A 2025 buyer’s checklist for Indonesian vegetable producers to secure both EU Organic (Reg. 2018/848) and USDA NOP certifications via a single audit. How to choose a dual-accredited certifier, timelines, costs, ICS for smallholders, residue testing, labeling with the EU leaf and USDA seal, and certificate issuance on TRACES and the NOP Integrity Database.
If you export vegetables from Indonesia, you don’t want two audits when one can cover both markets. The reality is simple. If you pick the right EU USDA organic certifier in Indonesia, you can secure EU Organic under Reg. 2018/848 and USDA NOP in a single audit cycle. We’ve seen buyers cut time-to-market by weeks and trim audit costs by 15–30% just by choosing a dual-accredited body and planning documentation properly.
Can one certifier issue both EU Organic and USDA NOP in Indonesia?
Yes. Several certification bodies operate in Indonesia with accreditation for both EU 2018/848 and USDA NOP. When you contract one of these, the audit can be planned to cover both standards. You’ll still receive two outputs. An EU certificate for TRACES NT import control (COI) and an NOP certificate that supports the NOP Import Certificate required under USDA’s Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE).
Which certification bodies in Indonesia hold both accreditations in 2025?
As of late 2024, the following groups commonly operate in Indonesia with dual programs. Always verify current status before you sign, because recognitions can change.
- Control Union Certifications (Netherlands) with Indonesian office coverage
- Ecocert SA
- CERES GmbH
- Kiwa BCS Öko-Garantie
- Bioagricert
- OneCert International
How to verify in 10 minutes:
- EU side. Check the latest EU list of recognized control bodies for third countries and confirm they’re authorized for crop production/processing in Indonesia under Reg. 2018/848.
- USDA side. Confirm the certifier’s NOP accreditation and your operation’s listing plan in the Organic Integrity Database (OID). Ask the certifier for a sample NOP certificate and how they issue the NOP Import Certificate data for U.S. Customs.
Practical tip: Ask the certifier for recent Indonesian vegetable references. If they can’t name fresh or IQF vegetable clients audited in the past 12 months, expect delays.
The 2025 buyer’s checklist for choosing one dual-accredited certifier
We recommend you score each candidate on the following. A 10–15 minute call per certifier saves weeks later.
- Accreditation and scope
- Confirm the exact scopes you need: crop production for farms, handling/processing for packing houses, cold stores, IQF lines, and trading entities. Many vegetable exporters need both crop and handling.
- Local auditor availability
- Ask for typical lead times to schedule onsite audits in West/East Java, Sumatra, or Bali. Busy seasons can push dates by 3–5 weeks.
- ICS capability for smallholders
- If you use group certification with an Internal Control System (ICS), verify the auditor’s experience with vegetable ICS, not just coffee or cocoa. EU 2018/848 tightened group rules. Members must be small operators or micro/small enterprises with stricter ICS documentation and internal inspections.
- Residue testing policy
- Compare how many samples they usually take for leafy greens vs fruiting vegetables, and who pays. For high-risk crops like lettuce or cucumbers near conventional farms, some bodies will sample every audit cycle.
- Timelines and certificate issuance
- Ask for a written Gantt-style timeline from application to certificate issuance. Confirm they issue EU COIs in TRACES NT and support the NOP Import Certificate under SOE.
- Fees and travel costs
- Request a transparent fee sheet: audit day rate, admin fees, sampling and lab fees, travel, and annual surveillance. Dual audits should be priced together, not as two separate visits.
- Labeling approvals
- If you’ll use both the EU leaf and USDA seal, ask for their pre-press approval process and lead time. You want written confirmation before printing cartons or film.
Need a quick sanity check on your shortlist or scope? Send us your farm/packing overview and we’ll share what’s worked for similar Indonesian vegetable exporters. If it helps, Contact us on whatsapp.
How long does dual certification take?
Timelines vary, but here’s what we actually see for vegetables in Indonesia.
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New to organic land
- Conversion period: typically 24 months for annual crops. Plan early with your certifier and document clean inputs.
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Already EU organic. Adding USDA NOP
- 3–6 weeks after audit if records align and no major non-conformities.
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New dual certification (farm + packhouse)
- Application and document review: 1–2 weeks
- Audit scheduling and onsite audit: 3–5 weeks
- Corrective actions: 2–4 weeks
- Certificate processing: 1–2 weeks
- Total: 7–13 weeks in a smooth cycle
Fast-track tip: Share your Organic System Plan (OSP) and key records before the audit. 3 out of 5 delays we see are because document gaps are discovered at the audit.
