Pre-purchase certificate credits for export to the EU and Northern Ireland, EEA, Switzerland and the USA
Cost of a credit
To cover the administration costs of endorsing certificates there will be a charge of £33 + VAT per certificate. This charge is necessary to cover the direct staffing resources needed to provide this specialised service. We’re purely working to cost recovery and will continually review our pricing in line with any potential changes to current regulatory requirements.
If you are exporting to Northern Ireland and not exempt from COI (Certificate of Inspection) completion under an authorised trader, you do not need to pre-purchase credits. Endorsement costs are covered by a government MAS grant paid to your certifier.
How long will the UK Government cover these costs?
MAS is constantly monitored and assessed to see how the scheme is working. DEFRA will continue to review the requirements of both traders and certifiers.
For more detailed guidance on exporting, please visit our exporting page.
To be able to purchase and submit a COI (Certificate of Inspection) or NOPIC (National Organic Program Import Certificate), you must ensure, as the exporter, that you hold a current and valid Soil Association Certification (SA Cert) Certificate for your organic products.
- Our working hours to receive and endorse COIs and NOPICs are 8 am – 6 pm Monday to Friday. Provided that the eligibility criteria as outlined in our terms and conditions have been met and they have been submitted by 12pm where possible, we aim to work to a turnaround time of 24 hours for COIs and 48 hours for NOPICs. However, we are not able to guarantee this service.
- In exceptional circumstance and by pre-arrangement only, we will operate a limited service at weekends to amend weights and transportation details for COIs only. Where a COI requires a weekend endorsement, a draft COI must be submitted not later than 3pm on Friday.
- We anticipate a high demand for this service so please submit a draft COI for any shipment with as much notice as possible.
Can you endorse my COI or NOPIC once the goods have left GB?
No, we are unable to endorse COIs once the consignment have left Great Britain. Please note that Article 13(2) of Reg (123/5 2020) states that ‘the certificate of inspection shall be issued by the relevant control authority or control body before the consignment leaves the third country of export or origin’. Please do not ship your goods without an endorsed COI. Soil Association Certification will not be able to endorse COIs retrospectively after the goods have left Great Britain.
Similarly we are no longer able to endorse NOPICs once the goods have left GB due to the new rules laid out in the Strengthening of Organic Enforcement by the USDA. More information on that can be found on the US Department of Agriculture website.
Pre-purchase credits
By completing and submitting the form below you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Please note once your payment has been successful, you will receive a confirmation email and VAT receipt. You can then create and submit your COI on the TRACES NT portal for our team to process the endorsement.