What is an inspection certificate?
A certificate of inspection is a document used to indicate that the shipped goods have been inspected to demonstrate that they comply with the terms specified in the sales contract. There are only requirements for certain commodities, such as industrial equipment, perishables, and meat.
The inspection certificate can be provided directly to the buyer, the buyer's government, or directly to the buyer's bank. In the case of submission to the buyer's bank, it was facilitated by a letter of credit payment transaction request indicating that the certificate needs to be checked in order to fulfill the payment obligation. Usually, the manufacturer provides a certificate or report.
What does the inspection certificate do?
A certificate of inspection indicates that the goods in the goods have been inspected by the competent authority and certify that they comply with the terms specified in the sales contract. It verifies that the goods meet all specifications related to quality, quantity, import eligibility, tariff classification and price.
There are two types of inspection certificates:
1. Official inspection certificate
Customs authorities in some countries require official inspection certificates to handle the clearance of goods. It helps the authorities to check and confirm whether the goods in the goods meet the various specifications mentioned in the sales contract. This includes compliance with specifications related to the quality, quantity, tariff classification, import eligibility and price of goods.
2. Commodity inspection certificate/report
A commercial inspection certificate or report is a pre-shipment inspection that must be done before a batch of goods is produced. Send the certificate/report to the buyer to determine whether the various specifications of the intended shipment match the sales contract and other specific provisions.
If the batch does not meet the contract terms, it is deemed to have failed the inspection. In this case, the buyer may take any appropriate measures before the goods leave the factory. However, if the batch passes inspection, the buyer can use the report as proof that the product is of good quality and packaged correctly.
Countries requiring Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI)
The countries that require or require a Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate (PSI) vary from year to year and are based on shipments exceeding a certain value. However, in some countries an inspection certificate is required regardless of value, so be sure to check. Export.gov maintains a list of countries to check:
Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa), Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador , Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Kuwait, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Peru, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe.
What should I do if there is a certification inspection dispute?
If there is any disagreement on the results of the inspection process, it should be resolved through consultation with the inspection company. In some cases, the exporter and inspection company can work together to solve the problem.
