1. Certification Introduction

BSMI is the abbreviation for the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection under the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Taiwan. According to the announcement by the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Taiwan, starting from July 1, 2005, products entering Taiwan must comply with regulations on electromagnetic compatibility and safety. From January 1, 2018, products must also comply with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive.

2. Certification Mode

BSMI certification is mandatory, and the certification mode is: product inspection + registration supervision.

3. Certification Application Methods

(1) Type Approval

1) Type Approval (EMC + Safety): Starting from January 1, 2004, 178 types of electronic and electrical products require this approval. Applicable standards: EMC + Safety. Required documents include (Application for Product Type Approval, Business or Factory License, Test Reports, Technical Documents for Electromagnetic Compatibility: Photos, Labels, Components with Electromagnetic Interference, Block Diagrams, User Manuals, and Technical Documents for Safety). Certificate validity: three years, extendable once.

2) EMC Type Approval (replacing the previous EMC application): Mandatory from November 1, 2002. Applicable products: 61 types of electronic and electrical products with only EMI requirements, and 124 types of electronic and electrical products requiring EMI + Safety Reports (if the product has safety requirements). Applicable standards: EMI only. Required documents include (Application for EMC Type Approval, Test Reports, Technical Documents: Photos, Labels, Components with Electromagnetic Compatibility, Block Diagrams, and User Manuals).

(2) Certification Registration

Mandatory enforcement date: Not yet announced. Applicable standards: EMI + Safety. Required documents include (Application for Product Type Approval, Business or Factory License, Test Reports, Technical Documents for Electromagnetic Compatibility: Photos, Labels, Components with Electromagnetic Interference, Block Diagrams, User Manuals, Technical Documents for Safety, and Declaration of Conformity). Certificate validity: three years, extendable once.

(3) Declaration of Conformity

Mandatory enforcement date: January 18, 2002. Applicable products: 19 types of information technology equipment components. Applicable standards: CNS13438 (ONLY EMC). Required documents include (Declaration of Conformity, Test Reports, Technical Documents: Photos, Labels, Components with Electromagnetic Interference, Block Diagrams, and User Manuals). No certificate is issued.

For electronic and electrical products, the three application methods provided by the Standards Bureau have the following characteristics:

1) Declaration of Conformity is only applicable to certain components of information technology equipment (please refer to the product descriptions on the Standards Bureau's website).

2) The product manufacturer can decide whether to apply for Certification Registration or Type Approval.

3) The differences between Certification Registration and Type Approval are:

lInspection method: If a product has obtained Type Approval, inspections for customers will be simplified. For products applying for Certification Registration, no customer inspections are conducted; instead, random market sampling is used.

lCost differences: The application fee for Certification Registration is higher than for Type Approval, and an annual fee is charged. Type Approval does not require an annual fee.

4. Certified Products

If your product falls within the following categories, you need to apply for certification to expand into the domestic market:

(1) Mandatory Commodity Inspection Mark (CI MARK): Electrical products (e.g., household appliances), electronic products (e.g., information equipment and entertainment/audio-visual devices), mechanical products (e.g., electric tools), chemical products (e.g., tires and toys).

(2) Voluntary Standardized Mark (CNS MARK): Industrial products, building materials, wires, household appliances, automotive and motorcycle parts, industrial raw materials, or products where competitors already use the standardized mark.

(3) Voluntary Product Certification Mark (VPC MARK): Safety-critical components, digital set-top boxes, lamp holders, battery chargers, restricted hazardous substances, lithium batteries, vehicle electromagnetic compatibility, sports and fitness equipment, etc.

5. Application Process

(1) Fill out the application

(2) Test samples

(3) Issue reports

(4) Issue certificates