Is your supplier about to book a container for Umm Qasr before anyone has asked which product group the goods fall into? In Iraq the conformity decision is made in China, weeks before loading, and no broker can improvise it at the gate. What follows is the ICIGI chain end to end: who signs the Certificate of Conformity, what it costs, how long it lasts, and what a mismatched certificate does to a box on the quay.
What ICIGI Certification for Iraq Actually Is: COSQC, the CoC and Who Can Sign One
ICIGI is the Pre-Import Inspection, Testing and Certification Program of Goods Entering the Republic of Iraq, run by COSQC — the Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control, a body under the Ministry of Planning. Its instrument is the Certificate of Conformity (CoC), issued before shipment in the exporting country, confirming the goods meet the applicable Iraqi standard (IQS) or an Iraqi-adopted international standard, including Iraq's national deviations.
Two dates define the programme: Intertek records the obligation from 1 January 2020. COSQC then re-notified the framework on 24 October 2021, effective 15 January 2022 — the revision the certification bodies publish today, some under the name VOC Iraq rather than ICIGI. The label on the data sheet changes; the mechanics do not.
COSQC does not sign CoCs. It authorises third-party bodies to inspect, test and certify at origin, and that roster changed hands repeatedly: SGS and Intertek fronted early rounds, Bureau Veritas described itself as the body remaining under COSQC contract from 15 March 2023, TÜV Rheinland has held authorisation since 1 March 2025, and Applus+ sits on the list beside smaller outfits. Confirm the body's scope for your HS line before paying a deposit — a certificate from a body that has lost scope is worth nothing at the border.
COSQC also restates the standards list periodically: the 17 June 2025 revision moved bricks, rebar, sugar and olive oil onto IQS 1980:2024, IQS 5264-1:2024, ENG 92:2024, IQS 2245:2024 and IQS 15:2024, so a report written against the 2023 revision looks compliant and is not.
Which Products Need an ICIGI Certificate of Conformity: The Twelve Regulated Groups
The scope is a closed list, grouped rather than coded. All the certification bodies publish the same twelve:
| Group | Scope | Chinese exports typically caught |
|---|---|---|
| I | Toys | Plastic toys, ride-ons, plush, electronic learning toys |
| II | Electric and electronic products | Cables, luminaires, sockets, white goods, small appliances |
| III | Vehicles, bicycles, tyres and parts | Tyres, brake linings, filters, batteries, e-bikes |
| IV | Construction products | Cement, rebar, tiles, sanitaryware, insulation panels |
| V | Food products | All food except fresh meat, fish, vegetables and fruit |
| VI | Cosmetics, hygiene and cleaning agents | Shampoo, skincare, detergents, sanitisers |
| VII | Household hardware | Locks, hinges, hand tools, fasteners |
| VIII | Kitchenware | Cookware, tableware, food containers, cutlery |
| IX | Chemicals | Industrial chemicals, paints, adhesives, lubricants |
| X | Textile | Fabric, garments, home textiles, blankets |
| XI | Household burning fuel appliances | Kerosene heaters, gas cookers, stoves |
| XII | Others | Stationery, baby care items, miscellaneous consumer goods |
Two details matter more than the list. There is no minimum consignment value — one pallet of toys triggers the programme as surely as a full container. Used goods are exempt, as are pharmaceuticals without an applicable Iraqi standard and ministry shipments against the ministry's own specs. But "exempt from ICIGI" is not "exempt from Iraq": used machinery still needs Ministry of Environment approval.
Single Shipment or Registration Route: CoC Validity, the CoR and the Import Licence
Every consignment needs its own CoC. The certificate names the goods, quantity, invoice value, production and expiry dates where relevant, and the container it travels on. It does not roll over to the next order.
