Under the SONCAP regime, imports are required to undergo verification and testing at the country of supply (Exporting country) of any of the approved Independent Accredited Firms (IAFs), and a SONCAP Certificate (SC) is issued to demonstrate that the products have met the applicable standards and regulations, or a Non-Conformity Report (NCR) is issued where the goods do not comply.
The conformity assessment elements undertaken in SONCAP include, but are not limited, to physical inspection prior to shipment, sampling, testing, and analysis in accredited laboratories, audit of production processes and systems, and documentary check of conformity with regulations and overall assessment of conformity to standards.
Under this program, importers of regulated products must obtain two certificates to process the importation and clearance of the goods.
- Product Certificate (PC), either unregistered, registered, or licensed
- SONCAP Certificate (SC)
The Product Certificate and the SONCAP Certificate are mandatory for the processing of Form M and Nigerian Customs’ clearance of SON-regulated goods respectively under the import requirements of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
