SABS South Africa

Certification Introduction

The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) was established in accordance with the "National Standards Act" promulgated in 1945 and is subordinate to the South African Ministry of Trade and Industry. SABS is a neutral third-party certification body in South Africa, responsible for system certification and product certification in South Africa. In addition to the responsibility of formulating standards, SABS also represents the national management standards and grants the right to use the logo for products that meet the standards. SABS Mark is widely used in various fields and has become a symbol of product quality assurance.

South Africa SABS (South African Standards Association of the Republic of South Africa) recently officially proposed new EMC CoC certification requirements for some electronic products imported into South Africa. This certification is one of the mandatory certifications of EMC in South Africa, and has been enforced on June 1, 2017.

At present, South Africa EMC CoC mainly covers products: electrical and electronic equipment, including home appliances, lamps and lighting, information technology, audio, engineering, medical, power tools and other products.

Certificate description

1. South Africa’s certification is divided into two situations: the first application is LOA and COC, which are mandatory for South Africa’s imports, and this certification procedure is not allowed to mark the SASB trademark on the label of the product. This type of application is not Factory inspection is required; the second application is based on the first application, and you can apply for the use of SABS Mark again. The use of this mark requires a series of factory inspection procedures, which costs a lot, and a certain amount must be paid every year. The annual fee and factory inspection fee are used as the right to use the logo.

2. COC is an EMI test, and LOA is recognized by Letter of authority agents. You can apply directly to South Africa.

Certification scope

SABS certification is divided into two categories: product certification and system certification, and SABS product certification mainly includes the following eight categories: chemical products, biological products, fiber products and clothing, machinery products, safety equipment, electrical products, civil engineering and construction, and automotive products. Among them, the building materials and products involved are: stone products, concrete products, roofing materials, cement, lime, cement mixtures, natural building stones, safety glass, steel structures, wood and wood products, bricks, tiles, paints, Paint, sealant, etc.

South African certification body description

1. NRCS: Is the issuing authority of the LOA certificate.

2. SABS: Is the issuing authority for COC certificate and SABS mark certification. SABS (South African Bureau of Standards)

Responsible for braking South African standards, but also engaged in certification and testing.

3. LOA certification: Letter of Authority, for security.

4. COC certification: certificate of Compliance, for EMC.

5. SABS certification: This certification is voluntary. The requirements are relatively strict, requiring the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) to arrange factory inspections and tests, and there will be two annual audits every year after obtaining the certificate.

SABS COC certification (EMC)

• Is it mandatory: yes

• Controlled products: electronic and electrical products

• Factory inspection: none

• Certificate validity period: 3 years

• Local test: No

• Local agent: not required

The additional information required for the EMC certification requirements of South African electronic products is as follows:

1. Electronic products entering the South African market must meet quality standards and be certified by EMC SASO. If they violate relevant regulations, they will be fined in accordance with the regulations;

2. When applying for a new product certificate, the manufacturer must pay the application fee to SABS;

3. The validity period of the certificate is 3 years from the date of issuance;

4. After the certificate is issued, the manufacturer needs to pay an annual fee (the annual fee can be waived for the first year). The fee is non-refundable, and the annual fee should be paid 3 months before the expiry date of the certificate issuance. The certificate will automatically become invalid when payment cannot be made within the specified period;

5. When the manufacturer no longer uses the certificate related to the product after the validity period of the certificate expires, the manufacturer shall notify SABS of the number of products that have been listed on the market and relevant information. Through products that comply with the certification renewal procedure, the expired certificate can be re-certified.

6. At present, ICASA in South Africa no longer has jurisdiction over EMC matters, and has transferred the authority to the South African SABS organization.