What SONCAP is
SONCAP, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme, is described by SON as an offshore and pre-shipment certification scheme to monitor, check and control the importation of regulated products into Nigeria. It was introduced by the Federal Government to keep unsafe and substandard goods out of the Nigerian market.
The conformity assessment takes place in the exporting country, not at the Nigerian port. Depending on the product it can include physical inspection before shipment, sampling, laboratory testing, an audit of the manufacturer's production processes and a documentary check.
The one deadline that cannot be missed
SONCAP is offshore, and that single fact decides whether the scheme is available to you at all. SON states that it cannot be processed after the consignment has left the country of origin.
The scheme is closed to that shipment and the SONCAP Default applies instead: 20% of CIF, or NGN 2,000,000, whichever is higher.
Which Product Certificate you need
A Product Certificate is a statement about the product, not about a single shipment. There are three routes, and the right one depends mainly on how often you intend to import the same model. For a one-off purchase of a single machine the first route is the normal one; importing the same model repeatedly is what makes the later two worth their higher fee.
- PC1, unregistered: conformity verification for a product that is not yet registered. Valid for 6 months and single use only.
- PC2, registered: the product is in registered status. Valid for 12 months and reusable across shipments.
- PC3, licensed: the product is in licensed status. Valid for 12 months and reusable across shipments.
Who applies for what
This is the part buyers most often get wrong. The Product Certificate is issued to the exporter, and only the exporter's details appear on it. The SONCAP Certificate is issued to the importer, and only the importer's details appear on it. The PC opens the CBN Form M; the SC opens the PAAR and Customs clearance.
In practice your supplier applies for the PC and you apply for the SC. A machinery buyer in Nigeria therefore cannot complete the import alone, and an exporter cannot complete it on the buyer's behalf.
The SONCAP Certificate is limited to processing a single PAAR consignment and is issued to one entity only. Every shipment needs its own certificate.
The order of operations
SON sets out the sequence in its own guidance. It begins with a tax registration rather than with the product, which is why buyers who start by asking their supplier for a certificate usually lose time.
- Register and activate your FIRS Tax Identification Number on the national trade portal. A TIN is mandatory; without one, certificates and import permits cannot be processed.
- Process the Product Certificate through an accredited firm. This is the exporter's step, though the buyer supplies company details.
- Apply for the CBN Form M, attaching the Product Certificate.
- Process the SONCAP Certificate through an accredited firm.
- Apply for the Nigeria Customs PAAR, attaching the SONCAP Certificate.
- Process the Nigeria Customs SGD.
- Inform SON Port and Border Operations so the consignment can clear out of the port.
All PAAR applications must be made at the time the consignment departs for Nigeria. Applying once the goods are already at a Nigerian port or border is treated as default and penalised.
Who carries out the assessment, and can you choose
SONCAP is operated on SON's behalf by eight Independent Accredited Firms, which issue the test reports and the certificates. SON is explicit that no territory or region is assigned to any of them and that they may operate in every area of their competence, at any location in the world.
That matters when you are buying from China, because several of these firms operate there and can complete the assessment before shipment rather than waiting for the goods to reach Africa.
- Africa Standards and Certifications
- Alberk QA Technic
- Bureau Veritas
- China Certification and Inspection Group
- China Hanson Inspection and Certification
- China Standards Inspection
- COTECNA Verification Services
- Intership Quality Solutions
What it costs
These are the fees SON publishes in its own guidance, stated in US dollars. They change, so treat them as a starting point for budgeting rather than a fixed quotation. Budget the SONCAP Certificate at USD 350 for every shipment, plus the Product Certificate once.
- PC1, unregistered: USD 500
- PC2, registered: USD 1,000
- PC3, licensed: USD 2,000
- New product: USD 350
- Certificate amendment: USD 100
- Non-Conformity Report: USD 350
- SONCAP Certificate: USD 350 per certificate
- Additional model on the same certificate and test report: USD 10 per model per month of validity, so USD 60 on a PC1 and USD 120 on a PC2 or PC3
Adding models to one certificate and one test report is charged per model rather than as a full second certificate. Ask your accredited firm about it before paying twice.
How long it takes
SON publishes a maximum turnaround of 96 hours for both the Product Certificate and the SONCAP Certificate, reducible to 24 hours where all qualifying documents and test reports are submitted promptly and the products comply with the applicable standard.
For the Import Permit route the published figures are three working days for the Demand Note, three working days to activate the permit on the NICIS portal, and three working days to activate it for PAAR.
