Automate catch certificates in TRACES NT
Since 10 January 2026, catch certificates for fish entering the EU go through CATCH, inside TRACES NT. When the flag state validated the certificate on paper, someone at your agency copies it over field by field. Sia’s extension fills it in from the PDF; your clerk checks it and finalises it.
- by hand
- 7 min – 3 h
- with the extension
- < 1 – 12 min
Sia in TRACES is a Chrome extension from Seautomatiza that fills in catch certificates in TRACES NT (CATCH) from the PDF. The clerk drops the certificate onto the page, Sia reads its data and completes the form, and anything it could not resolve is flagged for a person to review before the certificate is finalised.
Sia in TRACES · catch certificates
Up to 90% less time per certificate
A catch certificate that takes anywhere from 7 minutes to 3 hours by hand is filled in by the extension in anywhere from under a minute to 12 minutes.
Timed by a customs clerk in November 2026. How long each certificate takes depends on its paperwork.
How it works
From the PDF to the certificate, in three steps
Drop in the PDF
Open a new certificate in TRACES NT and drag the PDF the exporter sent you onto the page, whatever its country or language.
Sia reads and fills in
I read the certificate and fill in the fields: species, weights, vessels, licences and exporter. I look up each vessel by its registration number in the TRACES search windows; I never register anything.
Your clerk reviews and finalises
Whatever I could not resolve is flagged for a person to check. I save the draft, and finalising the certificate is always your team’s call.
Guide: catch certificates in CATCH, step by step (in Spanish)
By hand vs Sia
What changes on every certificate
| What changes | By hand | With Sia |
|---|---|---|
| Reading the certificate | By handSomeone hunts for each item in the PDF, sometimes in another language | With SiaSia reads all of it, in any format and language |
| Filling in the fields | By handTyped one by one: species, weights, areas, exporter | With SiaSia fills them in directly in TRACES NT |
| Vessels and licences | By handEach vessel is looked up in the TRACES search windows | With SiaSia looks it up by registration number; if it appears more than once, you choose |
| Anything doubtful | By handSpotted on review, if at all | With SiaFlagged for a person to review |
| Time per certificate | By handFrom 7 minutes to 3 hours | With SiaFrom under a minute to 12 minutes |
FAQ
Questions about TRACES
Does it work with a scanned PDF?
It is built to read the certificate as it arrives, as a digital or a scanned PDF and in the language of the country that validated it. If a field cannot be read clearly, a blurred registration number for instance, it does not guess: it flags the field so your clerk can check it against the document.
What if a vessel appears more than once in TRACES?
Sia looks up each vessel by its registration number. If TRACES returns more than one match, it shows you the candidates and you pick the right one: it never chooses without asking. If the vessel is not registered, it tells you and leaves it with you, because Sia never registers vessels, operators or licences in TRACES.
Who saves and submits the certificate?
Your team. Sia fills in the form and leaves the work saved as a draft in TRACES NT, but it never finalises or submits anything. Reviewing what it flagged, attaching the files and finalising the certificate is always done by someone at your agency, with their own TRACES account.
Where does the certificate data go?
Documents are processed in the EU: the server is in the EU and the Google AI that reads the PDF runs in a European region. We sign a data processing agreement (Article 28 GDPR) with each agency, and the extension has its own privacy policy published on this site.
Which procedures does it handle besides the catch certificate?
In CATCH, besides the catch certificate (CC), it fills in the simplified catch certificate (SC) and the processing statement (PS), each one from its own document. We are also bringing the same engine to the importer declaration (IM) and to other PDF-based procedures, such as a transit arrival notification, filled in from the transit accompanying document (TAD).
What is CATCH and since when is it mandatory?
CATCH is the European Commission’s system for managing catch certificates for fishery products imported into the EU, built into TRACES. It was created by Regulation (EU) 2023/2842, which amends the IUU Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 on illegal fishing, and operators have had to use it since 10 January 2026.
Do we need to install anything?
Only the Chrome extension: we install it and set it up with your agency’s key on the computers that will use it. It appears on the TRACES NT page when you open a certificate, and nothing changes in how your team logs in to TRACES: everyone keeps their own account.
Official sources
- Regulation (EU) 2023/2842 on EUR-Lex: creates CATCH within TRACES and applies it from 10 January 2026
- Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT): use of the CATCH electronic system mandatory from 10 January 2026
- European Commission (DG MARE): the digital catch certificate comes into force
- TRACES NT guide: importation in CATCH; data from paper certificates must be transferred into CATCH