What Is a Certificate of Compliance (CoC), and How Can I Get One?

Article Highlights:

• Supply chain compliance and supply chain risk management (SCRM) depend heavily on transparency and documentation. A single non-compliant shipment can trigger customs delays, fines, costly recalls, or reputational damage. Certificates of compliance help mitigate these risks by providing verifiable evidence that goods meet the standards, regulations, or quality specifications required by buyers, distributors, and regulators.
• In contrast, a Declaration of Conformity/Compliance (DoC) is generally a self-issued legal statement by the manufacturer or importer declaring that the product meets the applicable regulations. For example, many European Union product regulations (such as those under the CE marking framework) require a DoC.
• A certificate of compliance is a critical tool that supports transparency and risk mitigation across supply-chain tiers. By providing clear evidence of regulatory and technical compliance, CoCs enable organizations to trace products back to their source, validate supplier claims, and build strong compliance frameworks.

A Certificate of Compliance (CoC) is a formal document that confirms a product meets specific regulatory, safety, or technical standards. In a supply-chain compliance context, a certificate of compliance acts as proof that the product was manufactured, tested, and inspected according to the rules of the market where it is sold or imported. It’s widely used across industries, including electronics, machinery, consumer goods, automotive, toys, and industrial parts, and is particularly valuable when products must demonstrate compliance with legally mandated requirements.

Supply-chain compliance and supply-chain risk management (SCRM) depend heavily on transparency and documentation. A single non-compliant shipment can trigger customs delays, fines, costly recalls, or reputational damage. CoCs help mitigate these risks by providing verifiable evidence that goods meet the standards, regulations, or quality specifications required by buyers, distributors, and regulators. In short, they improve trust, reduce uncertainty, and support compliance across the entire supply chain.

Certificate of Compliance vs. Declaration of Conformity 

The terms Certificate of Compliance and Declaration of Conformity are often used interchangeably, depending on the context. But they refer to different types of documentation, with important distinctions businesses should be aware of.

• A Certificate of Compliance (CoC) can be issued by an independent third-party body—or, in some cases, self-issued through internal customer-specific documents. It states that a product meets certain regulatory specifications or quality criteria. These documents are often used at the supplier level as part of standard procurement or quality-assurance processes.

• A Declaration of Conformity/Compliance (DoC) is generally just a self-issued legal statement by the manufacturer or importer declaring that the product meets the applicable regulations. For example, many European Union product regulations (such as those under the CE marking framework) require a DoC. While legally valid, a DoC does not involve independent verification unless the regulation requires a notified body.

In practice, certificates of conformity have stronger evidentiary value because they usually rely on test data, audits, or third-party review. CoCs are statements that the evidence compiled has been reviewed at each stage and verified. Certificates of Compliance are often used for internal quality assurance or supplier communication rather than meeting regulatory obligations. 

DoCs, on the other hand, are legal declarations for regulated markets that primarily rely on internal evidence. Even though it is “self-issued,” it carries a legal status within a given market, and states that the company is assuming responsibility for compliance. While declarations of conformity typically do not rely on third-party involvement, the company must be able to prove compliance through technical documentation, which typically includes CoCs collected from suppliers. 

Essentially, CoCs are your evidence, while DoCs are your formal legal statements to regulatory bodies.

What Should a Certificate of Compliance Include?

A well-structured CoC provides enough detail for regulators, customs officials, distributors, and customers to confidently verify compliance. While exact requirements vary by country, regulation, industry or product type, most CoCs contain the following:

A well-structured CoC provides enough detail for regulators, customs officials, distributors, and customers to confidently verify compliance.

• Product identification, including a product description, model or part number, and batch or serial information, if relevant. This ensures the certificate clearly applies to the product being shipped or sold.

• Applicable standards, regulations, or tests the product has passed. This could include safety standards, chemical compliance requirements, electrical safety tests, electromagnetic compatibility results, or any other regulated criteria for the destination market.

• Manufacturer or importer details, including full legal name, address, and contact information. If testing or certification was performed by a third-party laboratory or agency, their information should also be listed.

• Dates and locations related to manufacturing, testing, or inspection. This may include the place of manufacture, date of production, testing dates, or the inspection site and laboratory where verification occurred (if applicable).

• An authorized signature or certified seal confirming the authenticity of the certificate. For third-party issued CoCs, this is essential for traceability and regulatory acceptance.

A complete CoC increases confidence among downstream partners and reduces the likelihood of customs rejection or difficult compliance questions.

Why Do You Need a Certificate of Compliance?

A CoC can be required for any of the following reasons, depending on the product, industry, and destination market:

• For imported goods, many countries mandate a CoC for customs clearance to prove the product meets local standards. Countries across the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia, for example, require a CoC issued by an accredited body before goods can enter the country.
• For regulated or safety-critical products such as electronics, industrial equipment, or components where compliance with safety or environmental regulations is legally required. In these cases, CoCs may be needed to demonstrate compliance with national or international standards.