Importing for your own factory rather than for resale
This route is widely underused and is often the cheaper one. SON issues a SONCAP Import Permit that exempts certain imports from the offshore certification requirement. It is intended for genuine manufacturers importing industrial machinery, raw materials or packaging for their own production, as well as for project-specific items, humanitarian items and other non-commercial products.
Imports covered by an Import Permit are subjected to conformity assessment in Nigeria rather than offshore. The service charge is calculated at 5% of FOB subject to a minimum of NGN 550,000, along with HS code and other factors. The permit is valid for 12 months, and SON advises that a Form M import permit should be used within six months of issue.
The distinction that decides which route applies is what the machine is for, not what it costs. A machine bought to produce goods for sale is being used for manufacturing; a machine bought to be resold as a unit is commercial trade.
SON states that all commercial items and articles for subsequent sale and distribution must be processed through the SONCAP product certification route instead.
What is outside the offshore scheme
SON lists the following as outside the offshore SONCAP scheme.
- Food products
- Medicines
- Medicals other than equipment and machines
- Chemicals used as raw materials by genuine manufacturers, some of which remain regulated by SON
- Goods classified as contraband by the Federal Government
- Used products other than automobiles; refurbished and re-engineered commercial articles must process an Import Permit
Certain sensitive or high-risk products must still be processed under a special licence issued by the Director General of SON.
What to ask your supplier for
If you are the buyer, ask for these well before the shipment date. The Product Certificate application is the exporter's step and it cannot start without them.
- Commercial invoice and packing list
- Product descriptions with the model numbers exactly as they should appear on the certificate
- Test reports and technical specifications
- Bill of lading and transport documents, which are needed later at the PAAR stage
SON lists among the reasons a PAAR activation is rejected: the HS code and number of items approved on the PC differing from those declared at PAAR activation; more items declared than were approved; a declared value above the approved value; or required documents such as the Form M, final invoice, bill of lading and NSA EUC missing or not in the approved format.
Common questions
These are the questions that come up on almost every machinery enquiry, so they are worth stating plainly.
- Do I need certification if I am importing only one machine? Yes, if the product is regulated. There is no volume threshold; what changes with volume is which Product Certificate route is economical.
- Can the certificate be issued after the goods have shipped? No. SONCAP is offshore and pre-shipment, and once the container has left the country of origin the certificate cannot be processed.
- Can one certificate clear two containers? No. It is limited to a single PAAR consignment and issued to one entity.
- Can the certificate be issued in another company's name? No. A certificate issued on one TIN is not transferable, and the TIN on a registered account cannot be changed.
- Is the tax identification number really required? Yes. SON states the FIRS-issued TIN is one of the key requirements and must be registered for trade on the trade portal first.
- What happens if the goods arrive without a certificate? SON states that regulated products arriving without the SONCAP certificate are in violation of extant regulations and are subject to detention, testing and possible destruction at the importer's expense.
- Do donated or humanitarian goods need certificates? Yes. Every article coming to Nigeria, including donated items, must have evidence of conformity, though NGOs may apply for an Import Permit under the donated non-commercial articles procedure.
- What is an HS code and why does it matter twice? It is the international standard for classifying traded products. SON uses it as the mechanism for regulatory control over products and the Nigeria Customs Service uses it to apply duties and taxes. It matters twice because the code approved on your PC must match the one declared at PAAR activation, and a mismatch is one of the listed reasons for rejection. Codes vary by machine type, so confirm the code for your specific model with your freight forwarder before the PC is issued.
Where these figures come from
Every figure, timing and quoted wording in this guide is taken from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria's own published material, checked on 8 October 2026.
This guide is published by RENFA MACHINERY, a manufacturer of block making machines, concrete moulds and construction equipment in Zhengzhou, China, supplying buyers in Nigeria and across Africa. It is a summary of Nigerian import requirements prepared for our customers, not a record of our own certification history, and it is not legal or customs advice. For your specific consignment, work with your Independent Accredited Firm and your clearing agent.
- SON, SONCAP Services: https://son.gov.ng/soncapservice/
- SON, SONCAP FAQ: https://son.gov.ng/soncap-faq/
- SON, SONCAP portal, where applications are made: https://soncap.son.gov.ng/
Fees, turnaround times, exemptions and validity periods are set by SON and can change. Verify the current position on the SON pages above, or through your chosen Independent Accredited Firm, before committing to a shipment.
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