Certificate of Conformity for Exports to Ethiopia

Cotecna is authorised by the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration (MoTRI) to issue Certificates of Conformity for the export of regulated products to Ethiopia as part of the Pre-shipment Verification of Conformity (PVOC) Programme. 

Cotecna is authorized by the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration (MoTRI) of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to support the Ethiopian Pre-shipment Verification Of Conformity (PVOC) programme and verify the conformity to applicable standards of all regulated products imported into the country. The PVOC programme is regulated by the Ethiopian Conformity Assessment Enterprise (ECAE) and require that all regulated imports must be accompanied by a Certificate of Conformity (COC) for customs clearance. Of note, regulated products not accompanied by the mandatory COC shall incur a penalty.  

The programme aims to ensure that regulated products under the PVOC programme that are exported to Ethiopia comply with the applicable Ethiopian standards before shipment. In this way, ECAE can protect the health, safety, and environment of Ethiopia consumers by reducing unsafe and sub-standard products being cleared for importation. 

Regulated Products under the PVOC programme 

The regulated products subject to a mandatory pre-verification of conformity before shipment include: 

• Stand Alone and Other Solar Related products  
• Electrical Components  
• Household Appliances 
• Motors and Vehicles 
• Power Generation 
• Automotive components  
• Chemical products  

To find out if your product(s) is subject to the PVOC programme, please contact us. 

Ethiopia Other Regulated Products   

In December 2013, the Ethiopian Ministry of Trade established conformity requirements for certain categories of products imported into Ethiopia.  

The Ethiopian government relies on Cotecna to conduct controls and attest the conformity of products according to compulsory Ethiopian standards. Once the conformity of the goods is established, we issue a Certificate of Conformity (COC). 

The certification of these non-PVOC products is voluntary and manufacturers and importers can certify their products to expedite custom clearance of their shipments.  

Goods regulated under the mandatory Ethiopian standards list include the following categories of products: 

• Metrology and measurement equipment 
• Environment, health protection and safety equipment 
• Electrical products 
• Textile and leather products 
• Chemical products (fertilizers, detergents, cosmetics) 
• Food products 
• Paper, rubber and plastic products 
• Construction material 

In case of doubt, please contact us to determine if your products are subject to regulation.

Ethiopia Conformity Assessment Process 

Cotecna is an approved partner to the Ethiopian government. Our mandate covers the physical inspection, sampling and testing of goods at laboratories accredited as per ISO 17025. We can also conduct factory audits to ensure production is compliant with Ethiopian standards. 

To assess the conformity of a shipment, the verification of conformity process will take one of the three following routes, depending on the profile of the exporter: 

• Route A for exporters with infrequent shipments 
• Route B for exporters with regular shipments 
• Route C for manufacturers with regular and high-volume shipment