• For supply-chain compliance more broadly. Even when not legally mandated, a CoC can help buyers and distributors verify supplier claims, support qualification processes, and build trust. As part of SCRM, CoCs help assess supplier reliability, reduce the risk of non-compliant materials entering production lines, and maintain a clean audit trail.

In all cases, CoCs strengthen documentation and reduce uncertainty across the supply chain.

How to Obtain a Certificate of Compliance (CoC)

Obtaining a CoC involves several structured steps. The process varies depending on whether you rely on a supplier’s self-issued certificate or engage a third-party testing agency, but the overall workflow remains consistent.

Step 1: Identify the necessary standards or regulations for your product and the importing country. This includes both regulatory requirements (e.g., safety, environmental, chemical restrictions) and national import mandates that require pre-shipment inspection or certification.

Step 2: Work with a compliant manufacturer or supplier who understands the relevant requirements. Some suppliers may self-issue CoCs, but these provide limited assurance unless supported by robust testing. Many companies choose to engage an accredited third-party laboratory or certification body to perform product testing or inspections before a CoC is issued.

Step 3: Request complete documentation. This can include things like technical specifications, applicable test reports, inspection records, labels, and details from the certification body. These documents form the evidence base supporting the CoC.

Step 4: Review the CoC to ensure it contains all required fields. Missing information—such as incomplete product details, absent test references, missing signatures, or no lab details—can lead to rejection by customs authorities or quality-assurance teams.

Step 5: Retain records and maintain audit-ready documentation. CoCs, along with associated test reports and supplier information, should be stored in your compliance system or SCRM platform. This enables tracking, re-verification, and easy retrieval during audits or internal reviews.

Following these steps ensures the certificate you receive is usable and robust enough to support cross-border trade and internal compliance requirements.

Common Challenges, Risks, and Mistakes to Avoid

Several issues can undermine the validity of a CoC, or otherwise create noncompliance risk exposure.

One common mistake manufacturers often make is relying on a self-declared document that’s not actually a true CoC. An internal Certificate of Compliance may be mistaken for a third-party verified CoC, but they do not offer the same level of independent assurance. This misunderstanding can lead to customs delays or regulatory penalties. If you are accepting self-declared documents, you should have a supplier audit system in place that verifies their processes on a regular basis to ensure you can trust their self-declarations.

An internal Certificate of Compliance may be mistaken for a third-party verified CoC, but they do not offer the same level of independent assurance.

Another risk is using CoCs with missing or incomplete information. Certificates lacking manufacturer details, test references, dates, or lab information can be deemed invalid. Both regulators and buyers expect sufficient detail to verify traceability, and incomplete information can lead to a host of negative supply chain consequences. 

Companies should also avoid referencing outdated or inapplicable standards. A CoC must cite current regulations for the destination market. Using old test reports or outdated compliance references can lead to non-compliance even when the product itself is safe.

Understanding these risks in advance helps prevent costly supply-chain disruptions.

How CoCs Support Supply Chain Compliance and SCRM

A CoC is more than a document—it’s a critical tool that supports transparency and risk mitigation across supply-chain tiers. By providing clear evidence of regulatory and technical compliance, CoCs enable organizations to trace products back to their source, validate supplier claims, and build strong compliance frameworks.

For supply-chain risk management, CoCs help reduce exposure to common risks such as non-compliant imports, regulatory enforcement, product recalls, or supplier misrepresentation. Procurement and sourcing teams use CoCs to vet new suppliers, confirm product quality, and maintain detailed compliance logs. Quality-assurance and engineering teams rely on CoC documentation to align materials with internal specifications and regulatory obligations.

When integrated into onboarding, procurement, and audit processes, CoCs support a proactive approach to compliance and strengthen overall supply chain resilience.

Compliance Software Tools Strengthen Your Supply Chain Due Diligence 

A Certificate of Compliance is an essential document for companies that manufacture, import, or distribute regulated products. It provides clear evidence that a product meets the standards and regulations of the destination market and is often required for customs clearance or market access. To be effective, a CoC must be properly structured and supported by accurate test results or inspection records.

Businesses should request CoCs early in the supplier-onboarding process, particularly for new suppliers or high-risk regions. When possible, companies should seek out third-party verified certificates over self-issued declarations. Retaining audit-ready documentation and integrating CoC checks into procurement and SCRM workflows ensures long-term compliance and reduces operational risk.

In addition to procuring certificates of compliance verified by third parties, manufacturers and importers can strengthen their supply chain due diligence processes with a compliance tool like Z2Data. Z2Data’s compliance offerings can help companies manage all their regulatory and due diligence obligations, including:

• Data normalization, standardization, and modeling
• Supplier campaigning 
• Compliance risk analysis 
• Creating reports and declarations

Z2Data’s Compliance and Sustainability solution covers over 180 major global regulations, including REACH, RoHS, EUDR, California Prop 65, PFAS, SCIP, and Critical Minerals regulations.

To learn more about Z2Data and its compliance capabilities, schedule a free trial with one of our product experts.