KENYA BUREAU OF STANDARDS PRE-EXPORT VERIFICATION OF CONFORMITY TO STANDARDS EXPORTER AND IMPORTER GUIDELINES QUICK KENYA PVOC EXPORTER GUIDELINES

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1 GTS-PM-KPV-EIG-QEG COVER PAGE AND REVISION RECORD REVISION NO. DATE DESCRIPTION OF CHANGE Jun-2016 Addition of information with regards of enforcement of All Import Products are regulated from 1 st December 2015 and KEBS procedures for Small Trader and Multi- Line Items DOCUMENT AUTHORISATION REVISION No PREPARED BY: Ginalyn Reyes REVIEWED BY: Rajni Jathan APPROVED BY: Percival D Souza COPY STATUS: CONTROLLED / UNCONTROLLED This document is a property of Intertek International Ltd. No corrections/amendments are to be made except by the person authorized. No part of this document can be reproduced in any form or circulated outside Intertek offices without the prior approval of the authorized person above. Important Note: This document is current if it is being read from the Virtual Library on the Intertek GTS Intranet. If it is being read as a hardcopy, then please ensure that the revision number matches the one which is shown on the same document in the Virtual Library. This will ensure that you are reading the latest version. Description of changes on the revised versions not listed above could be provided by PM upon request.

2 INTRODUCTION The Kenyan Bureau of Standards (KEBS) implemented a very clear set of guidelines in 2005 called the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) to Standards Programme. This verifies the conformity of all Regulated Products in the respective exporting countries, to ensure that they comply with applicable Kenyan technical regulations and mandatory standards. KEBS further reorganized the PVoC on 18 th January 2012 and issued a new set of regulated product list. In November 2015, a Notice was jointly issued by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) informing the General Public including Importers that from 1st December, 2015 ALL Imported Products into Kenya barring a few products as listed in Exhibit D - Excluded, Prohibited and Restricted Products List would require a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) for Customs clearance at the Kenyan Ports/Border. OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES The primary objective of applying Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) programme is to: Ensure quality of products, health and safety, and environmental protection for Kenyans and this is reflected in the product coverage scope. Minimize the risk of unsafe and sub-standard goods entering Kenya through the execution of conformity assessment activities in the country of export. This will help ensure that consumers are protected from unsafe and sub-standard goods, and that Kenyan manufacturers are not subjected to unfair competition. The guiding principle of PVoC programme is based on Article 5 of Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT/WTO), which requires that technical requirements (i.e. Standards) applied to foreign products must also be applied to domestically manufactured products. KEY FEATURES Every consignment of imported goods, which contain regulated products, are accompanied by a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) issued by PVoC Intertek Offices prior to shipment. The PVoC Certificate of Conformity is required to ensure smooth Customs clearance of shipments in Kenya. It confirms that the products comply with relevant Kenyan technical regulations and approved standards. Consignment of imported goods can be exported through three routes depending upon the type of exporter and frequency of shipments. INTERTEK SOLUTION Intertek has a global network of offices that have operated the PVoC programme for many years. Intertek has experience in providing solutions to businesses exporting a wide range of products to Kenya. We have undertaken more assessments of more products for longer than any other organization. Our staffs are experts on the understanding and interpretation of a wide range of national and international standards and requirements including Kenyan standard requirements as well as understanding the needs of exporters and importers. Intertek has the world s largest network of laboratories, authorized to test to Kenya s requirements including electrical, chemical, automotive goods, building materials and many others. The PVoC Certificate of Conformity is recognized and trusted by KEBS and the Kenyan Customs. Intertek can provide tailor made service that meet your particular needs, including: Page 1 of 5

3 Submission of assessment requests online Automated s for status of certificates Flexible certificate delivery solutions for high volume users INTERTEK ZONE OF RESPONSIBILITY REGION ZONE OF RESPONSIBILITY AMERICAS Canada USA AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND REPUBLIC AND POLYNESIA ISLANDS Australia Papua New Guinea New Zealand CENTRAL AMERICA AND CARRIBEAN Mexico El Salvador Nicaragua Panama Colombia Ecuador Guatemala Honduras Costa Rica Venezuela Brazil Bolivia Uruguay Chile Jamaica Dominican Republic Peru Paraguay Argentina Cuba Guyana CHINA China Mainland Taiwan Hong Kong Mongolia INDIAN SUBCONTINENT India Sri Lanka Bangladesh Afghanistan Myanmar Pakistan NORDIC COUNTRIES Norway Finland Sweden Iceland Denmark UNITED ARAB EMIRATES United Arab mirates UNITED KINGDOM Wales Ireland Scotland England WESTERN AFRICA Mauritania Guinea Burkina Faso Ghana Senegal Mali Cote D lvoire Togo Nigeria Niger Gambia Guinea Bissau Equatorial Guinea Cameroon Liberia Sierra Leone ROUTES FOR CERTIFICATION Page 2 of 5

