CoC
A Certificate of Conformity (CoC) is the document certifying that a consignment complies with the applicable standards and technical regulations of the importing country. It is the deliverable of a PVOC / pre-export verification programme, issued by the appointed conformity-assessment agency once inspection and testing pass.
The CoC is a customs-clearance precondition in the countries that mandate it: presented with the import declaration, it releases the goods; absent, the goods are refused, penalised or held for destination inspection. Depending on the scheme there are variants — a Product CoC (product-level approval) and a Shipment CoC (per consignment) — and country-specific names such as Nigeria's SONCAP Certificate or Saudi Arabia's SABER CoC.
The CoC is the pass that lets regulated imports through customs. It converts the pre-export testing into a document the border authority accepts, so having a valid CoC — matched to the shipment and the right standards — is the difference between clearance and a rejected, surcharged or destination-tested consignment.
What is the difference between a Product CoC and a Shipment CoC?
A Product CoC approves a product model against the standards; a Shipment CoC certifies a specific consignment. Some schemes require both.
What happens without a Certificate of Conformity?
In countries that mandate it, the goods cannot clear customs — they are refused entry, surcharged, or held for costly destination inspection.