South Africa SABS Announces Change to EMC CoC Requirement

The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) recently announced that, effective November 1, 2022, manufacturers of non-telecommunication electronic and electrical equipment can now apply for a SABS EMC certificate of compliance (CoC) by using any laboratory that has been accredited by the International Laboratories Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).

An EMC CoC is required for any non-telecom electronic product entering the South African market. An EMC SABS CoC can only be issued if a product has been tested and complies with the EMC standards referenced in the ICASA regulations. Since 2017, SABS EMC CoCs were only offered to manufacturers whose products were tested in SABS-affiliated laboratories (SABS A-Labs).  With the addition of the new program, now manufacturers can have their products tested at both SABS A-labs or ILAC-accredited labs.

The SABS A-Lab programme is a Type 3 quality assurance scheme, which allows SABS to enter into agreements with local and international accredited laboratories, based on inspections or surveillance visits to manufacturers, test points and product sampling as part of the ongoing verification process.  With most verification processes completed, the SABS can issue an EMC CoC within thirty (30) days for applications whose products have been tested in a SABS-A lab. Using the new ILAC-lab program, the turnaround time is said to be ninety (90) days for applications.

If you need assistance determining if your product falls under the EMC requirements for South Africa market access, or for any other regulatory compliance requirements for this or any global market, please contact Testing Partners today at (862) 243-2677.