What is SONCAP for exports?

SONCAP is Standards Organization of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Program. In this article, you’ll understand more when we answer the question What is SONCAP for exports. 

SONCAP stands for Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment program. It was designed to implement strict regulations on exports to Nigeria because of the several mishaps the country has faced over the past many years. 

Through this article, we are going to shed a light on this particular program. 

What is the duty of SONCAP and how it began?

Back in January 2013, the government of Nigeria, fed-up of dealing with the land pollutants and the sub-standard quality of products that’s exported into the country, decided to restructure the conformity assessment structure. The job is SONCAP is the verify whether the products exported to Nigeria conform to the new conformity assessment structure. The standard is only applies on certain products while others are being exempted from it. 

Following is the list of requirements as mentioned in SONCAP:

1. All goods on which the SONCAP provisions are applicable must come with a certificate of conformity of SONCAP certificate. Only an independent and  accredited firm has the ability to issue the certificate and it can do so electronically. 

2. If the product has SONCAP certificate attached to it, it would mean that the product conforms to the Standards Organization of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Program’s standard. 

3. The SONCAP certificate is the primary document required by the Nigerian customs before the product can be cleared for export to Nigeria. 

4. As per the new rules, SONCAP certification is now an integral part of NICIS or Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System and the CBN Information System. SON’s e certificate integration with SONCAP certificate enhances the approval of general merchandise approval Form M. It further helps with expediting the process of getting export clearance from the Nigerian customs.

Products that require and ones that don’t require SONCAP certification

The Standards Organization of Nigeria Conformity Assessment programs has created a list of product in which it has detailed the products on which the conformity is applied, and the products on which they aren’t. Following is the list that combines all:

1. All food products require the approval

2. All medicines require the approval

3. All medical products that are not medical equipments or machines require SONCAP certification. 

4. Chemicals that are to be used by the manufacturers as raw materials have to be assessed before they can be exported to china. 

5. Products that are military ware and related equipment need definite conformation before export.

6. Used products that are not automobiles need SONCAP certification.

Documents required for SONCAP certification

Documents that are required for SONCAP certifications are as follows:

1. Tax Identification Number

2. Bankers Acceptance Number

3. Form M is needed for Nigerian importers

4. Form Q is needed by small and medium scale enterprises. 

Conclusion

SONCAP was designed to protect the interests of the Nigerian consumer. It’s therefore imperative for any exporter of any country to acquire SONCAP certification before they plan to explain anything to Nigeria. If you’re a holder of Import And Export Code of IE Code in India, you too are in need of this certification. 

Author: Dushyant Sharma

Hey there, I'm Dushyant Sharma. With the extensive knowledge I've gained in past 8 years, I have been creating content on various subjects such as banking, insurance, telecom, and all the important registration and licensing processes for various companies. I'm here to help everyone with my expertise in these areas through my articles.