Answers to all your questions about the SON Conformity Assessment Programme and the SONCAP Certificate.
SON and SONCAP stand respectively for the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme.
As stated on the SONCAP website, the objectives are for the wellbeing, health and safety of Nigerian consumers, as follows:
- Ensure that regulated products comply with the Nigeria Industrial Standards (NIS) or approved standards prior to export to Nigeria
- Provide a level playing field in terms of quality for both regulated and locally manufactured products in order to prevent unfair competition
- Prevent the dumping of substandard goods into the Nigeria market and as a result preventing economic loss to the importer and the nation at large
- Impede loss of lives and property including foreign exchange bearing in mind that the exporting country/Exporter have been paid for the goods shipped into Nigeria
- Forestall any adverse reaction (such as environmental pollution occasioned by destruction of substandard products) by regulatory agencies on arrival of such goods in Nigeria
- Facilitate trade through fast track clearance of goods at the ports
- Encourage genuine investors and investments in Nigeria
- Promote made in Nigeria products
- Conserve foreign exchange
Products exempt from the SONCAP programme include the following:
- Food products
- Drugs (Medicines)
- Medicals other than equipment and machines
- Chemicals used as raw material by bonafide manufacturers
- Military wares & equipment
- Goods classified as contraband by the Federal Government of Nigeria
- Used products other than automobiles
- Machinery or related spare parts for bona fide manufacturers who intend to use this for their own manufacturing purposes are advised to apply to the SON for SONCAP import permit
To find out if your product is subject to the SONCAP program and whether you need a Product Certificate (PC) and a SONCAP Certificate (SC), please contact us.
Exporters to Nigeria must demonstrate compliance with the programme. This applies only to goods that are subject to the programme. The process of conformity assessment must take place in the exporting country. Please refer to the Certification Process section of this website in order to learn how you can demonstrate compliance with the SONCAP programme.
For more information, exporters can enquire via our contact form.
It will depend on the products being imported into Nigeria. If your product is subject to the SONCAP programme, you will need to have a SONCAP Certificate. Please refer to the exempted product list in order to determine if your products are subject to the SONCAP programme or not.
The exporter should contact Cotecna with the relevant documentation and relevant information in order to start the process towards obtaining a SONCAP Certificate. See our Certification Process page for more information.
Some fees are fixed, please see the table below. However, the full costs depend on the product type and can be determined when the exporter contacts a Cotecna office. Based upon the relevant documentation and the relevant information, a price/quotation can be issued.
| Process | Description | Fees in USD |
|---|---|---|
| Registration and Licensing | PC (U) - Product Certificate Unregistered (validity 6 months) - Single model | 300 for 6 months per certificate |
| Additional model in PC(U) (5 USD/month) | 42 per model for 6 months | |
| PC (R) - Product Registration (validity 1 year) - Single model* | 300 per year per certificate | |
| PC (L) - Product Licensing (validity 1 year) - Single model | 1300 per year per certificate | |
| Additional model from the same product (when included in initial PC) | 84 per year / per model | |
| Additional model from the same product (if included after the first release = amendment) - All type of PC | 7 USD per month per model for the remaining months | |
| Shipment Certification | SONCAP Certificate (SC) | 300 per shipment |
| Others | Non Conformity Report (NCR) | 350 per shipment |
| Certificate Amendment | 100 per certificate | |
| New product on PCU, PCR and PCL | 300 USD |
*The fee for Product Certificate (Licensed) includes factory audit where applicable.
Conditions:
- All costs incurred for presenting the goods for inspection, such as unpacking, handling, repacking, are borne by the exporter/seller.
- If the goods do not conform to the requirements, fees for physical inspection, testing and Non Conformity Report issuance remain due to Cotecna.
- This program is subject to the Cotecna’s General Terms and Conditions.
The compliance process for obtaining the SONCAP Certificate must occur in the exporting country.
The SC is mandatory for Customs clearance of the shipment under the import requirements of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
All regulated products arriving at Nigerian entry points (ports, airports, land borders) without SONCAP Certificate will be rejected at the entry point and the Customs release will be refused.
The importer/exporter will then be required to re-export the goods or they will face delays while the goods are sampled and tested against to Nigerian requirements. The exporter/importer will bear all the costs related to this (sampling, testing, delay at the border point).
If you have any other questions, or would like to request a certification for your goods, please don't hesitate to contact us.