Gabon COC certification process, cost and Leadtime

Gabon coc certificate template

What is Gabon COC-Gabon Pre-Export Product Conformity Certification

Gabon PROGEC (Ghana's Conformity Assessment Program) (PROGEC) is Gabon's pre-export product conformity certification. Starting from August 1, 2015, Gabon's Bureau of Standards (AGANOR) has implemented new product conformity assessments for certain imported consumer goods. plan. All controlled products covered by the PROGEC program must be accompanied by a qualified test report or certificate. This measure is designed to prevent unsafe and low-quality goods from entering the Gabonese market. For goods that comply with PROGEC certification, a Gabon COC certificate is issued. This certificate is a necessary document for customs clearance at the destination port in Gabon. If these materials cannot be provided, the product will need to be inspected at the port of destination, which will incur high costs and may also cause delays. If it ultimately fails to pass the standards, it will be prohibited from entering customs and returned. It will be enforced starting from March 1, 2016.

Gabon COC certification application process and required information

1. Determine whether export products require PROGEC certification

All goods exported to Gabon (except for goods exempt from inspection) are required to obtain a COC certificate, which is a necessary document for customs clearance at the destination port in Gabon. (Please provide the product name and HS CODE to confirm with our company whether the product is exempt from inspection) No testing or inspection is required, just ship it directly.

2. Gabon COC certification (PROGEC certification) controlled product list

Only the products listed below are exempt from this program

arms scrap metal

live animals

newspaper

reimported goods

Personal property and repatriation items (including vehicles of residents repatriated to Gabon)

Postal parcels and express delivery without commercial value

business template

personal gifts

Donations provided by foreign governments, institutions or individuals during disasters

Imported gifts and supplies for the embassy or consul’s own use

Imported products with a total value not exceeding 930 USD

The above product categories are for reference only. The Gabonese government may change the list of controlled products at any time.

Choose Gabon PROGEC inspection method

There are three methods of PROGEC inspection in Gabon:

ROUTE A: Shipment Inspection and Certification

This method is mainly suitable for exporters/producers who export to Gabon very rarely every year (generally no more than three times).

In Route A, goods to be exported to Gabon must undergo product performance testing (see step 4 for details) and on-site inspection before shipment to prove that the products comply with relevant standards, basic product requirements or manufacturer specifications (see selection criteria for details - Step 2). This method is applicable to any trading group. The steps for shipment of goods and product certification are as follows:

Step 1: The exporter submits the inspection application form

The exporter should complete the inspection application form (RFC = Request For Certification) and submit it to our operation center. At the same time, the following documents need to be submitted:

1. Product parameter information or detailed product description (indicating the intended use of the product) - (must be provided).

Copy of product technical specifications provided by the production factory (please provide if available).

2. Instructions for use/operation (when appropriate)

3. Product production information, such as batch number, batch size, manufacturer name, production date, validity period, manufacturer status, etc. – (when appropriate)

4. Proforma Invoice

5. Third-party test report (please provide if available)

6.URC scanned copy

Note: The quality and completeness of the above documents will directly affect the time and cost of the entire application inspection process.

Step 2: Review the RFC and related documents submitted by the exporter

The agency will review relevant documents for completeness with the purpose of:

1. Determine the applicable Gabonese product standards and/or equivalent international standards (applicable standards must be applied for in advance)

2. Determine whether the basic requirements for health, safety, environment and other relevant standards are met

3. Establish a product risk profile (to determine the level of risk intervention)

4. Prepare inspection and test instructions

The agency will generally respond to the exporter’s inspection application within 48 hours and include the following content:

a. Missing files (if any)

b. Basic requirements that must be met (according to specified standards) and level of intervention (e.g. informing exporters where testing must be carried out)

c. Appointed inspection date and schedule and obtain confirmation from the exporter

Note: The inspection should be scheduled within 3 days after the RFC is approved and the exporter completes all required application documents. If the exporter has submitted all the required documents for inspection application for the first time, the inspection can be arranged within 3 days after receiving all documents, unless the inspection applicant requests to postpone the inspection arrangement.

d. Other requirements related to PROGEC

Step 3: Testing of shipped products

The inspector will randomly sample the goods prepared for export by the exporter and pack them into different packaging bags with appropriate identification marks for future product testing.

