Skip to content

Fish exporters

If you are an exporter or supplier of fish or seafood, you must use the same documentation.

An exporter in this respect means a company that issues proofs of origin in connection with exports.

What characterises a supplier is that they primarily supply originating materials or originating products to exporters. As proof of origin, they will issue a supplier's declaration.

Both exporters and suppliers are subject to the same requirements to document the origin of the products for which they issue documentation of origin.

Exporters/suppliers can again be divided into two main groups - producers and traders. Some companies can operate both as producers and traders. In this context, a producer is defined as someone who has manufactured export goods in accordance with the requirements that are laid down in the applicable free trade agreement.

It must be possible to track the goods in the export document from the arrival of the raw materials, through any production and all the way to the date of export. These are conditions that you, as an exporter, need to address before issuing a proof of origin.

Do you have no other underlying documents than a supplier's declaration? The supplier who has issued it must have underlying documentation in support of its declaration.

Approved exporters

An approved exporter is an exporter who has been approved by the customs authorities to issue origin declarations regardless of the value of the originating product. Exporters who do not have such permission may in some free trade agreements only use origin declarations when the value of the originating product does not exceed NOK 65 000.

Where do you export to?

Crew requirements in free trade agreements

Fish exports are in many cases subject to the requirement that the goods must be wholly obtained in the exporting country. As regards fish caught outside the customs area, the requirement is that the catch must be made by "their vessels", i.e. the vessels of the contracting parties.  

Countries associated with the PEM Convention, if the new revised rules have been implemented, the following applies

"The fisheries letter"

  • All officers, the captain and at least 75% of the crew must come from Norway or an EU member state.

The additional agreements to the free trade agreement of 1973 (Compensation agreements)

  • All officers, the captain and at least 75 % of the crew must come from Norway or an EU member state.

For other free trade partners

Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), Hong Kong, Indonesia, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, the South African Customs Union (Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa and Lesotho), South Korea:

  • No crew requirements.

Mexico

  • All officers, the captain and at least 75% of the crew must come from an EFTA member state or Mexico.