Validity is where most online guidance goes quiet and the paperwork does not. Bureau Veritas' notice to exporters states that a CoC is valid for a maximum of six months for all regulated products, with one exception: cement certificates run to the last day of the testing period, and the cement must ship within three months of it. For food the constraint is tighter — under IQS 1847, at least 50% of shelf life must remain when the goods enter Iraq, so a six-month certificate on a nine-month product is arithmetic, not permission.
COSQC offers two compliance routes, which is what answers the "one certificate or many" question:
| Route | What is approved | What each shipment still needs |
|---|---|---|
| A — basic PVoC | Nothing in advance; each consignment is assessed, tested if needed, inspected | A full CoC per shipment, with document review, possible testing and inspection |
| B — registration | The product and its test evidence, registered with the body up front | A CoC per shipment, but on a document check rather than a full assessment |
Route B lightens the per-shipment file without removing the certificate, and which route applies is the issuing body's call — assume Route A until told otherwise.
Beside all of this sits a certificate with nothing to do with COSQC. The Certificate of Registration (CoR) is issued under the State Company for Iraqi Fairs and Commercial Services, a Ministry of Trade subsidiary, and is a mandatory prerequisite for the import licence on regulated products — TÜV Rheinland is the sole authorised issuer, validity one year. The chain runs CoR per manufacturer (annual) → import licence per importer → CoC per consignment. Hold one without the others and nothing clears.
Documents and Pre-Shipment Inspection for an ICIGI CoC: What the Inspector Checks
The application is a Request for Certificate (RFC), filed by exporter or importer. What decides the outcome is the conformity evidence attached to it.
| Document | What the body checks | Common failure on China-origin cargo |
|---|---|---|
| Final commercial invoice | Value, description, model references, Incoterm | Proforma submitted, or value edited after the CoC was raised |
| Packing list | Quantities per model and per carton | Mixed SKUs on one line, no model split |
| Transport document | Consignee, port, container numbers | Issued after the application, so numbers do not match |
| Test reports | Full scope against the IQS plus national deviations | Report covers a sibling model or an older standard revision |
| Quality and analysis certificates | Manufacturer identity, production dates | Trading company named instead of the actual plant |
| Arabic labelling artwork | Product name, warnings, instructions, origin | English-only cartons, or a sticker mock-up never applied |
| Legalised CO and invoice | Authentication by the Iraqi commercial attaché | CO description not matching the invoice line by line |
Two rules cut more shipments than any others. Language: markings must be in Arabic, with country of origin shown — PRC or CHN is acceptable, "EU" is not acceptable as an origin. Electrical deviation: mains-powered goods need a rated voltage covering 220, 230 or 240 V single phase (380/400/415 V three phase), 50 Hz, and a BS 1363 (13 A) plug, not the Chinese GB or European Schuko factories fit by default. That item, not the test report, is why a container of kettles stalls at Umm Qasr.
Testing has one concession worth knowing: reports come from ISO 17025 laboratories that are ILAC members, but in-house reports can be accepted where the manufacturer holds ISO 9001 and can demonstrate laboratory capability — which is why the report must name the plant, not the trading company.
There is no destination inspection. It happens at origin, before the goods move. What happens in Iraq is authentication: an Entry Point Office checks that the CoC matches the import documents, the goods where accessible and the container seals, then issues a Release Note that travels to customs with the certificate. Scope at origin is narrow — markings and product identification, not testing — so DTFU books the RFC as soon as invoice and reports exist. Plan on seven to fourteen working days from a clean submission, and hold the certificate before the carrier's documentation cut-off.
ICIGI CoC Cost for Iraq: The Official Fee Ladder and What Sits Outside It
The fee is neither a percentage of FOB value nor a flat rate — it is a ladder, and Bureau Veritas and TÜV Rheinland publish identical numbers, so this is the schedule and not a broker's mark-up.
| Declared shipment value (USD) | Certification fee (USD) |
|---|---|
| Up to 80,000 | 320 |
| 80,001 – 200,000 | 320 + 0.40% of the value above 80,000 |
| 200,001 – 1,000,000 | 800 + 0.30% of the value above 200,000 |
| Above 1,000,000 | 3,200 + 0.15% of the value above 1,000,000 |
The ladder is continuous: a $200,000 shipment lands on exactly $800 by either formula, which is how you can tell it is one instrument and not two. Fees are paid by the exporter and cover documentary verification, inspection, the conclusion of the assessment and registration — but not laboratory testing, which is quoted case by case.
