---
id: KB-AL-046
url: https://stage.codecontract.io/help/food-and-beverage/how-to-create-a-processing-statement-annex-iv
idioma: en
categoria: sector-alimentacion
subcategoria: normativa-pesca
audiencia: usuario
nivel: intermedio
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-AL-044, KB-AL-047, KB-AL-048]
citadoPor: [KB-AL-006, KB-AL-047, KB-AL-048]
---

# How to create a Processing Statement in TRACES (Annex IV)

_If the product is processed, the catch certificate is only half of it. This document is the other half._

**Responde a:** how to create a ps in traces · what is a processing statement fisheries · annex iv fishery processing · processing declaration fishery product · create processing statement from catch certificate · annex four iuu regulation processing · fishery processing declaration traces

The Processing Statement —**the same document the IUU Regulation calls Annex IV**, and it is worth knowing both names because each counterpart uses a different one— evidences what was done to a fishery product that was processed before re-export. If fish comes in, gets processed and goes out again, the catch certificate alone does not tell that story: it says where it came from, not what it became.

## Why it is not created from scratch

| Aspect | Catch certificate | Processing Statement |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it evidences | The catch's legal origin | What was done with it |
| What it depends on | The vessel and the area | **A prior certificate** |
| Who creates it | The exporter | The processor |
| Status on submission | NEW | **ENDORSING AUTHORITY NOTIFIED** |

> [!IMPORTANT]
> **The second row is the key to the whole formality: a Processing Statement is created FROM a valid certificate, not blank.** So the first step is not filling anything in — it is finding the certificate it hangs from. If that certificate is not in valid status, there is no Processing Statement to make, and that is the blocker most people hit without understanding why.

## Phase 1 — Find the certificate it starts from

1. **Go to «Documents» → «CATCH» and filter by «Certificate status: Valid»** — Only valid ones serve as a base. If yours is not, that is where the problem is.
2. **Or arrive via «Notifications», top right** — If you were notified of the certificate, this is the short route.
3. **Or via «Dashboards» → «My pending certificates»** — Useful when several are in progress.

## Phase 2 — Create the document, by any of three routes

1. **«New Follow up» → «Create new Processing Statement»** — From the certificate itself.
2. **Or the «Actions» button on the right → the same option** — Equivalent; only where you click changes.
3. **Or «+ Processing Statement» in the top menu → «From Catch Certificate»** — The route that makes the parent certificate most explicit.
4. **Pick the products in the pop-up** — «search» field by nomenclature, section or species; «+» for manual search; «Search»; checkboxes; «Done».

## Phase 3 — Complete and sign

1. **Work through the document tabs** — «Details of processing Statement», «Transport details», «History» and «Status».
2. **Fill «Name and address of processing plant»** — Marked with an asterisk: mandatory, and the field identifying where processing happened.
3. **Click «Save as Draft»** — Before signing, always.
4. **Click «Sign Declaration as [your name]»** — This is signing the declaration, not another save.
5. **Check for «ENDORSING AUTHORITY NOTIFIED» status** — It means the endorsing authority now has it.

> [!WARNING]
> The misunderstanding that costs days: **believing the Processing Statement can be prepared in advance while the certificate is still in progress**. It cannot — it needs a certificate in valid status to hang from. If planning assumes both documents run in parallel, the second waits for the first and the consignment waits with it.

> [!NOTE]
> **Procedure verified in 2026-08** against the European Commission's official help (https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/IMSOC/tracesnt-help), exporter Processing Statement. TRACES is operated by the Commission and **may change without notice**. Whether this applies to you and with what scope is for the competent authority and your adviser to determine.

**Is the PS the same as Annex IV?**

Yes: the same document under the name the IUU Regulation gives it.

**Can I do it before having the certificate?**

No: it is created from a certificate in valid status.

**What happens after signing the declaration?**

It sits in «ENDORSING AUTHORITY NOTIFIED», awaiting endorsement.

## Ejemplos

**The PS is attempted while the certificate is still in progress.**

- Records the certificate's status in the file

→ You know when the second document can start.

**The customer asks for «Annex IV» and nobody knows what that is.**

- Keeps the document under both names

→ The request is handled without translating jargon.

**The processing plant address is missing.**

- Gathers plant details before processing

→ The mandatory field does not hold up the signature.

**Nobody knows which PS hangs from which certificate.**

- Links each document to the one that originates it

→ The chain can be walked in both directions.