How to Get CE Certification
CE certification can be perplexing, costly, and difficult, and it can eat up a lot of a company’s time. However, this blog will give you all the information on how to get CE certification.
About CE Certification
For a product to be accepted into the European business market, it must have CE certification. CE certification guarantees that the product and its packaging meet European safety and quality requirements. CE Certification certifies to buyers that a product has been created in conformity with European health, safety, and environmental requirements.
How to Get CE Certification: A Step-By-Step Approach
Step 1: Find out which CE directive(s) apply to your product.
How do you know if CE certification is required for your product? The first step is to verify if one or more of the 24 CE directives listed below apply to your product for CE certification. Your product must be CE marked if it falls under any of these directives. The CE directives can be found on the European Commission website. A directive is a European Union legislative act that requires member states to change their national laws in order to achieve a certain result that is consistent with EU standards in this area.
It can be difficult to determine whether your product falls under one or more directives for CE certification. You’ll have to go over each of the 24 directives to figure out which ones apply for CE certification. There is no database or reference tool that details which directives may apply to certain items. A trade commissioner will be able to assist you in navigating these intricacies.
Step 2: Recognize the most important criteria for your product.
Each regulation outlines the legal requirements for your goods to be compliant in the EU for CE certification. In the regulation, these are technically referred to as “essential requirements.” The nature of these needs is fairly broad. The directions are vague about how to create a product that meets the minimum standards.
Step 3: Determine whether or not a third-party assessment is required.
Some directives call for items to be tested and certified by a third-party agency to guarantee that they meet all applicable necessary requirements. These organizations are known as conformity assessment bodies around the world, although they are also known as notified bodies in Europe (NB). Manufacturers may rely on their own in-house facilities to assess their product’s conformance if applicable directives do not necessitate the employment of an NB. A notified body is an institution that has been allowed by European authorities to assess a product’s conformance to the essential requirements outlined in the relevant directives for CE certification. An NB also does an audit to ensure that manufacturers have fulfilled stages 1 and 2 – identifying the directives and essential requirements that apply to their product for CE certification.
Step 4: Examine the conformity of the product
How can you determine if your product meets the essential requirements of the directives in question for CE certification? You’ll need to test and record that your product meets the requirements. Each directive specifies which conformity assessment methods, often known as modules, a producer is allowed to conduct. There are eight modules for conformance assessment to achieve CE certification. The relevant directives specify which modules are suitable to certain product categories.
Step 5: Make and keep technical documentation.
All CE marking regulations require the maker to create and make available technical paperwork (or a technical file) comprising information demonstrating that the product complies with the directive’s requirements for CE certification. Unless the directive specifies otherwise, technical documentation relevant to CE-marked goods must be retained for at least 10 years from the last date the product was made. When a product is modified or subjected to revised conformity assessment methods, the technical documentation must be kept up to date.
Step 6: The CE mark and a declaration of conformity.
The final step to obtaining CE certification is the Declaration of Conformity. The Declaration of Conformity is a document that certifies conformity with CE marking standards. It acknowledges that the manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that its products comply with all applicable directives for CE certification. The manufacturer is solely responsible for this document, and the creation of the Declaration of Conformity is a legal requirement.
Authorities at the EU point of entry should have access to the declaration and should be made available to EU distributors, who may be compelled to disclose it to national authorities upon request.
The Declaration of Conformity is usually a one-page document that contains the following information for CE certification:
- Who you are
- What product it refers to
- What directions are involved
- What standards were followed
- Where test results can be obtained
- Who is responsible in your firm
In principle, CE certification cannot be applied until the conformity assessment procedure has been completed to confirm that the product conforms with all of the applicable directives’ provisions. This is normally near the end of the manufacturing process. If the CE mark is an inseparable part of the product or a component, such as by stamping or casting, the mark can be applied at any other step of the manufacturing process, as long as the product’s conformity is validated as appropriate throughout the manufacturing process.
Benefits of CE Certification
The primary benefit of CE certification is that it simplifies the process for selling across borders in the European Union. A product with CE Certification will have to undergo fewer controls when crossing EU boundaries than goods not marked with this EU stamp of approval. This means CE certification provides more streamlined trade and greater efficiency, which will go hand-in-hand with increased competitiveness.
CE certification also means that a product is less likely to be subject to import controls, which can save you time and money. An imported product without CE certification is at risk of being sent back if it does not meet the requirements for sale in the country where it is being sold.
CE certification expedites the process of selling your product across EU borders, which will save you time and money in the long run. CE certification also increases the chances that an imported product won’t be sent back repeatedly until it meets all import requirements. CE certification also helps you increase your global market share by allowing you to market your goods internationally.
For more information on How to Get CE certification, please contact us at enquiry@iascertification.com
