Tanzania
Waiver Certificate Requirements

Cargo transported to Tanzania must undergo a pre-shipment verification of conformity

Waiver Control:

No waiver required for shipments to Tanzania. Cargo Tracking Note (CTN) / Bordereau de Suivi de Cargaison (BSC) not required.

Pre-Shipment Verification Conformity Program (PVoC):

Tanzania’s Bureau of Standards (TBS) has appointed SGS to implement a Pre-Shipment Verification of Conformity (PVoC) program which took effect as of 1st January 2012.

Under the Pre-Shipment Verification Conformity Program all regulated products to be imported to Tanzania will undergo verification and testing in the country of supply and a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) will be issued to demonstrate that they meet the requirements of the applicable national standards or approved equivalents and technical regulations. The Certificate of Conformity (CoC) is mandatory for Customs clearance.

Tanzania’s Bureau of Standards (TBS) had introduced the PCA Program to protect the country, consumers and local manufacturers from the following:

  • Unfair competition from imported goods which do no comply with the approved standards
  • Substandard products that may endanger public health, safety or the environment
  • Counterfeit or unsafe products

Products regulated under the PCA Program include:

  • Automotive products
  • Toys and childcare products
  • Chemical and household products (furniture, paper products etc)
  • Electrical and electronic products
  • Used products
  • Selected safety equipment
  • Food and agricultural products
  • Mechanical materials and gas appliances

There are 3 potential options to PVoC certification depending on conditions including, but not exclusively the type of product, its homogeneity, frequency of shipments and the manufacturer’s quality management system.

  • Option A: for unregistered products (unregistered suppliers of manufacturer’s of sensitive goods). Products must be tested and physically inspected to demonstrate conformity to relevant standards, essential requirements or manufacturer’s specification.
  • Option B: for registered supplies or manufacturers of goods. This is a fast track certificate process for goods with reasonable and consistent levels of quality by registration of products with the PVoC contractor. Product Registration is highly recommended to exporters with frequent shipments of homogenous products.
  • Option C: licensed products. This option is only open to manufacturers who can show the existence of a quality management system in their production/ manufacturing process. This option requires an audit of any quality management system and licensing of products by the authorised PVoC contractor. This option is highly recommended for manufacturers with high frequency of shipments.

Goods Exempt from Pre-Shipment Verification Conformity Program (PVoC):

Tanzania, Africa