In order to export to the EU, fish and fish products must be accompanied by a certificate confirming that the catches were legally fished. It is an important measure to combat illegal fishing.

As a Greenlandic exporter, you must apply for a catch certificate for fish and fish products that you export to the EU. Find the list of products that requires a certificate in order to be exported here.

GFLK is the authority responsible for handling EU certificates and validating catch certificates, in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) 1005/2008 of 29 September 2008, in the fight against IUU fishing.

There is a self-service solution for generating and validating these. The prerequisite for using the system is that you are registered as an exporter, and that all catch reports are registered in GFLK’s database and are approved.

For registration as an exporter, send the following to GF***************@na***.gl:

• Authorization with signature for the employees who need to use self-service. Download template here.
• A valid export permit that you can get issued by the Ministry for Industry, Trade, Foreign Affairs and Climate.
• A power of attorney from the skipper or shipping company for all vessels that are over 12 meters. Download template here.
• A power of attorney from the skipper of a purchasing ship. Download template here.

Whether you are a first- or second-hand buyer or a shipping company, you need to create a computer-readable file that covers exactly the shipment that you are exporting. Download template and instructions here.

The catch reporting must be reported to GFLK and approved before you can request validation of the certificates that you want validated.

You can start self-service here. Find instructions for self-service here. If you are processing fish from a foreign vessel, you must accompany your shipment with a processing certificate (Appendix 4), which GFLK processes on the basis of the foreign catch certificates. Download template for appendix 4 here, as well as for appendix 1 here and instructions here.

GFLK only processes certificates for catches originating from Greenlandic vessels and the Greenlandic processing certificates. This means that if the fish and fish products you export come from a foreign fishing vessel, you must apply for catch certificates from the Flag State authority of the vessel. If, on the other hand, it is Greenlandic fishing vessels that unload their catches on a foreign ship, you must first apply for certificates from GFLK and then request an appendix 4 from the Flag State authority for the foreign vessel.

Remember that if the catch reporting is incorrect, is deficient, or if one of your suppliers has provided illegally caught fish, e.g. without a valid license, or taken as illegal bycatch, GFLK cannot validate your certificate. Without an approved certificate, EU authorities will not allow imports. If this happens, your goods will be sent back to Greenland or destroyed. Therefore, as an exporter, you must make sure that your suppliers have complied with the existing rules for fish and fish products.

You can read about the legal basis on the EU Commission’s website on combating illegal fishing. You will also see the list here of the EU ports where a Greenlandic vessel can unload directly. Here is a separate list for the Danish ports. All correspondence to GFLK regarding EU certification takes place exclusively via GF***************@na***.gl