Extended transition period ends for Morocco VOC programme

Applicable products exported to Morocco must now be accompanied by a Certificate of Conformity (COC), to be issued by Bureau Veritas, following the end of an extended transition phase for the Kingdom’s Verification of Conformity (VoC) programme.

The initial transition period was due to end in June 2020, but was extended until 31^st December due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Exporters sending products to the Kingdom of Morocco must now contact Bureau Veritas to ensure they have the necessary certificate in place to secure customs clearance on arrival.

Bureau Veritas was appointed in 2019 by the Ministry of Industry, Trade, Green and Digital Economy for the Kingdom of Morocco to implement the programme, which applies to a wide scope of products across 11 key categories, covering electrical products, construction products, toys, gas appliances, shoes and clothing, chemical products, vehicle parts and more.

The end of the official transition period means applicable products will be unable to complete the customs clearance process unless they have Verification of Conformity, which involves checking the conformity of goods according to specific technical regulations, national standards or an international equivalent.

Ricardo Fleming, Government Services & International Trade Manager for Bureau Veritas UK & Ireland, said: “This date has already been rescheduled to enable flexibility due to coronavirus but the transition period is now over and it is important that exporters have the correct documentation in place.

“With more than 190 years’ experience providing Pre-Shipment Inspection and Verification of Conformity services, Bureau Veritas has a global team of specialists working with exporters at a local level. And we are looking forward to continuing our work with those exporting to Morocco.”