Certification Introduction
El Salvador implements a mandatory market access certification system for electrical and electronic products, managed by the country's competent authority for standardization and metrology. The system covers most categories of electrical and electronic products, including household appliances, lighting equipment, consumer electronics, power supply devices, etc. Products without valid certification cannot clear customs legally or be sold in the Salvadoran market. Certification results comply with Central American regional coordination requirements, which can help enterprises expand 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 established based on the national standardization system and implemented in combination with Central American regional technical coordination requirements. Requirements related to energy efficiency management and cybersecurity of smart electronic devices have been updated in recent years. The specific mandatory product catalog and latest regulatory provisions shall be subject to the official announcement of OSARTEC.
Technical Requirements
- Core standards adopt the Salvadoran National Standards (NSO). Most standards equivalently adopt IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standards, and internationally authoritative test reports meeting IEC requirements are accepted.
- Mandatory assessment items include electrical safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). High energy-consumption products must meet minimum energy efficiency grade requirements, and smart electrical and electronic equipment must comply with the newly added basic cybersecurity requirements.
- All products placed on the market must be affixed with clear certification marks and corresponding energy efficiency labels, and technical documents and product manuals must be provided in Spanish.
Certification Process
Enterprises first confirm whether their exported products are included in the Salvadoran mandatory certification catalog for electrical and electronic products, and prepare a complete set of qualified Spanish-language technical documents, including product manuals, circuit diagrams, valid test reports, declaration of conformity and other materials; submit the certification application to the official competent authority and pay the corresponding fees; provide samples to an accredited laboratory for testing as required, and holders of 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.
WANVE, as a professional technical service organization, provides one-stop full compliance support for enterprise export.