The objectives of the programme include but are not limited to the following:

• Ensure that regulated products comply with the 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

The scheme entails two mandatory processes of verification of product quality to meet specified standards such as NIS, International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), and International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC) and approved standards of other Nations among others.

The processes are:

• Product Certificate 1 (Unregistered Status) or Product Certificate 2 (Registered Status) or Product Certificate 3 (Licensed Status)
• Certificate of Conformity (CoC)
• SONCAP Certification (SC)

These documents are mandatory for importation and Customs clearance of SONCAP regulated goods under the import requirements of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Product Certificate 1 (Unregistered Status), Product Certificate 2 (Registered Status) or Product Certificate 3 (Licensed Status) issued under Routes A, B and C respectively are required for the opening of Form ‘M.’ The Product Certificate 1 (Unregistered Status) is valid for one shipment only whereas the Product Certificate 2 (Registered Status) or Product Certificate 3 (Licensed Status) are valid for a period of one year.

The SONCAP Certificate (SC) is a mandatory Customs clearance document in Nigeria. It is issued by Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on receipt of Certificate of Conformity (CoC) from the IAFs. The Certificate is applicable to SONCAP regulated products.

The SONCAP compliance procedures are designed to provide flexibility in the testing of regulated products by exporters. Any exporter is at liberty to select any of the IAFs laboratories or approved Accreditation Agents laboratories which will be used for testing the samples, as provided for above.

SCOPE

The current regulated Products includes all imported goods to be regulated by SONCAP except 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
• Bonafide manufacturers who intend to import machinery or related spare parts for their manufacturing are advised to apply to the SON for SONCAP import permit to enable them import (link to import permit).
• The Federal Government through an Inter-ministerial Technical Committee on Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) which is domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) may from time to time add or delete product(s) for regulation under the scheme. Appropriate notification will always be provided by the CISS through the CBN and an adequate period will be allowed between the date of publicizing the measure and its implementation to enable full compliance.

SONCAP Import Permit

The SON shall issue SONCAP import permit to exempt certain categories of imports of regulated products from certification. This shall be done after examination of the import documents by the SONCAP unit and approved by the Director General of SON. Imports covered by permits will be subjected to conformity assessment in Nigeria.