There are two kinds of Mandatory Product Certification Schemes that are being implemented by the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS). The purpose of these certification schemes is to ensure to the public that the products being released are up to standard. This also makes sure that the health and welfare of the public is being protected through the rigid certification and standardization of goods.
The first kind of certification scheme is through the Philippine Standard (PS) Quality and/or Safety Certification Mark Licensing Scheme. For a PS Quality and/or Safety Certification Mark License to be issued, the requirements under PNS ISO 9001, as well as the other pertinent product standards, shall be complied with by foreign or local manufacturers. A corresponding Philippine Standard or PS Mark shall then be issued to the product, indicating that it is approved by the Bureau of Philippine Standards.
The second kind of certification scheme is through the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) Certification Scheme. Compliance with the corresponding PNS is shown through product testing and inspection. This is done by the Bureau of Philippine Standards Testing Laboratory or Bureau of Philippine Standard-recognized testing laboratories. Compared to PS Quality and/ or Safety Certification Mark License, which is given to foreign or local manufacturers, the ICC Certification is given to importers. Note that an ICC sticker shall be issued to approved products as well, showing that these products are given certification by the Bureau of Philippine Standards.
However, in order to be issued a certificate of exemption, the Department of Trade and Industry provides us with an ICC Process Flowchart. For the Certification Process of the ICC Certificate of Exemption, there are only several steps, which are the following:
- Submit your application form;
- Evaluation will be done to the submitted application;
- Issuance of Certificate of Exemption
- In order to process the certificate of exemption, the following are the requirements that you must submit:
- Packing list;
- Import Entry (note that this need not be submitted upon filing the application, but shall be a requirement for the release of the Exemption Certificate);
- Commercial Invoice;
- Bill of Lading or Airway Bill;
- Summary of Batch Numbers or Serial Numbers of Products;
- DTI Business Name Registration for those under single proprietorship;
- SEC Certificate of Incorporation for corporations;
- A Special Power of Attorney for those under single proprietorship;
- A Board or Partner’s Resolution for corporations or a notarized Secretary’s Certificate stating the name of the authorized company representative;
- BIR Importers Clearance Certificate or BOC Importer Certificate;
- Current Proof of Billing for office and warehouse;
A surety bond for covered products shall also be needed to be paid, as well.
Note that all photocopied documents shall be certified true and correct by the authorized signatory of the applicant company.
Need further information and assistance regarding the processing of the DTI certificate of exemption? Talk to our team at Duran & Duran-Schulze Law to know more about the requirements and process. Call us today at (+632) 8478 5826 or send an email to info@duranschulze.com for more information.