What documents do I need for a combined EU and NOP audit?
- Organic System Plan that covers both EU and NOP requirements
- Farm maps, field histories, and buffer zones
- Input logs, purchase invoices, and supplier declarations
- Seed documentation showing untreated and organic where available
- Irrigation water source and any testing
- Harvest, transport, and reception records
- Post-harvest SOPs: washing, packing, sanitation, pest control
- Sales records, lot coding, and full traceability from field to buyer
- ICS manual, internal inspection checklists, and training logs for groups
- Previous certificates, non-GMO statements where applicable
Good practice: Bring sample labels and carton designs to the audit for pre-approval notes.
Can smallholder groups use ICS to get dual certification?
Yes, but expectations are higher now. Under EU Organic 2018/848, group certification requires robust ICS with internal inspections, risk-based sampling, and clear member eligibility as small operators. NOP accepts group certification if the ICS meets NOP standards and the certifier can demonstrate effective oversight. In our experience, vegetable groups succeed when the ICS does three things well: maps every plot, documents inputs with receipts, and runs an internal residue testing program in high-risk zones.
How much does a dual EU+USDA organic certification cost in Indonesia?
Indicative ranges we’ve seen for vegetables. Your mileage will vary based on location, scale, and sampling.
- Single farm, fresh vegetables, crop scope only: USD 2,500–5,000 in year one
- Farm + packhouse handling scope: USD 4,000–8,000
- Smallholder group with ICS (50–300 members): USD 6,000–15,000
- Annual surveillance audits: usually 70–85% of year-one audit fees
- Residue tests: USD 120–250 per sample depending on panel size
Dual vs separate audits. Planning a combined audit typically saves 15–30% on travel and auditor days compared to two separate programs.
Do EU and NOP residue testing and labeling rules differ?
Residues
- EU 2018/848. Any detection of prohibited substances triggers an investigation and a hold on the lot. If contamination or misuse can’t be ruled out, the lot can’t be sold as organic.
- USDA NOP. Certifiers test at least 5% of operations annually. Detection also triggers investigation. Non-intentional contamination below applicable tolerances may still allow organic status if the source wasn’t an organic rule violation.
Labeling
- EU leaf logo requires control body code (for Indonesia, format like ID-BIO-XXX) and origin statement such as “Non-EU Agriculture.”
- USDA organic seal requires the handler name and “Certified organic by [certifier name].”
- Using both logos together is allowed if you’re certified to both standards. Get label proofs approved by the certifier before printing.
Fresh vs IQF vegetables: what changes in scope?
Fresh export lots like Japanese Cucumber (Kyuri), Baby Romaine, Tomatoes, and Red Radish usually need crop production for farms and handling for the packing house and cold storage.
For IQF lines such as Premium Frozen Sweet Corn, Frozen Mixed Vegetables, or Premium Frozen Okra, you’ll need processing/handling scope that covers blanching, freezing, cleaning chemicals, lubricants, and packaging materials. Auditors will dig into sanitation chemicals and pest control contracts more deeply than on fresh-only operations.
Takeaway: Map every physical site where organic product is received, washed, cut, frozen, stored, or labeled. Each site must be in scope.
Five common mistakes that slow or sink dual certification
- Assuming one scope covers all. Farms get certified but the packhouse or exporter entity is left out. The first shipment stalls.
- Weak ICS sampling. Groups skip residue tests in buffer-risk plots. Non-conformities follow.
- Labels printed before approval. You end up reprinting thousands of cartons.
- Incomplete input records. No invoices for bio-pesticides or compost inputs. Auditors can’t verify compliance.
- TRACES and NOP import certificate planning left to the end. Importers can’t clear cargo on time.
Fix these early. Share your OSP draft, label mockups, and shipment plan with the certifier before the audit.
What to do next
- Shortlist 2–3 dual-accredited certifiers. Verify scopes, timelines, and sampling policies.
- Decide your exact scope: crop, handling, processing, trader. Include every site.
- Build one OSP that maps both EU and NOP requirements. Align your ICS if you’re a group.
If you’d like a second opinion on scope or timelines for Indonesian vegetables, Contact us on whatsapp. And if you’re exploring product fit for your market, feel free to View our products.
We’ve found that teams who handle these points up front get certified faster and ship sooner. It’s not glamorous paperwork, but it’s what keeps cucumbers crisp in Tokyo, romaine fresh in Dubai, and frozen okra consistent in Los Angeles. That’s the point of doing dual certification right.