The certificate of inspection is the document that carries the organic status of a specific consignment into the Union. It is issued in TRACES NT by the control body that certifies the exporting operator, and it is consignment specific: one certificate, one shipment.
Three things have to be true for it to work.
- **It must exist before the consignment is presented at entry.** A certificate issued after arrival does not retroactively make the consignment organic.
- **The description must match.** Product, quantity, packaging, consignor, consignee and transport details on the certificate must agree with the invoice, the packing list and the customs declaration. A discrepancy invites the authority to treat the consignment as unverified.
- **The underlying certification must cover the product and the process.** The operator certificate has a scope annex. If the annex does not list the product category and the processing operation actually used, the certificate of inspection rests on nothing.
The arrangements for organic imports from third countries under Regulation (EU) 2018/848 have been in transition, so confirm the current basis with your control body for each season rather than assuming the previous shipment’s route still applies.
If any of the three conditions fails, the practical outcome is that the lot is sold as conventional. That difference is the whole economics of organic supply.