What is a CE Declaration of Conformity?

CE certification is a pass for products to enter the EU market. Electronic and electrical products must obtain CE certification and stamp the CE certification mark on the product. There are three CE certification modes.

(1) Declaration of conformity / Declaration of compliance issued by the enterprise itself. This certificate is a self-declaration and should not be issued by a third-party agency (intermediary or testing and certification agency). Therefore, it can be in EU format. Enterprise "Declaration of Conformity" instead.

(2) Certificate of compliance / "Certificate of Compliance", which is a declaration of compliance issued by a third-party agency (intermediary or testing and certification agency), and must be accompanied by technical information such as test reports and TCF. At the same time, the enterprise must also sign "Declaration of Conformity".

(3) EC Attestation of conformity "Certificate of Conformity to EU Standards", this is a certificate issued by the EU Notified Body (Notified Body abbreviated as NB). According to EU regulations, only NB is qualified to issue the CE declaration of EC Type.

EU-Declaration of Conformity is a statement made in writing and formulated by the manufacturer to prove that the product bears the CE mark and fulfills the requirements of the European Union. The declaration shall apply to all Community Acts applicable to the product and contains all the information required to determine the Community harmonised legislation to which the declaration relates. This declaration must cover one or more manufactured products, clearly identified by product name, product code or other unambiguous means. If the manufacturer is located outside the European Union, it must be retained by the manufacturer or its authorized representative in Europe.

declare basic requirements

1. State the date of compliance with the new electromagnetic compatibility and low voltage directives;
2. State compliance with the new EN or BS standards;
3. Include the manufacturer's name;
4. Include the product, trademark or model;
5. Include the European Union Information such as binding signature and seal on behalf of the authorized person;
6. The six-sided pictures of the product and packaging show mandatory marks.

What products require a CE Declaration of Conformity

All products that are required to bear the CE safety mark require a declaration of conformity. In the EU market, the CE safety certification mark is a mandatory certification mark. Whether it is a product produced by an EU company or a product produced in other countries, if it wants to circulate freely in the EU market, it must be affixed with the "CE" mark. For e-commerce sellers, be aware that electronics, toys, sunglasses, and mechanical fitness equipment are all mandatory for the logo.

application process

1. Identify the applicable directives and unified standards for the product;
2. Identify the special requirements for the product in each directive;
3. Determine whether it is necessary for the product to be submitted to the EU designated agency for conformity assessment;
4. Test the product to determine that the product is qualified;
5. Edit the technical file, pay attention to the different requirements for the technical file for each instruction.

When is a Declaration of Conformity required Legally, a DoC needs to be made the first time a product is sold. In practice, DoC is mainly used when customs enter EC land. In addition, the authorities (market surveillance) will
issue opinions to manufacturers and importers to produce DoCs in the event of accidents or interference issues. If you manufacture OEM products, the DoC may facilitate acceptance of your products by your customers.

Precautions

CE certification can use self-declaration for most products. At this time, the manufacturer or its authorized representative agency in the European Union must sign the "Declaration of Conformity" (Self Declaration of Conformity). The content of the declaration of conformity varies from directive to directive. It should be noted that the Declaration of Conformity must be prepared according to the Directive, and if a product has two applicable Directives, two Declarations of Conformity should be prepared and signed separately.

Many companies think that they can use the CE mark with the CE certificate of a testing agency or certification agency. This is a misunderstanding. Since it is a self-declaration, the enterprise itself is responsible for the use of the CE mark, and the CE certificate issued by a third-party organization is only an indirect proof. However, if the CE certificate is issued by an EU notified body, it is not necessary to issue a self-declaration.

It is not enough to sign the declaration of conformity, the manufacturer must also submit the technical organization file TCF (Technical Construction File), including technical documents or technical files such as test reports, product technical descriptions, circuit diagrams, etc., to prove that the product is technically compliant with the directive. required. It is also very important to prepare a technical file that meets the requirements. The fee charged by the EU designated agency to prepare the TCF for the customer is the same as the fee for issuing the certificate (excluding the testing fee).

After the manufacturer signs the Declaration of Conformity with the required TCF, the manufacturer can use the CE mark on the product. At present, many CE certificates are not recognized by European customers or management agencies, mainly due to the lack of understanding of the CE marking system.