4 ROUTE A CONSIGNMENT CERTIFICATION Under Route A, products to be shipped have to be both tested and physically inspected to demonstrate conformity to relevant standards, essential requirements or manufacturer s specification. This route is open to all products being exported by either traders or manufacturers. This Route is opened to any trade party. Under Route A shipment, KEBS has developed additional specific shipment certification procedures; Route A - For Multi-line items This procedure is applicable to consignment destined for specific projects (not for resale) and meeting the following criteria: a. Project where the equipment will be used / installed shall be identified. b. Products or final project are not for resale (example: this procedure is applicable to a building project of an hotel that will be operated by importer but is not applicable to a real estate project for which houses will be sold) further qualifications to be considered: c. Either the Exporter is the installer or user of the products (in Kenya) or the installer in Kenya has defined and ordered the items and these items are clearly defined by contract d. Quantities made up of numerous line items Exclusion This procedure is not applicable for products of high risk. (for which normal route A is applicable or for which KEBS special acceptance shall be received). Route A - For Small Trader This procedure is applicable to traders who have limited volumes and therefore do not have direct access to main manufacturers of goods (no test report available). Consignments considered under this procedure shall meet the following criteria: a. FOB value not exceeding USD 20, b. Volume not exceeding one 20 Container or equivalent (Note: shipments of small traders consolidated in a 40 Container or less could be considered under this procedure. The different small traders shall nominate a representative who would have to comply with this procedure) c. Not more than 4 shipments (CoC) per year for the same trader (Importer or Exporter) Exclusion This procedure is not applicable for high risk products. The process of certification is as outlined below: Submission of Request for Certification (RFC) by the Exporter Submission of Import Declaration Form (IDF) Review of RFC/ Documentation submitted by Exporter to PVoC Agent Consignment Inspection by the Appointed Inspector Consignment Testing Issuance of the Final Certification Documentation (Certification Decision/CoC) by the PVoC Agent Page 3 of 5

5 ROUTE B PRODUCT REGISTRATION AND CERTIFICATION OF SHIPMENT Route B offers a fast track certification process for goods with reasonable and consistent levels of quality through Registration of such products by the PVoC Agent. Product Registration is recommended to exporters having frequent shipments of homogenous products. The process of Registration and Certification is as follows: Product Registration Submission of Registration Application to PVoC Agent by the Exporter Review of Registration Application submitted by Exporter to PVoC Agent Registered Product Consignment Certification Process Submission of Request for Certification (RFC) Submission of Import Declaration Form (IDF) Consignment Inspection by the Appointed Inspector (Please note Consignment Inspection can be exempted based on Risk Assessment). Random Consignment Testing Issuance of the Final Certification Documentation (Certification Decision/ CoC) by the PVoC Agent ROUTE C PRODUCT LICENSING Route C is open only to manufacturers who can demonstrate existence of a quality management system in their production/ manufacturing process. It involves auditing of such production processes and licensing of products manufactured thereof by authorized PVoC Agent. It is recommended for manufacturers that have high frequency/volumes of shipments. The process of Licensing includes: Product Licensing Submission of Licensing Application to PVoC Agent by the Exporter Review of Licensing Application submitted by Exporter to PVoC Agent Type testing of product Periodic factory surveillance in line with ISO Guide 28 Licensed Product Consignment Certification Process Submission of Request for Certification (RFC) Submission of Import Declaration Form (IDF) Random consignment inspection by the Appointed Inspector No consignment testing Issuance of the Final Certification Documentation (Certification Decision/CoC) by the PVoC Agent REGULATED PRODUCTS KEBS and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) have mandated that ALL products imported to Kenya excluding the following are regulated from December Importers importing specific products as explained in Table I of Exhibit D Prohibited Products as per Table II of Exhibit D Restricted Products as per Table III of Exhibit D Banned Products as per Table IV of Exhibit D Page 4 of 5

6 FEES Route A 0.50% of FOB value subject to a minimum of USD 250 Route B 0.45% of FOB value subject to a minimum of USD 250 Route C 0.25% of FOB value subject to a minimum of USD 250 Maximum Fees The above fees are subject to a maximum of USD 2675 Testing Fees Registration Fees Licensing Fees Determined on a case by case basis Determined on a case-by-case basis Determined on a case-by-case basis CONTACT US INTERTEK GOVERNMENT AND TRADE SERVICES Academy Place 1-9 Brook Street, Brentwood, Essex CM 14 5NQ, UK Tel: Fax: info.government@intertek.com PVoC LIAISON OFFICE House of Vanguard, Mz Floor, Chiromo Road, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: / 3 / 6 Fax: / info.kenyapvoc@intertek.com EXHIBITS Exhibit A Exhibit B Exhibit D Exhibit E PVoC CSCs and their Zones of Responsibility Request for Certification Form Excluded Prohibited and Restricted Products List Request for Product Certificate, Registration, Licence Form The above Exhibits are available at Page 5 of 5