Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products (HCC)

Service documentation · Republic of Zambia · GSB e-Services

Owner	Department of Public Health
Service key	DOPH/health-clearance-certificate-for-food-products-hcc
Version	service v1, platform a0a302b8
Date	2026-10-21

Generated automatically by the service's end-to-end test run. Every screenshot shows synthetic test data on a local test installation, never real personal data.

This document describes the Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products (HCC) service of Department of Public Health as the platform runs it today. It is generated by the service's end-to-end test: every step below was performed by the test, and every screenshot was taken during that run with synthetic data. Regenerate it with npm run docs:services in the e2e suite; do not edit it by hand.

1. Service summary

Item	Detail
Service	Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products (HCC)
Owner (MDA)	Department of Public Health (DOPH)
Purpose	1. Import and Transit: Certification ensuring compliance with Zambian food safety standards for food imports and transit shipments. Verifies that food products meet health, safety, and quality requirements before entry into Zambia or while in transit. 2. Export: Certification ensuring compliance with export food safety regulations, verifying that food products meet the health and quality standards required by importing countries. 3. Locally Produced Food Products: Certification ensuring locally manufactured food products meet health and safety standards before they are distributed or sold in Zambia
Who can apply	Not set in the service configuration.
How to apply	Online on the national e-Services portal, signed in with ZamPass; pay with ZamPay.
Fees	Not set in the service configuration.
Turnaround	3 days
Validity of the output	6 months
Required documents	None
Output documents	GS3.PermitPreview GS-1 Application for a Government Service GS-2 Notice of Government Action

2. Application process, step by step

The process as configured in the back office:

Step	Role	Task	Type
1	Applicant	Apply	form
2	System	Generate Document	generate-document
3	Case Officer	Review	review
4	Case Officer	Review	review
5	Supervisor	Approve	approve
6	Supervisor	Approve	approve
7	Executive	Decision	decision
8	System	Generate Document	generate-document
9	System	Notify Client	notify

Who takes part in this journey: Citizen, Case Officer, Supervisor, Executive, Anyone (public).

Step 1. Find the service

Citizen · National e-Services portal

On the national e-Services portal the citizen opens All Services and searches for the service by name ("Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products"). Each result names the service and the ministry that provides it.

Step 2. Read the service page

Citizen · National e-Services portal

The service page sets out what the service is for, who provides it, the fee, how long it takes and the documents to have ready. "Start application" begins an application (the citizen is signed in with ZamPass).

Step 3. Confirm the applicant details

Citizen · National e-Services portal

The applicant details are filled in from the citizen's ZamPass account. The citizen says whom they are applying for (themself) and continues with "Proceed to Application".

Step 4. Fill in the application form

Citizen · National e-Services portal

The citizen answers the service's own application form, converted from the legacy system (22 answers in this run, all synthetic), for the type of application "New". Questions marked * must be answered; some appear only after an earlier answer. Answers are saved as the citizen types, so an unfinished application can be reopened from My Workplace.

Step 5. Upload the supporting documents

Citizen · National e-Services portal

The service asks for no supporting documents, so the citizen continues straight to the check of the answers.

Step 6. Check the answers and confirm the declaration

Citizen · National e-Services portal

Before sending, the citizen sees every answer and document on one page and can go back to change them. The declaration that the information is true and complete must be ticked.

Step 7. Application sent

Citizen · National e-Services portal

The portal confirms the application with the ministry's reference number (DOPH-HCCFP/00001/10-21-26 in this run). The application goes to the ministry's officers; the citizen follows it in My Workplace.

Step 8. Take the new application on

Case Officer · Back office

The application arrives in the case queue of the ministry that owns the service (Department of Public Health); only its staff see it. The officer opens it by its reference number - answers, documents and process are on the case - assigns it to themself and takes it on.

