Cotejado
EspañolContact

The TE-ID and Textile Exchange's new certificate policy

If you buy or sell goods certified to GRS, RCS, OCS or another Textile Exchange standard, the way their certificates are issued and checked changed on 1 October 2026. This page sums up what the policy says and what the file needs.

Reviewed on 15 October 2026
A practical summary, not legal advice. Where it differs, the official text prevails.

What changed and when

On 1 April 2026 Textile Exchange published its Policy for Scope and Transaction Certificates, TE-TXL-POL-203 V4.0. It replaces ASR-103 (scope certificates) and ASR-104 (transaction certificates) and applies to all its standards, GRS, RCS, OCS and RDS among them.

DateWhat happens
1 April 2026The policy is published.
1 October 2026It takes effect and certifiers may issue under it (A1.1.1). Transaction certificates issued from this date should follow it (8.2.1).
1 April 2027It is mandatory: every certificate is issued under it, and ASR-103 and ASR-104 are no longer used (A1.1.2).
1 January 2028The certifier may no longer put a QR code or link to its own checking system on the PDF (1.4.7).

From 1 October 2026 to 1 April 2027 there is a transition period. In effect does not yet mean mandatory.

Trackit, the only official source

Trackit, the Textile Exchange system, is "the single source of truth" for scope and transaction certificates, and the certifier must use Textile Exchange tools to authenticate them (1.4.2). The PDF is a copy; the record is with Textile Exchange.

Every certificate carries a link or QR code to its record (1.4.7): a scope certificate to certificates.textileexchange.org/sc/ followed by the certified organisation's TE-ID; a transaction certificate to certificates.textileexchange.org/tc/ followed by its number.

According to note 2 of that clause, a transaction certificate link gives direct access to authorised users within Textile Exchange's portals, including the buyer and seller named on it and their certifiers. It is not a lookup open to anyone.

If a certifier publishes its own certificate database, it must state that Textile Exchange's Find a Certified Company page (scope) and Authenticate a Transaction page (transaction) are the only official sources (1.4.3).

The TE-ID

  • It is the identifier Textile Exchange gives each company or site: "TE-" followed by eight digits. It does not change on recertification or on a change of certifier, and it applies to all its standards (1.5.2).
  • Every buyer and seller on a transaction certificate must have a TE-ID before being named on it (1.5.1). The buyer's TE-ID is a required field on the certificate (5.6.2).
  • A company that is not certified must register if it wants to be named as buyer on a transaction certificate (1.5.6). It does not need to be certified for that.
  • Registration is on the Textile Exchange website, with a tax identification number and contact details, accepting its terms (1.5.3). The name, address and TE-ID are public (1.5.7).
  • The name and address on the certificate must match the TE-ID registration (1.3.7).

For the exporter

Before issuing a transaction certificate, the certifier must have the TE-ID of the seller, the buyer, every site that held the goods and any non-certified trader in between (1.5.9). A transaction certificate application with a buyer that has no TE-ID is not complete (8.2.3).

The policy asks certifiers to warn their clients so as to avoid delays. In practice: ask for the buyer's TE-ID when the order is confirmed, not when it ships.

What each container file needs

  • The number of each transaction certificate and its link on certificates.textileexchange.org.
  • The buyer on the certificate, with name, address and TE-ID, against the buyer on the invoice and the importer on the H1 declaration. The policy defines the buyer as the entity taking ownership, usually the one on the invoice (5.6.1).
  • The seller on the certificate against the exporter on the invoice, and the seller's scope certificate number.
  • Products and quantities on the certificate against the invoice and the packing list.

On every container, Cotejado compares the buyer, the TE-ID, the seller and the quantities of each transaction certificate with the invoice, the packing list and the H1 declaration.

Talk to usSee a sample report

Sources