ISTA certificate

About applying for an International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) certificate

Apply for an ISTA certificate at the Official Seed Testing Laboratory (OSTL).
OSTL is an accredited member laboratory (accreditation number ZA01) of ISTA. OSTL is authorised to issue International Seed Analysis Certificates.

You may apply for either a Seed Lot Certificate (Orange) or a Seed Sample Certificate (Blue).

• The Orange Certificate is issued when the sample is drawn officially from the lot (batch) and tests are carried out under the responsibility of an accredited laboratory. The certificate is applicable to the seed lot from which it was taken.
• The Blue Certificate is issued when sampling is not under the responsibility of an accredited laboratory and the accredited laboratory is only responsible for testing the sample. This certificate is only applicable to the sample received for testing.
  

What you should do

For the Orange International Certificate:

• Download the form or contact OSTL and complete the application form for the Orange International Certificate application.
• Request allocation of official seed lot numbers.
• Fax the application to the OSTL at (012) 808 5383 and/or email it to SeedTesting@daff.gov.za.
• Once your application has been received, you will be allocated unique seed lot numbers and your application faxed or emailed back to you.  It will also be faxed or emailed to the sampler in the regional office nearest to the place where sampling is to take place.
  
• Prepare the seed lots for sampling. This includes the marking of the lot with the allocated lot numbers. You must mark each container (clearly legible) or label it with your allocated lot number.
• When the seed lots are ready for sampling, notify the sampler to come and draw samples.
• The sampler is responsible for the official sampling and sealing of the seed lot(s).
• The samples are submitted to the OSTL and tested for quality and the applicable certificate is issued.
• After submitting your sample, you will get an invoice.

For a Blue International Certificate:

• Download the form or contact OSTL and complete the application form for the Blue International Certificate application.
• Apply for a Blue Certificate with a letter on your own organisation’s letterhead, as marking of the seed lot and official sampling is not applicable.

Banking details for both Orange and Blue International Certificate
Bank: Standard Bank
Branch name: Arcadia
Branch code: 01-08-45
Account number: 011244887
Account name: NDA Seed Testing Services

You can pay electronically or over the counter
Remember to include the invoice number for reference purposes.

Pay the seed testing tariff and send proof of payment to OSTL either per fax or email for release of the certificate.

How long does it take?

The OSTL gives priority to the testing of seed samples for export purposes. The various crop types have different test conditions and the duration of a test can vary from a few days to a few weeks.

OSTL strives to germinate seed samples from one consignment under the same test conditions. Also a variety of tests may be requested by the client. No service standard information can therefore be provided. Enquire at the facility itself (see contact details).

How much does it cost

For details on tariffs follow the link below:

Table 1/ Fees Payable

Forms to complete

(Forms are provided in PDF format. To open PDF documents, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader 4 or higher installed on your computer.)

Application for the issuance of an Orange International Certificate (OIC)

Who to contact

Physical address: Official Seed Testing Laboratory, Directorate: Plant Production, Plant Genetic Resources Centre, KwaMhalanga Road, Roodeplaat
Postal address: Private Bag X250, Pretoria 0001
Web address: www.daff.gov.za
Tel: 012 808 5394/95
Fax: 012 808 5383
E-mail: SeedTesting@daff.gov.za