Certifications and regulations to import from China: the essential guide

Importing from China with legal certainty is not just about finding a good price: it means making sure the product complies with the regulations that apply to it and, above all, that the certifications you're shown are genuine.

In this guide we review the most relevant certifications, the difference between those that work for exporting to the EU and those that don't, and how to verify they are real.

The certifications you should know

• CE: mandatory conformity to sell many products in the EU.
• RoHS and REACH: restriction of hazardous substances and chemical control.
• ISO 9001: certifies the manufacturer's quality management system, not the quality of a specific product.
• BSCI, Sedex or SA8000: social and ethical compliance audits at the factory.
• FSC: sustainable forest management, relevant for wood and paper.

Watch out for CCC: it's for selling INSIDE China

A common mistake is requiring or accepting CCC certification (China Compulsory Certification) thinking it validates the product for Europe. CCC is mandatory to sell certain products on the Chinese domestic market, but it does not certify compliance with European regulations. To sell in the EU what you need is CE marking, not CCC.

The big risk: fake certificates

In trade with China it's common to find certificates that are expired, forged, issued by unaccredited labs or that correspond to a different product than the one you're going to buy. A certificate is not worth anything on its own: you must verify three things — the issuing body, its validity and that its scope matches your product exactly.

How to truly verify a certification

• Confirm the certificate number on the issuing body's website.
• Check that the lab is accredited (for example CNAS or ILAC).
• Verify that the scope, model and specifications match your order.
• Back the documentation with a factory audit and an inspection.

How R'S WARE helps you

We validate your suppliers' certificates with the issuing body and back them with factory audits and product inspection, so the paperwork matches what actually comes off the production line and you can import with legal certainty.