21 01 2026
The Customs will start on 2 February 2026 with the automated checking of CHED‑D documents via CERTEX. The CHED‑D health certificate is mandatory for specific foods and animal feeds of non‑animal origin. This new procedure also applies to organic shipments, for which the CHED‑D health certificate is required. Skal Biocontrole refers to these import shipments as combined shipments.
What does the CERTEX check mean for importers of organic combined shipments?
If you submit (or have submitted) a declaration for an organic combined shipment, then from 2 February each document in TRACES will be checked via CERTEX to verify that all data are correct and that the information in the COI and in the CHED‑D match. If something is incorrect, CERTEX will indicate per document, with an error code, what is wrong. Error codes can therefore relate to data in the COI or to data in the CHED‑D. It is not possible to make retroactive changes in CERTEX. Hence, it is important that you fill in the forms and the declaration carefully.
Points of attention when filling in COI and CHED‑D
To prevent your declaration of an organic import shipment from being rejected by CERTEX, it is important that you:
- Enter the correct CHED number from TRACES;
- Ensure the commodity code consists of the correct number of digits. This must be at least 8 digits. If a GN code with fewer than 8 digits is entered in the COI and/or CHED‑D, CERTEX will not accept the declaration;
- Enter the correct quantities and weights. These must be identical on the COI and the CHED‑D;
- Be especially alert when there are multiple product lines with the same commodity code. If any of the lines in your declaration do not match the COI and/or the CHED‑D, your declaration will not be accepted.
Follow‑up: CHED‑P and CHED‑PP
During 2026, the CHED‑P (for veterinary goods) and the CHED‑PP (for phytosanitary goods) will also be checked by Customs via CERTEX. The Customs and Skal will inform importers about this shortly.
More information about CERTEX and the checks on organic combined shipments
General information about CERTEX and its link with CHED documents can be found on the Customs website. There you will also read how to contact Customs if you have questions about the declaration process. The Customs Codebook lists the possible error codes. For questions about the COI and the progress of the organic import control process, you can contact Skal Biocontrole's Import Helpdesk via import@skal.nl or by calling 038‑426 81 65 (available on weekdays from 07:00 to 18:00).