There is a second charge at the Iraqi end: border inspection runs USD 50, 75 or 100 per container or truck depending on that unit's declared value, with sea bulk at USD 250 per shipment. Both schedules exclude local tax.
For budgeting we use $300–$1,500 all-in per consignment for consumer goods — the $320 base, testing on one or two models and the border fee. Cable with fresh in-scope reports sits at the bottom of that range; toys needing phthalate testing sit at the top.
Shipping Cost from China to Iraq with Regulated Goods: Rates and a $61,978 Landed Example
The compliance work rides on a normal China–Iraq routing — FCL and LCL into Umm Qasr, air into Baghdad and Erbil, DDP for importers who do not want to hold the customs risk. The shipping from China to Iraq lane sets the base cost.
| Mode | Rate from South China | Transit | Note for regulated cargo |
|---|---|---|---|
| FCL 20ft | $3,400 – $3,900 | 22 – 35 days | CoC names the container; one certificate per box |
| FCL 40ft | $5,600 – $6,800 | 22 – 35 days | Best rate per CBM for appliance and tile loads |
| FCL 40HQ | $5,800 – $7,000 | 22 – 35 days | Usual choice for cartoned consumer goods |
| FCL 45HQ | $6,600 – $7,600 | 24 – 36 days | Volumetric cargo; confirm Umm Qasr berth acceptance |
| LCL | $85 – $190 per CBM | 30 – 42 days | Consolidated cargo still needs its own CoC |
| Air port-to-port | $5.50 – $8.50 per kg (100–500 kg); $4.00 – $6.00 per kg (500 kg+) | 5 – 10 days | Same CoC, filed against the AWB |
At the Iraqi end the fixed layers are Umm Qasr THC and documentation $250–$450 per container, a licensed clearance broker $150–$350 per file, and inland trucking $1,200–$2,000 to Baghdad, $1,800–$2,800 to Erbil. Duty is the variable: since 1 January 2026 Iraq applies the schedules under Cabinet Decision No. 957 — 0.5% to 30% across roughly 16,400 tariff lines, with 10–15% on electrical appliances and household goods and up to 30% on vehicles and luxury goods. No VAT is collected at the border; the General Customs Authority's take is duty. Full per-kg air rates sit on the air shipping from China to Iraq page.
A worked example: a 40HQ of LED luminaires and cable from Shenzhen to a Baghdad warehouse.
| Line | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| FOB value, 1,200 cartons | 46,000 |
| Ocean freight, 40HQ to Umm Qasr | 6,200 |
| Marine insurance | 180 |
| CIF value | 52,380 |
| Import duty at 12.5% of CIF (electrical, HS 8539 / 8544) | 6,548 |
| CoC: $320 certificate + $400 laboratory testing | 720 |
| Border inspection, one container above $10,000 | 100 |
| Umm Qasr THC and documentation | 380 |
| Clearance broker | 250 |
| Trailer, Umm Qasr to Baghdad | 1,600 |
| Total landed | 61,978 |
That is $51.65 per unit, of which the conformity chain — certificate, testing, border inspection — is $820, or 1.3% of landed cost. Eight days past free time costs $396 in demurrage on a 40ft. Where you would rather not carry the customs risk, DDP shipping from China to Iraq prices the same lane at $9,000–$11,500 for a 20ft, $250–$400 per CBM for LCL and $5–$12 per kg by air.
