SGS: PCA CI 71 Expanded Scope and New Requirements for Imports into Ivory Coast

Importers and exporters supplying products to Ivory Coast should be aware of important changes to the country's conformity assessment requirements. Effective July 1, 2026, conformity assessment under the PCA CI 71 program becomes mandatory for all products covered by Decrees No. 2016-1152 of December 28, 2016, and No. 2020-389 of April 15, 2020. Compliance is determined by the shipment date indicated on the relevant transport document, including a Bill of Lading, Air Waybill or road/rail transport document. Understanding whether products fall within the program scope and ensuring the required conformity assessment is completed before shipment will support a smoother import and customs clearance process in Ivory Coast.

New requirements

Mandatory conformity assessment will apply from July 1, 2026, in accordance with the Directorate General for Foreign Trade (DGCE) notice. Fifteen product families across two expanded categories, plus one new category, are covered.

No.	Product category	Status under Decree No. 2020-389	Impact on importers
1	Food products	Existing category	Subject to mandatory conformity assessment before shipment
2	Electrical, electronic & renewable energy products	Existing category	Certificate of conformity (CoC) required for customs clearance
3	Cosmetics & personal care products	Extended scope	Additional products brought within the program scope
4	Building materials	Existing category	Verification against applicable standards required
5	Packaging materials	Existing category	Subject to conformity verification procedures
6	Automotive spare parts, accessories & lubricants	Existing category	Mandatory compliance assessment before export
7	Machinery equipment	Existing category	Inspection and documentary review may be required
8	Pressure equipment	Existing category	Mandatory conformity controls apply
9	Personal protective equipment (PPE)	Existing category	Compliance with safety standards required
10	Other products related to health, safety & environment	Existing category	Subject to regulatory conformity requirements
11	Textiles	Extended scope	Additional textile products now covered
12	Footwear	Existing category	Mandatory conformity assessment applicable
13	Toys	Existing category	Product safety compliance verification required
14	Used products	Existing category	Subject to conformity controls before importation
15	Chemicals	NEW category introduced by Decree No. 2020-389	Chemical products are now subject to the PCA CI 71 program

For products falling within these categories, importers and exporters must ensure that the goods undergo conformity assessment through the PCA CI 71 program and obtain a CoC prior to shipment. The CoC is a key document required to support customs clearance procedures in Ivory Coast.

Importers and exporters should therefore:

Verify that their products fall within one of the regulated categories
Submit the required technical and commercial documentation for conformity assessment
Arrange inspections and testing where required
Obtain a CoC before shipment to avoid delays or customs clearance issues

Product categories excluded from PCA CI 71

No.	Excluded product category	Comments
1	Gold and precious metals	Excluded from PCA CI conformity verification requirements
2	Precious stones	Excluded from the program
3	Weapons and military equipment	Outside the scope of the PCA CI program
4	Live animals	Exempt from conformity verification
5	Fresh fruits and vegetables	Not subject to PCA CI controls
6	Fresh, chilled and frozen meat products	Excluded from the program
7	Fresh and frozen fish products	Exempt from conformity assessment requirements
8	Plants and horticultural products	Excluded from PCA CI verification procedures
9	Used personal effects	Not subject to mandatory conformity assessment
10	Used vehicles	Excluded from the PCA CI program
11	Crude oil	Outside the program scope
12	Commercial samples	Exempt when imported solely as samples
13	Diplomatic imports	Exempt under diplomatic privileges and applicable regulations
14	Certain machinery benefiting from the Investment Code	Exemption subject to eligibility under the Investment Code
15	Certain equipment intended for the mining and petroleum sectors	Exemption subject to sector-specific regulations
16	Products imported under special customs regimes or free zones	Exempt when imported under qualifying customs or free-zone arrangements

Point of contact

Importers may contact our liaison office in Abidjan at:

SGS COTE D'IVOIRE SA
Km1, Boulevard de Marseille
P.O. Box: 01 BP 795 Abidjan
Abidjan - COTE D'IVOIRE
t: + 225 27 2175 2233 / 27 2175 2255 / 27 2175 2240

Learn more about Ivory Coast - Verification of Conformity (VoC).

This article can also be found in our PCA Newsletter (Q3/2026), which keeps you up to date with developments in technical barriers to trade and product conformity assessment.

Read more PCA articles (Q3/2026)

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You can read more articles in our previous editions in the PCA Newsletter Library.