Product Certification

Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS)

UNBS certifies that locally manufactured products conform to national standards and issues a permit to use the Quality Mark (Q-Mark), valid for one year. Certification is increasingly mandatory for food and other regulated products before they can be sold.

Apply on UNBS CIMS

Who needs it

Manufacturers seeking product certification.

Instrument type: Certificate

Fees

UGX 500,000 (micro/small); UGX 1,000,000 (medium/large)

From 1 July 2021, certification and surveillance audits are free; the annual permit to use the Q-Mark costs UGX 500,000 for micro and small enterprises and UGX 1,000,000 for medium and large enterprises. Bottled water, alcoholic beverages (excluding wine) and carbonated/non-carbonated soft drinks pay UGX 1,000,000 per brand. Batch certification is UGX 500,000; pre-market approval is UGX 250,000 (MSME) or UGX 500,000 (medium/large). Laboratory testing fees are charged separately by parameter. All fees are paid to UNBS through URA before the audit.

Documents required

Application via the UNBS CIMS portal
Product details and applicable standard
Manufacturing/process information
Proof of payment of certification and testing fees (via URA PRN)

Steps to apply

1Apply for product certification via the UNBS CIMS portal
2Receive billing for certification and testing fees and pay via URA (separate PRNs)
3Submit the Payment Registration Numbers through your CIMS account
4UNBS schedules and conducts the factory audit and product testing
5On a positive certification decision, receive the permit to use the Q-Mark (valid 12 months)