Step 9. Fill in the certificate particulars

Case Officer · Back office

The issued document prints 4 fields that come from the office rather than from the application (Generic name, Units of measure, Packing unit names, Package description). The officer fills them in on the case's "Certificate particulars" tab before the document is issued (synthetic values in this run) and saves; once the document is issued they can no longer change.

Step 10. Receive, Inspect, Report Findings

Case Officer · Back office

The Case Officer works on "Receive, Inspect, Report Findings" (review in the imported process), checks the application and its documents, and completes the step.

Step 11. Expert consultation: Expert Review

Case Officer · Back office

The Case Officer works on "Expert consultation: Expert Review" (review in the imported process), checks the application and its documents, and completes the step.

Step 12. Decide: Supervisor Review & e-Sign

Supervisor · Back office

At "Supervisor Review & e-Sign" the Supervisor records the decision: approve, with a comment kept in the case history. Approving moves the case on; the last decision completes it and issues the document.

Step 13. Decide: Chief Supervisor Review & e-Sign

Supervisor · Back office

At "Chief Supervisor Review & e-Sign" the Supervisor records the decision: approve, with a comment kept in the case history. Approving moves the case on; the last decision completes it and issues the document.

Step 14. Decide: Executive Review & e-Sign

Executive · Back office

At "Executive Review & e-Sign" the Executive records the decision: approve, with a comment kept in the case history. Approving moves the case on; the last decision completes it and issues the document.

Step 15. The document in My permits

Citizen · National e-Services portal

The issued document (DOPH-HCCFP-2026-00001 in this run: "GS3.PermitPreview") is listed in "My permits and licences" with its validity and a download of the sealed PDF.

Step 16. Verify the document

Anyone (public) · Public verification page

The QR code on the document opens the public verification page: genuine and current, to whom it was issued, and whether the electronic seal is valid. No sign-in is needed.

3. Payment

Item	In the test run
Fee (as published)	none

4. Output documents

GS3.PermitPreview (sealed PDF)

Issued when the case was approved, from the service's output configuration (service template GS3.PermitPreview.docx), filled from the application and the decision, sealed with the platform's electronic seal and stored as the issued version. The holder downloads it from My permits; the verification page checks it.

The issued PDF has 2 pages; the image shows the first.

Fields

Field	Value in the test run
Document title	GS3.PermitPreview
Permit / licence number	DOPH-HCCFP-2026-00001
Holder	Chanda Mwila
Valid from	2026-10-21
Valid until	2027-04-21
Status	active
Verification code (printed with a QR code)	L44T-VV6V-KE

Seal

Item	Detail
Seal status	sealed
Signature level	PAdES-B-T
Sealed by	the platform seal (development key in the test run)
Signed at	2026-10-21T05:48:16.716Z
Trusted time-stamp	2026-10-21T05:48:16.703Z (time-stamping authority)
Document fingerprint (SHA-256)	2bbb6d5a24c1e1a6...

Verification

Item	Detail
Where	The public verification page of the national portal, <portal>/verify/<verification code>, opened by scanning the QR code on the document.
What it shows	Whether the document is genuine and current, its holder and validity, and whether the electronic seal is valid and who sealed it.
Checking a copy	Anyone can upload a PDF they were given; the page says whether it is exactly the document that was issued. A changed copy is reported as not matching.

On screen: step 15 (The document in My permits), step 16 (Verify the document) in section 2.

