How to combine a COC and test report into one PDF

By the EZ COC team. Published 1 October 2026. 6 min read.

To combine a COC and test report into one PDF, put the certificate first, the test report pages next and any photographic annexure last, then number every page in one sequence. One numbered file is easier to send, harder to lose pages from, and simple for an agent or conveyancer to check.

What goes into a complete COC pack

A complete pack holds the certificate, the supporting test report and, if you keep one, the photographic record. The certificate is what the customer needs. The rest is what lets someone check how you got there.

1. The signed certificate of compliance.
2. The test report pages with your readings.
3. A photographic record of the installation, grouped by section.

The ECB register asks for the CoC and the test report to be uploaded, so it already treats them as a pair. Even when you are not registering a certificate, sending both together saves the follow-up email asking for the readings.

Test report pages

The test report records the measurements and checks behind the certificate. The ECB publishes a general test report template that shows what such a report looks like. If your own firm uses a different format, the point is the same: the numbers should sit in the same file as the certificate, not in a separate folder you will have to hunt through later.

Also note that SANS 10142-1 Edition 3 introduced a revised two-page certificate, described on the ECA(SA) alert. If a pack contains a two-page certificate, keep both pages together and in order.

Page numbering and why it matters

Number the pages across the whole file, so the reader sees "page 3 of 9" and not a series of unrelated page ones. It sounds minor until a page goes missing. With one running sequence, anyone can tell at a glance that the pack is complete, and you can tell the recipient exactly which page you mean when you talk on the phone.

Order matters too. Certificate first, because that is what the recipient opened the file for. Test report next. Photos last, because they support the rest rather than leading it.

Sending one file to the agent or conveyancer

Agents and conveyancers want one attachment they can forward without checking. When you send three separate files, one of them tends to be dropped, and you get a call asking for the thing you already sent.

A single PDF also gives you something to point at later. If a dispute arises, you can say exactly what you sent and when. For how long a certificate counts in a sale, see how long an electrical COC is valid, and for the seller side of the process see the electrical COC for selling a house.

Scan versus generated

You can build the pack by scanning paper pages into one file, or by generating it from records you have already stored digitally. Scanning works for one-off jobs. It gets tedious across dozens, and a stack scanned by hand is where pages end up upside down or out of order.

Generating the pack from stored records removes the manual assembly. The certificate, the test report and the photos already exist in the record, so the pack is a matter of choosing the job and producing the file.

A quick check before you send

Before you send a pack, open it and scroll through once. Confirm the certificate is the signed version, the test report belongs to the same address, and the page numbers run without a gap. Check that the COC number on the certificate matches the number on every other page that shows it.

It takes under a minute, and it catches the mistakes that cost you a phone call: a test report from the wrong job, a photo page upside down, or a certificate missing its second page. Do it every time, even when you are in a hurry, because a rushed pack is the one that comes back.

Build it in EZ COC

In EZ COC you file each COC as the certificate PDF or image, add your site photos with a section and a description each, and record the address. When you need to send it, EZ COC generates one page-numbered PDF with the certificate first, then a photographic-record annexure grouped by installation section.

EZ COC does not issue or register your certificate, and it is not an issuing body. You upload the certificate you already produced. The tool assembles and stores the pack around it. To keep these packs findable afterwards, read how to store electrical COCs.

General information, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with the regulations and your registered electrician.

Need the ECB forms? See the free COC test report templates.