The Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) will implement pre-export standard compliance assessments to restrict the import of unsafe, counterfeit and shoddy products into Zambia, protect its country, consumers, environment, public health and safety from inferior products, while protecting local producers from unfair competition from imported products that do not meet national standards.

The Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) has appointed SGS\BV and others to implement the Pre-Export Standards Conformity Assessment of Zambian Goods (PVoC for short), which will begin on May 1, 2011. All products within the scope of Zambian Pre-Export Standard Conformity Assessment (PVoC) control require a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) to be accompanied by a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) when imported into Zambia. The product certificate of conformity is a document required for customs clearance of goods and is used for customs clearance of goods at Zambian Customs.

The product categories controlled under Zambia’s Pre-Export Standards Conformity Assessment (PVoC) are:

1. Food and agricultural products;

2. Chemical/household products;

3. Textile products;

4. Shoes;

5. Toys and child care products;

6. Electronic and electrical products;

7. Automobiles and spare parts;

8. All used products.

There are three options for this inspection plan:

Option A: Manufacturers of sensitive goods or unregistered suppliers;

Option B: General commodity manufacturer or registered supplier;

Option C: Certified (licensed) products.

Zambian import and export traders can benefit from the following compliance inspection scheme:

Protection of consumers and the environment;

* Ensure that imported goods meet appropriate standards;

:: Obtaining a certificate of compliance will facilitate faster customs clearance at Zambian Customs.