Umm Qasr Clearance Sequence: From Berth to Release Note to Gate-Out
Umm Qasr is not one terminal. The container gateway is North Port, where ICTSI's Basra Gateway Terminal runs berths 25 and 26 at roughly 14 metres of draft; South Port handles bulk, grain and project cargo. Wrong zone means extra trucking before customs even starts.
The order of operations on arrival is fixed, and the CoC sits at step three:
| Step | Who acts | What is checked | What failure costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrier, port | Discharge, yard entry, manifest lodged | Storage clock starts |
| 2 | Broker | Declaration filed in ASYCUDA World against invoice, packing list, B/L, CO | Re-filing, 1–3 days |
| 3 | Entry Point Office | CoC authenticated against documents, goods and seals | No Release Note, container held |
| 4 | Customs | Risk lane: green release, yellow document check, red inspection | X-ray and devanning, 2–5 days |
| 5 | Importer via bank | Duty assessed and paid electronically | Goods not released |
| 6 | Broker, transporter | Gate-out, seal check, truck north | Demurrage and detention keep running |
ASYCUDA World sits underneath. Iraq launched it at Baghdad airport in October 2023 and has extended it to 25 customs centres across land, sea and air entry points, with a single-window layer linking customs to 15 ministries as the next phase. Declarations are electronic, duty is paid through the banking system, and a mismatch between CoC and invoice shows on the officer's screen instead of surfacing at devanning. That is the workflow DTFU's customs clearance team files against on every Iraq shipment.
The clock is what to manage. Carriers publish 10 free days on standard 20ft and 40ft at Umm Qasr (3 on reefers, 7 on flat racks); after that, demurrage on a 40ft runs $36 per day for days 11–15, $72 for days 16–21 and $90 thereafter, with detention mirroring it. Ten days sounds generous until the CoC is wrong: a re-inspection and a re-issued certificate eat it. The shipping time from China to Iraq figures assume a clean file.
Six Regulated Product Cases: Cables, Appliances, Toys, Building Materials, Auto Parts and Food-Contact Goods
These six account for most of the regulated volume leaving South China.
| Product | What the CoC really tests | Where Chinese suppliers slip |
|---|---|---|
| Cables and wiring (II) | Conductor resistance, insulation thickness, flame behaviour to the IQS/IEC reference | Reports cover sizes not shipped; voltage class missing from the print; no Arabic marking |
| Home appliances (II) | Safety to the IQS plus 220–240 V, 50 Hz, BS 1363 plug | GB or Schuko plug fitted; 110 V rating on dual-voltage stock; English-only manual |
| Toys (I) | Mechanical and physical safety, small parts, phthalates, age grading | Report on a sibling SKU; no Arabic age warning; carton shows a different model number |
| Building materials (IV) | Rebar to IQS 5264-1:2024 / ENG 92:2024, bricks to IQS 1980:2024, cement | Mill certificate passed off as a test report; cement shipped outside the three-month window |
| Auto parts (III) | Tyres to IQS size and load rating, brake linings, filters, batteries | Fitment list does not match the vehicle models invoiced; retreaded stock declared as new |
| Food and food-contact (V, VIII) | Shelf life under IQS 1847, halal certification for meat, migration limits, melamine | Under 50% shelf life on arrival; melamine above the 1 mg/kg limit on dairy-origin product |
Cement is the one product whose certificate validity is defined by the test rather than the calendar — plan backwards from the vessel. Toys are where factories most often present a report for the model they wanted to ship rather than the model in the carton. Electronics with lithium cells carry a second gate: a CoC does not replace the UN 38.3 test summary, and shipping electronics and batteries from China needs both files.
Why Iraq CoCs Get Rejected: Five Failures That Stop a Container
A rejection is not an argument at the gate; it is a Non Conformity Report. The triggers are mechanical:
- An expired certificate. Six months is the ceiling, and a vessel that misses its slot by three weeks can land goods whose CoC has run out.
- A model or quantity mismatch. The certificate names what was assessed. Ship 5% more cartons than declared, or substitute a model, and the file no longer describes the cargo.
