It is important for an exporter to understand and correctly use country codes because they ensure accuracy, compliance, and consistency in international trade documentation and logistics. Country codes are used in customs declarations, shipping documents, certificates of origin, trade statistics, banking transactions, and electronic data systems, and errors can result in delays, fines, or rejected shipments. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines official country names and codes under the ISO 3166 standard, including the two-letter ALPHA-2 code (such as ZA for South Africa) commonly used in shipping, internet domains, and documentation, as well as the three-digit NUM-3 numeric code used for language-independent identification. These numeric country codes are also defined and maintained by the United Nations and are widely applied in customs systems, trade statistics, and regulatory reporting. For exporters, awareness of these standardised country names and codes ensures correct market identification, smooth customs clearance, reliable data reporting, and seamless integration with global trade and logistics systems.

Sort by: Name of country (The name of the countries or dependencies, according to the country names list established by the ISO (International Standard ISO 3166-1: 1997)

Sort by: NUM-3 ( Three-digit numeric code defined by the United Nations)

Sort by: ALPHA-2 (Two-digit alpha code defined by the ISO)