We work with overseas governments to implement eCert exchanges for exports. This includes phytosanitary and sanitary certificates for food and agricultural exports.
Our goal is for export certification to be completely paperless. You can find out more about the benefits of eCerts and how we develop new exchanges with trading partners.
You can also find out about eCert for imports to Australia.
If an eCert exchange has not been established, paper certification continues to be required.
Our eCert for export system
We have an eCert export application that allows us to send electronic certificates (eCerts) directly to importing government agencies.
These eCerts are generated from the data entered into either:
We are able to send eCerts to importing government agencies that have established exchanges with us. The importing government agency receives our eCerts directly into their importing eCert system and will use the eCerts for import clearance. This process may vary between trading partners.
Parallel eCert exchange
In a parallel exchange the eCert and paper certificate are issued together. The eCert can be used for clearance and/or verification, but the paper certificate should be used if there are issues accessing the eCert.
Paperless eCert exchange
In a paperless exchange the eCert alone is used for import clearance.
eCert web view application
We also have an eCert web view application for trading partners to view certificates through a secure log-in. This is usually used as a first step when building a system-to-system eCert connection. Paper certificates will still be issued, but importing government agencies may also verify the eCert online.
How exporters use eCert
Where a paperless eCert exchange is in place, the Australian exporter will be provided with a certificate number, which is found on the certificate extract. The certificate number must be provided to the overseas importer/client for use in the import clearance process.
The extract is only to be used for commercial purposes. It’s not to be used as part of the import clearance process. The extract does not contain enough information for clearance, and is not an official government certificate.
The eCert will display the all the required information to meet importing country requirements and legislation. The eCert is considered the original government certificate, due to the government-to-government exchange.
Exporters and freight forwarders do not have access to view the eCert, due to the government-to-government exchange. You will be notified through your software provider or through NEXDOC when an eCert has been generated.
Country-specific information about how eCert works with our trading partners is published in:
- Relevant market access advice (MAA) notices
- MAA listed on the Micor meat page
eCert export trading partners
We’ve set up eCert export exchanges with many of our trading partners. These include paperless, parallel and web view verification exchanges. Details of the status of these exchanges are provided in the tables below.
Paperless eCert
This table shows the trading partners and commodities where we have established a paperless eCert export exchange.
| Trading partner | Phytosanitary | Edible Meat | Dairy | Fish | Skins & Hides | Wool | Honey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Paperless | ||||||
| European Union (EU) 1 | Paperless | Paperless | Paperless | Paperless | |||
| Japan | Paperless | Paperless | Paperless | Paperless | |||
| New Zealand | Paperless | Paperless | Paperless | Paperless | |||
| Philippines | Paperless | Paperless | Paperless | ||||
| United States of America | Paperless |
1 Our paperless eCert exchange with the EU includes:
EU member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
Countries in the EU single market: Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland
Parallel eCert
This table highlights the trading partners and commodities where we have established a parallel eCert export exchange.
| Trading partner | Phytosanitary | Edible Meat | Dairy | Fish | Skins & Hides | Wool | Inedible meat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | Parallel | Parallel | Parallel | Parallel | Parallel | Parallel | Parallel |
| Hong Kong | Parallel | Parallel | Parallel | ||||
| Indonesia | Parallel | Parallel | Parallel | ||||
| Korea, Republic of 2 | Parallel | ||||||
| New Zealand | Parallel | Parallel | |||||
| Singapore | Parallel |
2 We have a paperless exchange with Ministry of Food and Drug Safety only. However, paper certification is still provided for Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency.