Certify export health certificates on EHC online
Published 2 December 2024
Information for Official Veterinarians (OVs) and Food Competent Certifying Officers (FCCOs) on how to certify an export health certificate using EHC Online.
You cannot use Government Gateway using Windows XP and Windows Vista or Internet Explorer 6 and 7. You may have problems with other older operating systems and browsers.
1. Certifying a certificate
- The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) will send you a notification to the email address registered for your organisation to tell you there is a new case that needs certification.
- Go to the .
- Sign with your Government Gateway user ID and password.
- In 鈥淐ase management鈥� select 鈥淐ases to review鈥�. You鈥檒l see all the cases you need to certify.
- Select 鈥淪ummary鈥� to view the case details.
1.1 If you do not need to make changes to the certificate
- Select 鈥淰iew certificate鈥�. The PDF file will open in your browser.
- Right click to print the PDF.
1.2 If you do need to make changes to the certificate
There are two ways to review the certificate and make any changes you need to before printing.
Using 鈥淓ditable certificate鈥�
If you want to make changes to a certificate and you do not want to record those changes in EHC Online, use the editable PDF.
- In 鈥淢anage case鈥� select 鈥淓ditable certificate鈥�. The PDF file will open in your browser.
- Edit the PDF in your browser.
- Right click to print the PDF.
Using 鈥淩eview certificate鈥�
If you want to keep a record of your changes to the certificate, make those changes in EHC Online.
- In 鈥淢anage case鈥� select 鈥淩eview certificate鈥�.
- In 鈥淩eview these answers鈥� select 鈥淐hange鈥� next to any field that you want to edit. This will update the PDF certificate automatically.
- Select 鈥淐ontinue鈥� when you鈥檝e made all the changes you need to.
- Return to 鈥淢anage case鈥� and select 鈥淰iew certificate鈥� to open the PDF in your browser.
- Right click to print the PDF.
1.3 Recording your decision
- In 鈥淒ecision and confirmation鈥�, select 鈥淎pproved鈥�, 鈥淩ejected鈥� or 鈥淐ancelled鈥�. You鈥檒l need to enter a reason for certificates you reject or cancel.
- Enter your details and select 鈥淎ccept and submit鈥�.
Approved
- Official Veterinarians (OVs): select 鈥渁pprove鈥� then enter your certifier details (name and SP number).
- Food Competent Certifying Officers (FCCOs): enter the 5 digits from your Non-Veterinarian (NV) stamp as the SP number. When completing the identification number, you will need to include the letters SP or NV before the numbers.
Select 鈥淎ccept and submit鈥�.
Rejected or Cancelled Certificates
If you reject or cancel a certificate you must state the reason why.
- Official Veterinarians (OVs): enter your certifier details (name and SP number).
- Food Competent Certifying Officers (FCCOs): enter the 5 digits from your Non-Veterinarian (NV) stamp as the SP number. When completing the identification number, you will need to include the letters SP or NV before the numbers.
Select 鈥淎ccept and submit鈥�.
You will return to the EHC certificate action page where the certificate status will now show as either 鈥淐ancelled鈥� or 鈥淩ejected鈥�.
Where an EHC has been printed and posted to you on special watermarked 鈥榗rown gold鈥� paper, if you reject or cancel a certificate you will need to write 鈥淩ejected鈥� or 鈥淐ancelled鈥� across the certificate and return it to the Centre for International Trade 鈥� Carlisle (CITC) after you have recorded your decision in EHC Online. You can return the certificate by scanning it and emailing it to [email protected] or by returning it by post to CITC.
If an EHC has been processed manually and emailed to you and you cannot record your decision in EHC Online, you will need to return a copy of the certificate by scanning and emailing it to [email protected] or by returning it by post to CITC.
1.4 Closing the certificate
-
You鈥檒l now be asked 鈥楬as the certificate been signed and issued?鈥�
- if the certificate has been signed and stamped, select 鈥淵es, I鈥檓 ready to close this certificate鈥� and 鈥淐ontinue鈥�
- if not, select 鈥淣o, not yet鈥� and 鈥淐ontinue鈥�
-
If you鈥檙e closing the certificate, in 鈥淐lose certificate鈥� enter the date you signed it and select 鈥淐lose this certificate鈥�. You must enter the date that certification took place and not the date that you are closing the certificate. Entering the date you are closing the certificate can affect applications for replacement certificates.
- If you are closing a certificate for EU trade, you will also be asked to complete the date that the disease clearance was performed. Guidance on how to complete the disease clearance checks can be found on .
- If you鈥檙e not ready to close the certificate, you鈥檒l now see the option to 鈥淐lose certificate鈥� in 鈥淢anage case鈥�.
Once you close the certificate:
- the status of the case will change to COMPLETED
- the certificate status will change to CERTIFIED
2. Certifying a block of certificates
Exporters can apply for a block of certificates when they make the same type of export often and need to collect the signed certificate on the day they apply for it. This type of application is for a commodity that needs to be packed and dispatched quickly, like fish.
Your exporter will contact you when they need you to certify a certificate from their block of certificates.
- Follow steps 2 to 5 of Certifying a certificate.
- In 鈥淢anage case鈥� you鈥檒l see all the certificates in this block. Find the certificate you need to certify and select 鈥淩eview certificate鈥�.
- Follow the steps to review and close the certificate.
A case with a block of certificates will stay in 鈥淐ases to review鈥� until all certificates in the block have been certified. The status of the case will only change to COMPLETED when all the certificates in the block have been certified .
3. Certifying multiple certificates
Exporters can apply for a group of EHCs in a single application for equine and germplasm EHCs if the information in each EHC is the same.
For example, in an application for 4 horses travelling in the same consignment to the same destination, each animal will have its own certificate, but the details that are the same for each animal are only entered once.
- Follow steps 1 to 5 of Certifying a certificate.
- In 鈥淢anage case鈥� you鈥檒l see all the certificates in this case.
- Select the certificates you need to approve, reject or review - you can select more than one certificate at a time.
- Or, review one certificate at a time by following steps 1 to 5 of Reviewing the certificate.
- Then follow the steps to close the certificate.
The certificate status will change to CERTIFIED.
A case with a multiple certificates will stay in 鈥淐ases to review鈥� until all certificates in the case have been certified, rejected or cancelled. When this has happened, the status of the case will change to COMPLETED.
4. Cancelling and replacing a certificate
- Go to the .
- Sign in with your Government Gateway user ID and password.
- In 鈥淐ase management鈥�, select 鈥淎ll your cases鈥� and search for the case with the certificate you need to cancel.
- Select 鈥淪ummary鈥� to view case details.
4.1 Requesting to cancel a certificate
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In 鈥淢anage case鈥� select 鈥淐ancel and replace鈥� and check if you can request to cancel and replace the certificate:
- if the certificate can be cancelled, select 鈥淵es, the certificate meets APHA鈥檚 criteria for replacement鈥� and 鈥淐ontinue鈥�
- if the certificate cannot be cancelled, the exporter will need to apply for a new certificate
- In 鈥淯pdate these answers鈥� make any changes you need to.
- Select 鈥淯pload a supporting document鈥� and upload a copy of the original signed certificate.
- In 鈥淪upporting documents鈥� select 鈥淐hoose file鈥�, browse and select the documents you need to upload.
- Enter a file description to tell APHA what the document is, and select 鈥淯pload鈥�.
- Repeat these steps for each document you need to upload, and select 鈥淪ave and continue鈥�.
- In 鈥淯pdate these answers鈥�, select 鈥淎ccept and submit鈥�.
- In 鈥淒eclaration鈥� select 鈥淎gree and submit鈥� when you are ready to submit this request to APHA.
Once you鈥檝e submitted your request, in 鈥淐ase management鈥� you鈥檒l see:
- the case has moved to 鈥淯pcoming cases鈥�
- the case status has changed to PROCESSING
- a new case ID has been allocated
The case will be visible in 鈥淯pcoming cases鈥� until the case has been processed and dispatched by APHA.
4.2 After APHA have processed your request
When APHA have processed your request, in 鈥淢anage case鈥� you鈥檒l see:
- the certificate status has changed to DISPATCHED
- the certificate reference is marked as REPLACEMENT and has a link to the original certificate
- APHA will send a notification to the email address registered for your organisation to tell you the replacement certificate is ready for you to review.
- In 鈥淐ase management鈥� select 鈥淐ases to review鈥�
- Follow the steps to review and close the certificate.
Once you have approved the replacement certificate, you can download and print it by selecting 鈥淰iew certificate鈥� in 鈥淢anage case鈥�.
Contact APHA if you are not sure if a certificate can be cancelled and replaced.
5. Contact CITC
Email: [email protected]听
Telephone: +44 (0) 3000 200 301
Centre for International Trade 鈥� Carlisle (CITC)
Eden Bridge House
Lowther Street
Carlisle
CA3 8DX