- Missing Arabic marking or origin mark. Markings are the inspection's entire scope; English-only packaging or an unacceptable origin abbreviation fails on sight.
- Dates that differ from the certificate. Food and cement carry production and expiry dates on the document; the carton has to agree.
- A certificate from the wrong body. The Entry Point Office can only release shipments certified by its own organisation.
None of these costs a fee. They cost time: the box sits, demurrage accrues from day 11, and for seasonal goods the season ends.
Kurdistan CoC for Erbil and Duhok: A Separate CBCA Certificate
One trap catches importers who did everything right for Baghdad. The Kurdistan Region runs its own conformity programme under the Kurdistan Standardization and Quality Control Administration (KSQCA) rather than COSQC, called CBCA — Consignment Based Conformity Assessment. Intertek is the sole certification body for consignments entering the region, and the certificate is required at Kurdistan crossings including Ibrahim Khalil.
A federal ICIGI CoC does not cover an Erbil delivery, and one container cannot serve both destinations on a single certificate. If your buyer is in Erbil or Duhok, raise the certificate for the Kurdistan programme from the start, and settle the routing before the application — Umm Qasr plus truck, or the land bridge via Turkey and Ibrahim Khalil — because the certificate describes the entry point as well as the goods. Where an order serves both, split it at purchase-order stage and run two files.
FAQs
How much does an ICIGI CoC cost for Iraq? The ladder starts at $320 up to $80,000 FOB and reaches $3,200 plus 0.15% above $1 million. Budget $300–$1,500 all-in for consumer goods once testing and the $50–$100 border fee are added.
How long is an Iraq Certificate of Conformity valid? Six months maximum. Cement certificates run to the last day of the testing period, and the cement must ship within three months of it.
Can one CoC cover multiple shipments? No. A CoC is issued per consignment and names the goods, quantity, value and container. Route B registration lightens the per-shipment file but does not replace the certificate.
Who issues the CoC — COSQC or a private company? A COSQC-authorised third-party body. Bureau Veritas, TÜV Rheinland and Applus+ appear on current lists, but the roster has changed since 2020, so verify scope before applying.
Which products need a CoC to enter Iraq? Twelve groups: toys; electrical and electronic goods; vehicles, bicycles, tyres and parts; construction products; food; cosmetics; household hardware; kitchenware; chemicals; textiles; household fuel-burning appliances; and a catch-all for stationery and baby care.
What happens if the container arrives without a CoC? No Release Note is issued and the container is held. Demurrage on a 40ft starts at $36 per day after 10 free days and reaches $90 per day after day 21, plus port storage. Persistent non-compliance ends in re-export at the importer's cost.
Does a Baghdad CoC work in Erbil? No. Kurdistan runs the CBCA programme under KSQCA with Intertek as sole body; Erbil and Duhok need a Kurdistan CoC naming the northern entry point.
How long does the certificate take? Seven to fourteen working days from a clean document set, plus testing where reports are missing or out of scope. In-house reports are accepted where the manufacturer is ISO 9001 certified and lab capability can be demonstrated; otherwise the report must come from an ISO 17025 laboratory that is an ILAC member.
Does a CoC replace the import licence? No. The licence comes from the Ministry of Trade and, for regulated products, requires a manufacturer CoR valid one year. CoR, licence and CoC are three papers held by three parties.
Do used goods need a CoC? Used goods are exempt from ICIGI, but used machinery can require Ministry of Environment approval — a separate process.
If the certificate file is the part of this lane you cannot staff from Shenzhen, hand it over: DTFU raises the RFC, books the inspection at the Nansha or Yantian warehouse, and runs the Release Note through our Umm Qasr agent so the box clears before free time runs out. The China to Middle East desk quotes the whole chain in one number. Send the invoice and test reports through contact DTFU Logistics with the consignee's governorate, and we will tell you which of the twelve groups your cargo falls into and what the certificate will actually cost.