Product testing is limited to the requirements and parameters of the applicable standards that the product must meet, and is conducted in any of the following laboratories:

1. Independent laboratory that complies with ISO/IEC17025 standards

2. Any laboratory or manufacturer laboratory that does not meet the ISO/IEC17025 standard, but the test experiment must be conducted under the on-site witness of an inspector (this option is only applicable if a local laboratory that meets the above cannot be found).

On-site witness testing must be conducted by professionals who are familiar with the product and test methods.

If testing is not economically feasible, such as too many test items, low product value, unassembled mechanical products, etc., testing can be replaced by reviewing the following relevant documents:

1. Test report provided by product manufacturer

2. Safety certification mark/quality certification mark/national licensing documents (such as CE mark, type test qualification report, etc.)

3. Relevant quality management system certificates, etc.

Step 4: Cargo inspection by relevant designated inspector

The on-site inspection will be carried out according to the inspection instructions prepared in advance. The inspection will mainly focus on the labeling, packaging, product expiry date (when applicable), and checking that the product complies with relevant test reports. And depending on the specific situation, focus on implementing functional evaluation of the product.

After completing the on-site inspection, the inspector should immediately fill in a detailed inspection report, which should indicate the problems found during the inspection and rectification suggestions, and leave a copy to the exporter. Every discrepancy reflected in the discrepancy report should be immediately brought to the attention of the exporting party.

NOTE: Completion of on-site inspection of a product does not mean that the conformity assessment process has been completed. The final compliance conclusion of the product will be made by the inspector after a comprehensive evaluation of the on-site inspection report, test report and related quality documents.

Step 5: Final inspection certificate issued by PROGEC partner agency

Based on the received inspection report, test report/document review report, etc., the agency will give the inspection results and issue a certificate (certificate of compliance or certificate of non-compliance) within 3 working days of receiving the report and final invoice.

Notice:

1. If the product undergoes performance testing, the final conclusion on product compliance will not be obtained until the product completes testing.

2. The exporter can contact our business operation center to obtain the Certificate of Conformity (CoC - Certificate of Conformity) or inquire about the product compliance certification results to facilitate the arrangement of goods shipment.

ROUTE B: Customer applies for product registration and inspection (Product Registration and Shipment Certification)

This approach is mainly suitable for exporters/producers who export a large number of products each year and have a relatively single variety.

Registration is valid for one year. Registered products are exempt from mandatory testing when shipped, and the certification process is only a basic on-site inspection. However, during the validity period of registration, in order to ensure product compliance, you will still be required to conduct random testing on registered products.

Product registration process:

Step 1: The exporter submits the "Registration Application Form" to our company

According to PROGEC procedures, when exporters (i.e. traders or manufacturers) apply for registration of their products, they should provide our company with a registration application form (which can be obtained from our company) and the following documents:

1. Product parameter information and/or product description (specifying the intended use of the product) - (required).

Copy of product technical specifications - from factory (please provide if available)

2. Proforma invoice (required)

3. Third-party test report (please provide if available)

Note: Traders selling branded goods need to provide proof of their relationship with the original equipment manufacturer (OEM)

Step 2: Review registration application

Our company needs to check these submitted documents for the purpose of:

1. Ensure that the product complies with Gabonese standards and/or equivalent international standards.

2. Ensure that the exporter has the ability to always provide the same quality products.

Our company will inform the exporter of the review results within 4 working days after receiving the application. After receiving the application fee, a registration certificate will be issued to the exporter. The registration certificate will detail the registered products, validity period and other relevant registration conditions.

Operational process for registered products to apply for COC

Registered products still require a certificate of conformity at the time of shipment before being allowed into Gabon. However, due to registration, the corresponding certification process will be faster. The corresponding procedures are as follows:

Step 1: Submit Request for Certification (RFC)

The exporter will fill out and submit an RFC to our company and provide the following documents:

1. Valid registration certificate of the shipped product

2. Proforma invoice

Our company will check the corresponding documents to ensure the validity of the registration certificate and determine the inspection schedule within 3 days after receiving the RFC, unless the exporter/supplier requires other dates.

Step 2: The inspector conducts inspection on the shipped/shipped goods

The inspector will conduct the inspection in accordance with the inspection work guide and operating instructions. The inspector will focus on the marks and logos, packaging, the validity period of the product (where applicable), confirmation of compliance with the packing list/invoice and the appearance of the product. Compliance.

When our company notifies the exporter to require testing, the inspector should take samples from different packages and mark them appropriately.

