Effective 31 August 2020, the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has transitioned the current eCert exchange with New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (NZ MPI) to a paperless eCert exchange. This means NZ MPI will no longer issue original paper phytosanitary or sanitary certificates.
The NZ exporter will provide importers and brokers with the certificate number, which must be provided to the department. The department will receive the eCert and will assess the eCert where required for import clearance.
For further news regarding eCert please head to the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment website.
The eCert Import application is an electronic system that enables the department to receive overseas government certificates in a digital format. This includes phytosanitary and sanitary certificates for food and agricultural imports.
If the electronic certificate has been lodged correctly, importers and brokers should not submit a paper certificate, as the eCert received by the department and will be used for import clearance.
Electronic certification and paperless trading is internationally recognised as the future of government certification. It aligns with trade modernisation and e-commerce progression. Refer to Benefits of electronic certificates for more information.
