RCM Certification Service

1. Certification Introduction

The RCM certification is an identifier introduced by Australia and New Zealand to replace the previous SAA, C-Tick, and A-Tick marks, achieving a unified label for electrical products. This mark is a trademark owned by the regulatory authorities of Australia and New Zealand, indicating that the product complies with both safety and EMC requirements. Since March 1, 2013, Australia and New Zealand have implemented the new unified Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS). Electronic and electrical products in the Australian and New Zealand markets must meet local safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) technical standards and certification requirements, and must bear the unified compliance mark—the RCM mark—to be allowed on the market.

RCM (Regulatory Compliance Mark), literally translated as the regulatory compliance mark, is a registered trademark owned by the Electrical Regulatory Authorities (RAs) and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). After a product obtains safety certification and EMC electromagnetic compatibility registration, the RCM mark can be acquired through the safety certification regulatory authority. Suppliers can affix the RCM mark to declare that their products comply with the electrical safety laws/regulations and other requirements of various Australian states and New Zealand.

2. Applicable Countries

Australia, Nauru, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Tuvalu, New Zealand, Tonga, Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Samoa.

3. Scope of Services

All electronic and electrical products applying for Australian certification can be categorized into three levels based on the inherent risk of the product:

(1) Low-risk equipment (Level 1)

Refers to DC-powered products. Suppliers must ensure the product complies with the relevant safety standards and retain compliance evidence for five years after the product is discontinued.

Reference standard: AS/NZS 3820

(2) Medium-risk equipment (Level 2)

Refers to AC-powered products. The product must undergo testing at a designated testing facility, and product information must be registered in the EESS database.

Reference standard: AS/NZS 4417.2

Products include: air conditioners, portable lamps, projectors, appliance connectors, lamp holders, fluorescent lamp ballasts, etc.

(3) High-risk equipment (Level 3)

The product must undergo testing at a designated testing facility, obtain product certification from a designated conformity assessment body, acquire a Certificate of Conformity (CoC), and register product information in the EESS database.

Reference standard: AS/NZS 4417.2

Products include: appliance connectors, arc welding machines, bayonet lamp holders, bayonet lamp holder adapters, toasters, clothes dryers, etc.

4. Certification Content

RCM = Safety + EMC + Importer Declaration

(1) Safety (Product Safety Certification)

Product safety certification consists of two parts: electrical products are divided into prescribed products and non-prescribed products.

l Prescribed electrical products are categorized according to AS/NZS 4417.2 and include electric heating equipment, refrigeration equipment, power tools, components, etc. Prescribed electrical products must obtain a Certificate of Approval issued by the regulatory authority and must bear the certificate number.

l Non-prescribed electrical products can be sold directly without certification, but manufacturers must ensure the electrical safety of the product complies with the Australian standard AS/NZS 3820:1998 (Essential Safety Requirements for Low Voltage Electrical Equipment). The regulatory authority will issue a Certificate of Suitability for products that meet the standard requirements, and certified electrical products can bear the certificate number.

(2) EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility)

Australia's electromagnetic compatibility compliance scheme is established under the Radio Communications Act 1992 and covers a wide range of products, including motor-driven and heating electrical products, power tools and similar products, lamps and similar equipment, television receivers and audio equipment, information technology products, industrial, scientific, and medical equipment, ignition engines, and arc welding equipment, etc. Based on the risk level of electromagnetic interference generated by the product, products are divided into three categories. Second and third category products must bear the C-Tick mark. Regardless of the category, all products must comply with the relevant EMC standards.

Category 1 products: Products that have minimal impact on devices using the radio spectrum, such as manual switches, simple relays, brushless squirrel-cage induction motors, AC power/power transformers, resistors, etc. These products can voluntarily apply for the use of the C-Tick mark during production and sale.
Category 2 products: Products that have a significant impact on devices using the radio spectrum, such as microprocessor or clocked digital devices, rectifiers or slip-ring motors, arc welding equipment, switched-mode power supplies, light dimmers and motor speed controllers, information technology (CISPR 22) category telecommunication terminal equipment (changed from Category 3 to Category 2 as of November 7, 2003).
Category 3 products: Products that have a severe impact on devices using the radio spectrum, such as industrial, scientific, and medical equipment Group 2 (CISPR 11).

5. Application Process

(1) Identify and classify the product according to RCM product regulations and determine the applicable testing standards;

(2) Conduct product testing or determine compliance based on existing test reports;

(3) Upon passing the test, issue a test report;

(4) Submit the test report to the Australian certification body for document review;

(5) After Australian review and approval, issue the RCM certificate;

(6) Register the product in the Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS) database;

(7) Affix the RCM mark.

6. Precautions

(1) RCM certification can only be applied for by a local Australian company, 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 name, but these reports must be submitted by an Australian importer to apply for the RCM.

(2) Suppliers exporting electronic and electrical products to Australia must first register as a "responsible supplier" in the national database of Australia or New Zealand and issue a safety declaration.

(3) For electronic and electrical products with risk levels intended for entry into Australia, the "responsible supplier" must obtain an RCM certificate from a qualified and authorized third-party certification body for the products exported to Australia, and may authorize the certification body to register the product certificate information in the national system.