Note: If product testing is required, our company will notify the exporter. Although for goods shipped after sampling, the inspection results may not be limited by the results of subsequent test reports. However, the test results will affect the inspection methods and results of future shipments.

After the inspection is completed, the inspector needs to prepare an inspection report, including detailed inspection findings and corresponding remarks (suggestions). The inspector shall then leave a copy of the report with the exporter. Any discrepancies discovered during the inspection process are immediately brought to the attention of the exporter through a discrepancy report.

Step 3: Testing of shipment/shipment

Testing is limited to basic requirements or parameters of the applicable standard. Testing is only conducted on samples drawn by the inspection agency and conducted in any of the following laboratories:

1. Independent laboratory certified by ISO/IEC 17025

2. Any laboratory or factory laboratory that has not obtained ISO/IEC 17025 certification must be conducted under the witness of an inspector (the witness test must be conducted by an inspector who is qualified and familiar with the relevant products and test methods. Our company can only pass ISO 9001:2000 system management laboratory conducts witness testing.

Step 4: Issue the final certificate document through our company

Our company will give the inspection results and issue a certificate (certificate of compliance or non-compliance report) within 3 working days after receiving the on-site inspection report and final invoice.

Note: Exporters should contact our company in time to obtain information on whether to obtain a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) or to understand the inspection results before shipment.

ROUTE 3 factory applies for product license (Product Licensing and Shipment Certification)

This approach is suitable for factories with very large and frequent export volumes each year.

1. After the manufacturer has obtained the registration certificate, if the goods shipped can continue to meet the requirements, the manufacturer can apply for a license (LICENCE) from our company. In addition to the evaluation of relevant test reports, the procedure will also arrange tests from time to time if possible. To randomly check whether the manufacturer's products have always met the relevant requirements of Gabon. At the same time, our registration center will also evaluate and track and supervise the factory's production equipment, quality control, etc. to ensure the quality of related products. The entire license process It is guided by ISO/IEC GUIDE 28-GENERAL RULES FOR A MODEL 3RD PARTY CERTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR PRODUCTS.

2. If the manufacturer can fully comply with the requirements, it can obtain a license (LICENCE) for the relevant products. When re-exporting the goods to Gabon, inspection and testing are not required.

3. Submit the RFC, final commercial invoice and copy of the license to apply for the COC certificate. However, our company has the right to conduct random inspections of the goods after giving the exporter sufficient notice.

Gabon COC certification on-site inspection requirements:

1. An on-site representative of the exporter must be designated to handle matters related to the inspection site and sign on behalf of the exporter (applicant) on the on-site inspection report to confirm its contents. Exporters should be aware that the on-site representative’s signature is legally binding;

2. The exporter is obliged to provide necessary equipment for on-site inspection and must be calibrated;

3. When it comes to sampling and testing, the exporter should send the sample to our company as required by the inspector.

4. Please arrange the necessary labor and equipment to complete the unpacking, sampling and repacking of goods in a timely manner to avoid delays;

5. When the goods are shipped in full container, the container must meet the following requirements:

—The container must arrive at the inspection location at the agreed inspection time;

—The container must be in an empty state and cannot be pre-loaded. It can only be loaded after the inspector has completed the inspection;

—The hasp of the right side door of the container must be intact so that the inspector can apply the seal;

—The container must be undamaged to prevent seawater from penetrating into the cargo during transportation.

6. Changes in the inspection time and location must be submitted to our company in writing before 16:00 one working day before the agreed date. Otherwise, the inspection will be deemed to have failed and a new inspection will be scheduled and a re-inspection fee will be charged.

7. If it is discovered during on-site inspection that the goods need rectification and the rectification measures cannot be completed within a short period of time, re-inspection must be arranged and the re-inspection fee must be paid.

Gabon COC certification processing fee price and cycle

Different products have different prices and fees, please contact us for details.

With complete information, it will take about 3 days to complete the inspection and issue a draft. After the draft certificate is confirmed, a formal certificate can be issued.

Gabon import tariff

All tariff rates are ad valorem with a simple average of 18.2 per cent. Gabon bound all its tariff lines at 15 per cent for some non-agricultural products and 60 per cent for other goods (including all agricultural products), with an average bound rate of 22.1 per cent.

Gabon import documents

the original invoice;

the bill of lading;

the packing list (including a full description of the contents of the shipment);

the insurance certificate;

Business Contacts

Rich Tel: 0755-26996194  Phone&Whatsapp:08613530227809

rockycho.sz@gmail.com

cooperative customers

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