5. Notifications

When	Channel	To	Message	Delivery
Application received	in-app (portal bell)	the applicant	Application DOPH-HCCFP/00001/10-21-26 received - Your application DOPH-HCCFP/00001/10-21-26 for Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products (HCC) has been received by Department of Public Health.	shown
Status changed	in-app (portal bell)	the applicant	Update on application DOPH-HCCFP/00001/10-21-26 - DOPH-HCCFP/00001/10-21-26 (Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products (HCC)) is now: With the office - being reviewed.	shown
case.approved	in-app (portal bell)	the applicant	Application DOPH-HCCFP/00001/10-21-26 approved - DOPH-HCCFP/00001/10-21-26 (Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products (HCC)) has been approved.	shown
Licence / permit issued	in-app (portal bell)	the applicant	Your Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products (HCC) document has been issued - DOPH-HCCFP-2026-00001 has been issued for Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products (HCC) and is valid until 21/04/2027.	shown
Invitation to rate the service	in-app (portal bell)	the applicant	How was Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products (HCC)? - How was Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products (HCC)? Tell us in about a minute.	shown
Decision: approved	in-app (portal bell)	the applicant	Application DOPH-HCCFP/00001/10-21-26 completed - DOPH-HCCFP/00001/10-21-26 (Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products (HCC)) is complete. Your documents are ready.	shown
Application received	email	e2e.c***@example.test	Application DOPH-HCCFP/00001/10-21-26 received	skipped
Application received	sms	+260 97* *** 567	Application DOPH-HCCFP/00001/10-21-26 for Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products (HCC) has been received. Track it: <portal>/my-workplace	delivered
Status changed	sms	+260 97* *** 567		delivered
case.approved	email	e2e.c***@example.test	Application DOPH-HCCFP/00001/10-21-26 approved	skipped
case.approved	sms	+260 97* *** 567		delivered
Invitation to rate the service	sms	+260 97* *** 567		skipped
Licence / permit issued	email	e2e.c***@example.test	Your Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products (HCC) document has been issued	skipped
Invitation to rate the service	email	e2e.c***@example.test	How was Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products (HCC)?	skipped
Decision: approved	email	e2e.c***@example.test	Application DOPH-HCCFP/00001/10-21-26 completed	skipped
Licence / permit issued	sms	+260 97* *** 567		delivered
Decision: approved	sms	+260 97* *** 567		delivered

Delivery: shown = in the portal's notification bell; delivered = the SMS gateway (a test double in this run) reported the text delivered; skipped = not sent on that channel (e-mail is not configured on the test installation, and some notices go out on one channel only); sent by the national portal = a ministry node handed the notice to the national portal, which texts and e-mails the citizen under its own name and the citizen's preferences. Addresses written <portal>, <ZamPay> stand for the national portal and ZamPay.

6. Legacy mapping

Item	Detail
Replaces	Health Clearance Certificate for Food Products (HCC) in the legacy ZIGS e-Services directory (ZIGS_Services)
Legacy service id	500
Legacy provider	Department of Public Health (DOPH) under Ministry of Health
Legacy process	not recorded
Fee in the legacy system	none
Fee taken before submission	yes (as in ZIGS)
Time to issue (legacy)	not recorded
Legacy output templates	GS3.PermitPreview: ZIGS_Forms_DOPH / GS3.PermitPreview GS-1 Application for a Government Service: ZIGS_Forms_ZDA / GS1 GS-2 Notice of Government Action: ZIGS_Forms_Notices / GS-2.NoticeOfAction
Legacy address	https://dophui.gsb.gov.zm
How it was brought over	Imported by the platform's legacy catalogue importer (zcm-backend scripts/zigs/importLegacy.js) from the ZIGS snapshot: form, case types, fees, documents, process and output templates, then served by the new platform.

7. Version and date

Item	Detail
Document version	service v1, platform a0a302b8
Generated	2026-10-21T05:48:25Z (by the end-to-end run, not edited by hand)
Service version	not versioned (configured directly)
Platform snapshot	backend a0a302b8 portal 72805f0 back office 58e5946
Test suite	e2e 5999d9b; one installation (combined); seed profile mihud
Journeys	30-catalogue-service.spec.js: citizen finds the service, answers its form, uploads its documents and sends the application - passed 30-catalogue-service.spec.js: the case goes through every step of its process: payments by the citizen, each officer step by its role - passed 30-catalogue-service.spec.js: the grant document is issued, sealed, filled in and verifiable; the citizen has it in My permits - passed
Result	3 of 3 journey tests passed
Data	Synthetic test data on a local test installation; provider test doubles for ZamPass, ZamPay, SMS and signing.