BUREAU VERITAS – Government Services

DATA SHEET
Nigeria – Standards Organisation of Nigeria
Conformity Assessment Program (SONCAP)

1. Regulation

Authority: Standards Organisation of Nigeria(SON)

Notification:  Circular TED/AD/100/2005 dated 29th August 2005 issued by Central Bank of Nigeria
 Contract Agreement between SON and Bureau Veritas
Starting date: 01/03/2018
Renewal date: 01/05/2022
Appointed company(ies): Bureau Veritas and other conformity assessment bodies as stated on SON website
Scope of the regulation: Conformity assessment of goods exported to Nigeria
Assessment based on:  Documentary review
 Control testing if any
 Inspection
 Witnessing the loading and sealing FCL
 Facilitation procedures
 Conclusion of the assessment (Certification)
Remark: 2 schemes :
 Product Certification (PC), per product, either Unregistered (1), registered (2) or
licensed (3)
 SONCAP Certification (SC) per consignment

2. Products subject

Subjected goods: Groups of products concerned by SONCAP, including but not limited to:
 Chemical products
 Fertilizers
 Textile and textile products
 Tobacco products
 Footwear
 Toys and child care products
 Electrical (including Electrical Fittings) and Electronics products
 Mechanical products
 kerosene stoves
 Vehicles, motorcycles and their parts
 Others (Hurricane Lamps, Locks, Nails Hand Tools, Bicycle, Auto spares Shock
absorbers, Fan Belts, Safety Belts, Brake pads, Spark Plugs…)
Second-hand goods: Only Vehicles (up to 8 years from the date of manufacture)
Prohibited goods: Refer to https://customs.gov.ng/?page_id=3075
Counterfeited goods: Not allowed
Exempted goods:  Food products
 Medicines
 Medicals other than equipment and machines
 Chemicals used as raw materials by bonafide manufactures
 Military wares and equipment
 Used products other than vehicles
 LPG related products and accessories
 Base oil

(LPG related products with their accessories, base oil and bonafide manufacturers who
intend to import machinery, raw materials, or related spare parts for their manufacturing
are advised to apply to the SONCAP Division in Nigeria for SON import permit)

NIGERIA SONCAP – 10/2024

Rev. 8.4
Page 1 / 5 https://verigates.bureauveritas.com
BUREAU VERITAS

– DATA SHEET –

BUREAU VERITAS

Minimum value subject to the N/A

program:

3. Technical requirement

Conformity requirements: Compliance of goods to applicable standards in priority order* shall be demonstrated
with conformity documents issued by accredited entities (including Bureau Veritas own
laboratories) and/or testing.
In-house test reports may be considered when manufacturer is certified per ISO 9001 or
other appropriate standard and when capability of the laboratory is demonstrated.

* Applicable standards in priority order: Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS), then

International standards (ISO, IEC, UN ECE) and European standards (EN), British
Standards or ANSI-American National Standards Institute standards then other
National standards, then Manufacturer specifications in the absence of NIS, international,
EN, BS, ANSI and national standards applicable to the product.
National deviations: If electrical product intended to be connected to the mains (220 V or 230V or 240 V),
marking of the frequency shall include 50Hz or 60 Hz and if provided, the plug shall be UK
type plug (squared pins). Other kind of plugs could be accepted if provided with a 3
squared pins plug adapter.
Labelling requirements: All labelling of packaging of imports shall include English.
Other specific requirements:  Tobacco products:
Tobacco products need to be registered by SON before proceeding with the
SONCAP process (PC/SC)
Only PC1/PC3 can be applied for tobacco products
 Fertilizers:
 Fertilizers need to be registered by the importer at the Nigerian Office of the
National Security Adviser (ONSA) to obtain the End User Certificate (EUC)
required to initiate the SONCAP certification (SC).
 Life Endanger Products/LEP:
 Including but not limited to: Automobile Glass, Batteries, Brake Fluids, Brake Pads,
Cements , Converters, Chargers, Electrical Cables, Electrical Fuses, Electrical
Parts, Electrical switches, Fertilizer, Gas Regulator, Gypsum, Heaters, Safety
helmets, Headgear, Lightening Arrestors, Lubricating Preparation, Matches,
Paints Razor, Safety Belts, Safety Glasses, Sanitary Pads, Solar Panels,
Stabilizer, Steel Bars, Steel Roofing Sheets, Telephone , Tyres…
 Only PC1/PC3 can be applied for LEP
 Aluminum and steel coils:
 Only PC1 can be applied with mandatory inspection before issuing the SC
 Cable TV decoder:
 Only PC1 can be applied with mandatory inspection before issuing the SC
 Conformity document needs to be approved by SON before issuing the PC1.
 Witness the loading and sealing is required if FCL shipments

4. Application

Applicant: Exporter or importer

Application name: NIGERIA - SONCAP- REQUEST FOR CERTIFICATE FORM (RFC)
Required documents (*):  Product Certification (PC) scheme:
 Product technical data sheet (if available)
 Conformity documents (test reports, quality certificates, analysis reports, etc.)
provided by exporters, as per technical requirements

