RCM certification

Introduction to RCM Certification

Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) is a graphical symbol indicating that the supplier declares that the product complies with applicable regulatory requirements. These regulations include provisions on electrical safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) in each state's Electricity Act, as well as radio communication requirements in Australia's Radio Communication Act and New Zealand's Radio Communication Act.
In which countries is RCM certification applied

Australia Nauru Fiji Solomon Islands Kiribati

Federated States of Micronesia, Tuvalu, New Zealand, Tonga, Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Samoa

The application process for RCM certification

1. Third party laboratories evaluate products and determine the testing standards to be implemented;

If any non conformities are found during testing, the laboratory will rectify the product to meet and comply with Australian standards;

3. The test is passed and a test report is issued;

4. Submit the test report to the Australian certification authority for document review;

5. The Australian audit has been approved and an RCM certificate has been issued;

6. Customers can complete the registration of the Australian website themselves or entrust it to the laboratory;

Certification requirements for RCM

The new law will officially come into effect on March 1st.

SAA certification and C-Tick certification will be gradually phased out and replaced by RCM certification, which covers safety regulations and EMC (C-Tick may still be applicable to some low-power wireless products).

3. All electronic products will be divided into three categories: High，medium, low Risk。 We do not have detailed scope information. Generally speaking, products driven by batteries and with voltages below 12V are considered low-risk, 240V standard voltage products are considered medium risk, and high-voltage products are considered high-risk. The buffer period for low-risk products is 6 months, and for medium to high-risk products is 3 years (this period is recommended by relevant associations in Australia, but the government has not yet confirmed the specific regulations).

4. RCM certification can only be applied for by local Australian companies, which must apply for an RCM number from the Australian government. Chinese manufacturers and exporters can apply for IEC or AS/NZS reports in their own names, but the reports must be submitted to Australian importers for RCM application. The application registration fee is AUD 75 per trademark per product per year (for example, a company in Australia owns two trademarks: A and B. They imported identical batches of products from China, with half labeled as A and one labeled as B, which means they must pay an annual registration fee of AUD 150).

According to the expert's opinion, importers will bear the risk of product quality non-compliance (responsible party), and non Australian companies cannot directly apply for RCM certification. It is estimated that more and more slightly larger Australian companies will change their practice of having Chinese manufacturers bear the cost of producing reports and applying for SAA in order to reduce expenses. They will tend to designate laboratories with certain capabilities and reputation, provide insurance reports and test data, and then apply for Australian RCM certification.

In theory, Australian laboratories can also act as applicants to help a company obtain RCM certification. However, according to the expert's opinion, due to the significant legal responsibility, it is estimated that most Australian laboratories will not take the initiative to take this risk, and even if they do, the related costs may be relatively high.