International Standards

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General Standards

The national standards of Taiwan are based on international standards promulgated by the International Standards Organization, International Electro-technical Commission and International Telecommunications Union. Taiwan is a member of the WTO since 1 January 2002 and as a result the adoption and application of national standards comply with the requirements of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.

Taiwan's national standards are classified in 26 categories. The Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection has 14,575 national standards: 4,298 correspond with international standards, and the harmonization for 3,989 of them has been completed in December 2015.

Standards organizations

The Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI) is the body responsible for the development, compilation, and publication of “Chinese National Standards” as well as for conformity assessment.

The BSMI's Standards Division is responsible for drafting standards policies and regulations. The Standards Division includes 4 sections: the First Section is in charge of the general standardization activities (drafting of regulations, harmonization planning, administration of the CNS mark, promotion of national standards etc); other 3 sections are responsible for standards in specific industry fields.

There are four additional standardization bodies under BSMI involved in the development and promotion of Chinese National Standards: Information & Communication National Standard Promotion Committee, Electronic Information Exchange Committee, National Standards Review Council, National Standards Technology Committees.

Conformity Assessment

Product testing in Taiwan can be performed only by BSMI or by testing laboratories recognized by the BSMI. The testing system applied in Taiwan is named the “Registration of Product Certification” (RPC). Under the RPC commodities are subject to the appropriate conformity assessment. The conformity assessment program examines the design and production phases of product manufacturing.

The least-trade-restrictive conformity assessment procedure in Taiwan is the Declaration of Conformity (DoC), which is currently applied only to low-risk products with stable manufacturing technology. The DoC scheme allows manufacturers to have testing done by BSMI designated laboratories, prepare their own technical documents, and draft the declaration of conformity themselves.

There exist 52 commodities covered by the DoC system. These products are: digital cameras, digital video cameras, typewriters, cash registers, electronic calculators, card punching machines, optical disc devices, data storage units, class B main boards of computers, add-on cards with I/O devices, and vulcanized rubber tubes.

Product Certification

The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) is in charge of the food safety inspection measures, and the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection & Quarantine (BAPHIQ) is responsible for inspection and quarantine for purpose of safeguarding animal and plant health.

Taiwan’s sanitary and phytosanitary standards are different from international standards, such as those established by the Office of International Epizootic (OIE) or the Codex Alimentarius. Goods specified by the Ministry of Economic Affairs must comply with inspection requirements before they are imported and sold on the market. Thus, manufacturers and importers must apply to BSMI for inspection before shipment or importation. Manufacturers and importers are allowed to choose the “Registration of Product Certification” scheme or a Batch-by-Batch inspection with Type Approval.

The RPC scheme comprises requirements for the product design stage and manufacturing stage. This means that when applying for the RPC, the product design and manufacturing processes must conform to the requirements specified by BSMI. The RPC certificate allows local manufacturers to ship their products, and gives importers the right to proceed directly with customs clearance. The BBI with Type Approval approach is more convenient for importers and companies that have small quantities of goods for sale.

Taiwan’s safety regulations comply with IEC and CNS standards. Safety testing for all end products must be done in Taiwan by Taiwan accredited laboratories. Products such as home appliances, electrical power distribution devices, in-door lighting and motors require safety testing or inspection in Taiwan. Taiwan follows the international requirements for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). As a result manufacturers/importers must obtain type approval of their products from BSMI and all products must apply for inspection based on the EMC type approval certificate.

At present, 253 products are subject to EMC inspection, of which 133 are electrical items, and 120 are electronic products.

Accreditation

Taiwan Accreditation Foundation (TAF) is the country's primary body responsible for the accreditation of conformity assessment against international standards. The Certification Body Accreditation (under the TAF) is responsible for executing and managing the assessment and accreditation of domestic certification bodies for quality management, product and personnel. The main function of the Department of Laboratory Accreditation is to execute and manage the assessment and accreditation of laboratory inspection bodies and proficiency test providers.

TAF provides accreditation in four main fields - calibration, testing, civil engineering, and media. There are about 47 accredited bodies under TAF engaged in the accreditation of management systems which include quality, environmental, occupational health and safety, information security, food safety, and green products management systems.

Accreditation for labs is conducted on a voluntary basis.

Contacts

Ministry of Economic Affairs

Website: http://gcis.nat.gov.tw

Address: No. 15 Fuzhou St., Taipei 10015, Taiwan

Tel: 886-2-2341-4986

Fax: 886-2-2391-9973

Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection, Ministry of Economic Affairs

Website: http://www.bsmi.gov.tw

Address: No. 4 JiNan Rd., Sec. 1, Taipei 100, Taiwan

Tel: 886-2-2343-1700

Fax: 886-2-2356-0998