To export products to Taiwan, China, mastering BSMI certification document requirements and validity management is key to avoiding pitfalls. Since 2025, official standards and requirements have undergone several new changes that require special attention.
Preparing BSMI certification documents is not just filling out forms—it’s building a detailed "compliance profile" for your product. The core purpose of this profile is to prove that the product design is compliant, information is complete, and traceability is maintained.
1. Basic Application & Qualification Documents
·Application Form: Provided by the certification body or Taiwanese partner, to be filled out accurately.
·Business License: Proof of the applicant company’s qualifications.
·Taiwan Agent Authorization Letter: This is a mandatory requirement. Overseas manufacturers must entrust a company legally registered in Taiwan, China as their legal representative and certificate holder. A formal authorization agreement is required.
2. Core Technical Documents (Review Focus & Latest Requirements)
·Product Technical Description & Drawings: Include complete model number, electrical specifications (compatible with Taiwan’s 110V/60Hz power grid), external views, internal structure diagrams, circuit schematics, and PCB layouts.
·Critical Component List (CDF): This is the most error-prone section. The list must include all critical components affecting safety and EMC (e.g., power modules, filters, transformers, plugs, housing plastics) and provide proof of compliance with relevant standards for each component. Reviewers will focus on verifying authenticity and validity.
·Traditional Chinese Labels & User Manuals:
-Labels must include: Product name, model number, electrical parameters, Taiwan agent information, country of origin, "Commodity Inspection (CI) Mark" design, and certificate number.
-User manuals must be professional Traditional Chinese versions, including safety warnings, installation, usage, and maintenance instructions. Machine-translated or Simplified Chinese versions pose significant risks.
-Test Report Related: Usually prepared by the laboratory, but enterprises should be aware of the core requirements. Safety test reports must be based on the latest standard CNS 15598-1 (equivalent to IEC 62368-1), which fully replaced the old CNS 14408 as a mandatory requirement in 2025. EMC test reports comply with standards such as CNS 15936.
BSMI Certificate Validity & Dynamic Management
BSMI certificates are not permanent—they have clear validity periods, and management policies are being strengthened.
1.Standard Validity Period & Renewal Rules
·Validity Period: For the most common "Registration of Product Certification (RPC)" and "Type Approval (TA)" modes, certificates are valid for 3 years. Renewal is allowed before expiration, typically once, for a maximum total validity of 6 years. After that, reapplication is required. The "Declaration of Conformity (DoC)" mode has no fixed validity period but requires continuous compliance with standards.
·Annual Maintenance: During the validity of an "RPC" certificate, an annual certificate fee (market rate: approximately several hundred to one thousand USD) is required, along with compliance with random BSMI market inspections. This is an ongoing compliance cost.
2.Key Change Control Affecting Validity
·Design or Supply Chain Changes: During the certificate validity period, any changes affecting product safety, EMC, or energy efficiency (e.g., replacing critical component suppliers, modifying circuit designs, adjusting key materials) must be reported to the certification body in advance for evaluation. Unauthorized changes will result in certificate invalidation.
·Standard Updates: If BSMI issues new mandatory standards during the certificate validity period (e.g., the full implementation of CNS 15598-1 in 2025), old certificates remain valid until expiration. However, renewal or new applications must be based on the latest standards and require re-testing and evaluation.
3.Latest Trend: Factory Inspections
A common misconception—"BSMI does not require factory inspections"—no longer fully applies in 2025. According to the latest industry practices, for certain high-risk products (e.g., secondary lithium batteries and power banks highlighted in the 2025 new regulations), BSMI has begun introducing or planning to introduce factory quality management system audit requirements as a condition for certification or maintaining certificate validity. This marks a shift in regulation from "product testing" to "production process consistency control".
Practical Tips for Smooth BSMI Certification
To ensure a smooth certification journey, here are insights from frontline experience:
1."Pre-Review" for Defect-Free Documents: Before formal submission, strongly recommend having all technical documents (especially CDF, labels, and user manuals) pre-reviewed by experienced certification consultants or laboratories. Ensure formatting, language, and content fully comply with the review habits of Taiwanese laboratories and BSMI—this is key to avoiding repeated document revisions and shortening the timeline.
2.Proactively Plan Certificate Lifecycle: Establish an internal certificate management file from the day of certification, recording the certificate number, validity period, corresponding models, Taiwan agent, and annual fee payment date. Initiate the renewal process at least 3-4 months in advance to prevent certificate gaps due to testing or review delays.
3.Deeply Collaborate with Professional Agents: Choosing a stable, professional Taiwanese agent is crucial. They are not only legally required certificate holders but also your first line of defense for local regulatory interpretation, communication with BSMI, and response to market inspections.
If you have specific questions about BSMI mandatory certification documents and validity periods for certain product categories (e.g., wireless-enabled products or lithium battery products covered by the 2025 new regulations), BLUEASIA Technology: +86 13534225140, will provide professional certification consulting services.
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