are as follows:

Step 1: Obtain PC1, Product Certificate 1 (unregistered status)

Product Certificate 1 (unregistered), valid for 6 months, will be issued by the IAF after completing the following steps

- Inspection, basic factory inspection

- Product sampling: Samples submitted for testing must be (i) taken by the IAF or (ii) taken under the supervision of the IAF.

Step 2: Test reports

the test report must be issued by:

- Accredited laboratory by ISO 17025

- Factory test in the sight of IAF agency

Step 3: Obtain SONCAP Certificate (SC)

- Received qualified test report, test report as required in Step 2

- Satisfactory final inspection of goods.

- Receipt of qualified final relevant documents

Route B: Registered products (pass registration and compliance check)

Product registration is to perform the following types of product testing and evaluate the manufacturer's quality system to determine that the product is consistently produced with the same quality under the guidance of applicable standards and the necessary system controls. this step should be as follows:

Step 1: Obtain PC2, Product Certificate 2 (Registration status)

Product Certificate 2 (PC2), valid for 1 year, will be issued by IAF after factory inspection. for A factory or exporter to obtain a certificate through Route B, it must be based on a good export record on Route A (at least four fully compliant transactions).

Step 2: Test reports

the test report must be issued by:

- Accredited laboratory by ISO 17025

- Factory test in the sight of IAF agency

Step 3: Obtain SONCAP Certificate (SC)

- Received qualified test report, test report as required in Step 2

- Satisfactory final commodity inspection (where at least 40% of quarterly shipments are inspected).

- Receipt of qualified final relevant documents

Route C: for Licensed Products (Product Certification System)

Product licensing is based on detailed evaluation of the product, including testing and factory audits and periodic supervision audits. the product will be licensed if it complies with the relevant NIS or equivalent recognition. however, pre-shipment inspection, i.e., written review, process evaluation, facility inspection, consigned shipment, verification test inspection, supervision of FCL shipment and sealing, shall be conducted at least twice a year to ensure that conformance is maintained. the license can only be granted to the manufacturer of the product, not to exporters or other suppliers. The steps are as follows:

Step 1: Obtain PC3, Product Certificate 3 (License status)

A product Certificate (PC3), valid for one year, is issued by the IAF after a factory audit.

the manufacturer's ability to upgrade from Route B to Route C must be based on a good compliance record (at least four full compliance transactions and two factory validations).

Step 2: Test reports

A test report, issued by the manufacturer or an accredited laboratory, is submitted to the IAF body for certification of each authorized product.

Step 3: Obtain SONCAP Certificate (SC)

- Received qualified test report, test report as required in Step 2

- Satisfactory final commodity inspection (at least one shipment every six months requires inspection).

- Receipt of qualified final relevant documents