Compliance is where importers lose the most time, because the answer changes with the product and with the destination. This is a practical map of what applies where, and the questions to settle before you order rather than after the container arrives.
The two kinds of document
First, separate the paperwork into two types, because they behave differently:
- A test report is a laboratory result on a sample. It proves the item was tested, on the date it was tested. It does not authorise anything.
- A declaration or certificate is a legal statement that the product meets a standard. It carries the weight with customs and with market surveillance.
A supplier who sends you a test report when you asked for a declaration has not answered your question.
European Union
- CE marking — required for a long list of product groups: electrical goods, toys, PPE, machinery. The manufacturer signs a Declaration of Conformity; you keep it.
- RoHS — restricts lead, cadmium and other substances in electrical and electronic goods.
- REACH — covers chemicals, plastics, textiles and coatings. SVHC declarations are commonly requested.
- EN71 — the toy safety standard, in parts: mechanical, flammability, migration of elements.
- LFGB — German food-contact standard, widely used across the EU as a benchmark.
- EPR and packaging registration — several member states now require the importer to register packaging. This is your obligation, not the supplier's.
United States
- FDA — food-contact materials and cosmetics. Usually a food-contact declaration rather than a certificate.
- CPSIA — children's products. Requires third-party testing at an accredited lab and a Children's Product Certificate.
- Proposition 65 — California. Warning labels for listed substances; often the reason a supplier needs a heavy-metal test.
- FCC — anything that emits radio frequency, including many small electronics.
- UL or ETL listing — for electrical goods. Not strictly required by law, but most retailers will not buy without it.
Africa and Latin America
- SONCAP — Nigeria. A conformity assessment before shipment; the certificate is needed to clear customs.
- PVoC — Kenya, Tanzania and others. Same idea as SONCAP, different programme.
- NOM — Mexico. Mandatory for many product categories including electrical goods and textiles.
- INMETRO — Brazil. Requires a local representative and can take months.
These destination schemes are the ones buyers forget, and they are the ones that stop a container at the port. They also have to be arranged before shipment, not after.
Who pays, and whose name is on it
This is the part worth negotiating properly.
| Situation | Who normally pays | Whose name |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier already has a compliant product | Included in unit price | Supplier |
| Your brand on the label, standard product | Included, or a small fee | Supplier, with your brand |
| New item, existing standard | Buyer, USD 300-1,500 | Negotiable |
| New item, new standard or destination scheme | Buyer, USD 1,000-5,000+ | Usually yours |
Testing in your own name costs more and is worth it if the range is core to your business. It means you can change supplier without re-testing, and that your retailers see your name on the report.
How to check a certificate is real
Fake and recycled certificates are common enough that it is worth thirty seconds to check. Three things catch most of them:
- The certificate number should be searchable on the issuing body's own website, not just on a PDF the supplier sent you.
- The product description on the certificate should match what you are buying. A report for a 12W item does not cover a 24W one.
- The certificate holder should be the supplier you are buying from, or a company they can show a relationship with. A report in a third party's name is worth nothing to you.
If a supplier cannot tell you who the certificate holder is, treat the document as marketing material rather than compliance.
The question to ask early
Tell us the destination country before we quote, not after. Compliance often changes which supplier we use, and it always changes the cost.
A short conversation at the quotation stage saves the situation where a container is sitting at Lagos or Veracruz while everyone argues about who should have arranged SONCAP or NOM.