Documents and certification
The paperwork is the product
A container that cannot clear is worth nothing on either side of the border. This page sets out exactly what we issue, what we obtain, and what belongs to the manufacturer rather than to us.
The distinction that matters most
We are the exporter of record. We prepare and issue the export documentation for the shipment. The manufacturers hold the food safety certifications for their products and their factories.
Those two things are often blurred by traders, and blurring them is how a shipment gets held. Your veterinary authority will ask which approved establishment produced the goods, not which trading company sold them. We keep the answer straight because the border does.
What decides which documents you need
Three things: whether the goods are of animal or plant origin, whether alcohol is involved, and which country they are entering. Animal origin is the heavy one, and it catches people who did not realise that cheese and milk fall under the same rule as meat.
How we handle it in practice
You send the list and the destination. We come back with the document set that consignment will need, before you have committed to anything. Nothing about the paperwork should be a surprise once the container is loaded, and if something in your list is going to be difficult at your border, that is the moment we say so.
The full set
Every document we issue or obtain
Which of these applies depends on what is in the container and where it is going. We prepare the set for your specific consignment.
- EUR1 movement certificate Establishes preferential origin under the trade agreement between the EU and your country. It is usually what makes the duty calculation work in your favour, so it is worth checking whether your destination has such an agreement before you compare landed costs.
- Phytosanitary certificate For products of plant origin: juice, plant-based drinks, snacks, olive oil, coffee, most sauces. Issued by the competent Spanish authority for the specific consignment.
- Veterinary health certificate For products of animal origin: all meat and charcuterie, all cheese and dairy, frozen meat products, and some sauces containing egg. Issued for the specific load, the specific approved establishment numbers and the specific destination. This is the document that most often stops a shipment.
- Certificate of origin Where the destination requires it separately from EUR1, or where no preferential agreement exists.
- Analysis certificate Laboratory analysis, required for wine consignments in most destinations and for olive oil where a grade such as extra virgin is being claimed.
- Excise accompanying documents For wine and cava. Alcohol moves under a duty regime and this is the longest lead time item in any order that contains it.
- Halal and kosher certification Held per product by the manufacturer, never by us. Several lines are produced to halal standard. Send us your list and we confirm item by item.
- Manufacturer food safety certification IFS, BRC, ISO 22000 and HACCP are held by the producing establishment. We can tell you which manufacturer holds what for the items you are considering.
It is a distinction your authority will make, so we make it too. VLC TRADE GROUP SL is the exporter of record and prepares the export documentation. IFS, BRC, ISO 22000, HACCP, halal and kosher belong to the manufacturer and to the individual product.
Start here
Send us the list and the destination country
A product list and a destination country are enough for a loading plan, the documents your border will want, and a price.