NIGERIA SONCAP – 10/2024

Rev. 8.4
Page 2 / 5 https://verigates.bureauveritas.com
BUREAU VERITAS

– DATA SHEET –

BUREAU VERITAS

 Factory site inspection report (if available)

 PC issued by other conformity assessment body (if available)
 Quality management system certificate of the exporter and/or manufacturer (if
available)
 SONCAP Certification (SC) scheme:
 Valid PC (1 or 2 or 3),
 Final invoice,
 e Form M ,
 Transport document (Bill of Lading/Air Way Bill/ CMR…) and
 Importer’s Business Registration/RC Number and Tax Identification Number
(TIN)
Required information (*):  Declared HS codes (at least in 4 digits in case of a Product Certificate and in 10 digits
in case of a SONCAP certificate) according to Nigerian tariff book
(https://customs.gov.ng/?page_id=3133)
 Photographs of the products and labels (if applicable)
Application office(s): Bureau Veritas offices (see contacts sheet on Verigates):
https://verigates.bureauveritas.com/programmes/nigeria-soncap

5. Control testing requirements

Applicable cases:  Product Certification (PC) scheme:

Conformity document not available or not acceptable
 SONCAP Certification (SC)scheme:
N/A
Laboratory criteria: ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory or Bureau Veritas own laboratories
Testing: According to applicable standards

6. Inspection requirements

Scope of inspection:  Product Certification (PC) scheme:

N/A

 SONCAP Certification (SC)scheme:

 Review of markings as per applicable standard(s) and identification of products
Destination inspection: Not allowed
Witness of loading:  Product Certification (PC) scheme:
N/A

 SONCAP Certification (SC)scheme:

 Applicable to full container load (FCL) shipments except for the Less than
container load (LCL) and air shipments (when required per applied route 1, 2 or 3)
Seal of container:  Product Certification (PC) scheme:
N/A

 SONCAP Certification (SC)scheme:

 Applicable to full container load (FCL) shipments except for the Less than
container load (LCL) and air shipments (when required per applied route 1, 2 or 3)
Sampling: In case of control testing (see section 5 as above)
Type of report issued: Inspection report (IR)

NIGERIA SONCAP – 10/2024

Rev. 8.4
Page 3 / 5 https://verigates.bureauveritas.com
BUREAU VERITAS

– DATA SHEET –

BUREAU VERITAS

7. Facilitation procedures
 Registration
 Licensing

8. Conclusion of the Assessment

 Product Certification (PC) scheme:

 Unregistered Product Certificate-PC 1
 Registered Product Certificate-PC 2
 Licensed Product Certificate-PC 3
 Non Conformity Report -NCR

 SONCAP Certification (SC)scheme:

 SONCAP certificate-SC
 Non Conformity Report -NCR

9. Fees
Paid by Exporter
Fees structure:
 Product Certification (PC) scheme*:
 Unregistered Product Certificate-PC 1: USD 500
 Registered Product Certificate-PC 2: USD 1,000
 Licensed Product Certificate-PC 3: USD 2,000

* - Additional models to be included in the same Product Certificate (PC1) before its single-use: USD 60 per model
- Additional new models to be included in the same Product Certificate (PC2 & PC3): USD 120 per model
- Additional new products to be included in the same Product Certificate: USD 350 per product per validity of certificate.
 SONCAP Certification (SC) scheme:
 SONCAP certificate-SC: USD 350

 Other costs:
 Amendment of Product and SONCAP Certificate: USD 100
 Non conformity report-NCR USD 350

The above fees cover the documentary verification and the inspections of the goods but do not include:
 Testing: to be quoted on a case by case basis
 Witnessing the loading and sealing the Full Load Container s when required
 Exporter, manufacturer and factory QMS auditing
 Re-inspection due to vain inspection
 Cost incurred by the Seller in presenting the goods for inspection and/or testing
 Other fees not mentioned above

10. Contact
See contacts sheet for details on Verigates:
https://verigates.bureauveritas.com/programmes/nigeria-soncap

11. Other relevant information

Additional details available on Verigates:
https://verigates.bureauveritas.com/programmes/nigeria-soncap

(*) Updated information

NIGERIA SONCAP – 10/2024

Rev. 8.4
Page 4 / 5 https://verigates.bureauveritas.com
BUREAU VERITAS

– DATA SHEET –

BUREAU VERITAS

The information contained herein is for the purpose of facilitating Pre-Shipment Inspection and does not relieve Exporters or Importers from
their obligations in respect of compliance with the import regulations of the country of importation. Although every effort has been made to
ensure the correctness of the information, as at the date of issuance of this data sheet, Bureau Veritas does not accept any responsibility for
errors or omissions and, furthermore, the information may subsequently be subject to change as may be announced by the Authorities in the
country of importation. Consequently, Exporters are advised to check with Bureau Veritas, prior to shipment of the goods, if there is any doubt
concerning the issuance of a Certificate of Conformity.

NIGERIA SONCAP – 10/2024

Rev. 8.4
Page 5 / 5 https://verigates.bureauveritas.com