TRACES is the European Commission's online platform for official certificates on imports of food, feed, animals and plants. For organic products, the certificate of inspection (COI) is created and signed in TRACES. A "TRACES certificate" usually means that COI.
Paper organic import certificates were replaced by the electronic COI. If the COI in TRACES is wrong or missing, the goods may only be sold as conventional, or held.
Who does what in TRACES
- The exporter's control body creates and signs the COI after checking the lot.
- The EU importer is named on the COI and must be registered as an organic operator.
- The member state authority at the point of entry verifies the COI and the goods, and may sample them.
- The first consignee in the EU confirms receipt of the goods in the system.
What the COI records and when
The COI identifies the exporter, the producer or processor, the importer and the first consignee. It lists the product, its customs code, the quantity, the lot numbers and the transport details, including container numbers. It also names the control body that certified the goods.
Each detail must match the commercial documents and the physical goods. Small differences, such as a lot number with a missing digit, can be enough to stop release.
Plan the COI as part of the shipping timetable, not as a final step. The control body in India needs the documents and may want to inspect or sample before signing. Ask your supplier when they will request it and how long their control body usually takes.
At arrival, the authority's checks happen before customs release as organic. If they decide to sample, allow extra days. Port charges can run while you wait, as explained in demurrage and detention risk.
Checks before the vessel sails
For the full document list, see what documents you need for organic imports into the EU.
- The control body is recognised by the EU for this product and origin.
- The supplier's organic certificate covers the exact product and processing.
- The COI draft matches invoice, packing list, lot numbers and container numbers.
- The importer and first consignee details are correct and registered.
- Residue test results are available and within your limits.
If the COI is wrong
If the COI is missing, late or contains an error, contact the exporter and its control body straight away. Some errors can be corrected in TRACES before the authority completes its checks, others cannot. If organic status is refused, the goods may still be sold as conventional, at a lower value, provided they meet ordinary food law. Your contract should say who bears that loss when the error lies with the exporter or its control body.
How Creston & Co handles this
We confirm the control body's EU scope before you commit, and check the COI draft against the lot we inspected and sealed into the container. If anything does not match, we fix it before departure. Ask for a free sourcing review.