An organic consignment carries two sets of paperwork: the ordinary documents any export needs, and the organic documents that prove its status at both ends. Missing one from either set can hold a container at the port.
The organic documents specifically
- Scope certYour current annual certificate, on TraceNet
- PTC → TCProvisional TC before shipment, completed with transport details after
- 7 daysWorking-day limit for an export TC, once documents are complete
- Destinatione-COI (EU), NOP Import Certificate (US), GB COI (UK)…
The Document Set
| Document | Issued by | Why it is needed |
|---|---|---|
| Scope certificate | Your NPOP certification body, on TraceNet | Shows you are certified for the product this year |
| Export transaction certificate | Your NAB-accredited certification body, on TraceNet | Required by DGFT Public Notice 39/2024-25 for every organic export |
| Commercial invoice and packing list | You, the exporter | Quantities here must match the TC exactly |
| Shipping bill | Filed with Indian Customs | The customs export declaration |
| Phytosanitary certificate | India's plant quarantine authority | Where the importing country requires one for plant products |
| Certificate of origin | The authorised issuing agency | Where the buyer or a trade agreement requires it |
| Bill of lading or air waybill | The carrier | Transport details — which complete the PTC into the export TC |
| Destination organic certificate | Your certification body, in the destination's system | EU e-COI in TRACES; US NOP Import Certificate; GB COI; Taiwan's organic demonstration document |
| Test reports | An ISO 17025, APEDA-recognised laboratory | Where the buyer, the destination or your certification body requires them |
The Order Things Happen In
(product, quantity, market)"] --> B["Pre-shipment residue
testing to destination limits"] B --> C["Invoice + packing list"] C --> D["Provisional TC
on TraceNet"] D --> E["Phytosanitary +
shipping bill"] E --> F["Goods shipped —
B/L or AWB issued"] F --> G["Export TC completed
with transport details"] F --> H["Destination certificate
(e-COI, NOP IC, GB COI)"]
The commonest avoidable delay: quantities that differ between the invoice, the packing list, the TC request and the bill of lading. Certification bodies must verify documents before issuing a TC, and a mismatch is exactly what they are looking for. Fix the numbers once, at the invoice, and carry them through.
Where Each Market Adds Its Own
This interactive tool needs JavaScript. The rules it applies are set out in the text of this episode.
- EU: the electronic certificate of inspection in TRACES — without it the goods are not released at the EU port.
- United States: an electronic NOP Import Certificate from a USDA-accredited certifier, alongside the TraceNet TC.
- Great Britain: a GB certificate of inspection for every consignment, including samples.
- Taiwan: the organic demonstration document from your NPOP-accredited certification body, under the mutual recognition agreement.
Before the Container Is Booked
Before the container is booked
- Confirm your scope certificate covers the product and will still be valid on the shipment date.
- Confirm the upstream TCs for every lot in the consignment are in hand — your export TC depends on them.
- Test to the destination's residue limits before loading, not after arrival.
- Agree with your certification body who raises the destination certificate, and when.
- Keep a copy of every document in one shipment file; the next inspection will ask for it.
Related: generating COIs on TraceNet and fixing stock ledger mismatches. KrushiFlow validates these fields and submits farmer records to the portal in bulk.