Certification Introduction

El Salvador implements a mandatory market access certification system for electrical and electronic products, which is managed by the country's competent authority in charge of standardization and metrology. The system covers the vast majority of electrical and electronic product categories, including household appliances, lighting equipment, consumer electronics, power supply devices and more. Products without valid certification cannot clear customs legally or be sold in the Salvadoran market. Certification results meet Central American regional coordination requirements and can help enterprises expand into the regional market.

Laws and Regulations

The competent authorities are the Salvadoran Office of Technical Standards and Metrology (OSARTEC) and the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT). The current regulatory framework is built on the national standardization system and implemented in combination with Central American regional technical coordination requirements. Requirements related to energy efficiency management and cybersecurity for smart electronic devices have been updated in recent years. The specific mandatory product catalog and the latest regulatory provisions shall be subject to the official announcement of OSARTEC.

Technical Requirements

The core standards adopt Salvadoran National Standards (NSO), most of which are equivalent to IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standards, and international authoritative test reports that meet IEC requirements are accepted. Mandatory assessment items include electrical safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). High-energy-consumption products must meet the minimum energy efficiency grade requirements, and smart electrical and electronic equipment must comply with the newly added basic cybersecurity requirements. All products available on the market must be affixed with clear certification marks and corresponding energy efficiency labels, and technical documents and product instructions must be provided in Spanish.

Certification Process

Confirm whether your exported product is included in El Salvador's mandatory certification catalog for electrical and electronic products, and prepare a complete set of compliant technical documents in Spanish, including product instructions, circuit design drawings, valid test reports, declarations of conformity and other materials;

Submit the certification application to the official competent authority and pay the corresponding fees;

Provide samples as required and send them to an accredited laboratory for testing. Existing internationally recognized test reports can apply for simplification of partial testing procedures;

The competent authority completes document review and necessary sample/factory inspection;

A valid certification certificate will be issued after approval of the review.

WANVE provides one-stop full compliance support for enterprise export.