December Regulatory Update

Batteries

EU: Dedicated page on the EU Battery Regulation now available on the DEKRA website

Electrical Safety

China: New National Standards

2025-11-25

They entered into force on October 31, 2025. They affect, among others, products such as automatic sprinklers or electrical fire monitoring systems.

On October 31, 2025, the Chinese Standardisation Administration (SAC) and the Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) released 48 new mandatory national standards.

Among others, the standards include:

1. GB 5135.2-2025: Automatic sprinkler system—Part 2: Wet system alarm valves, retard chamber and water motor alarm;

2. GB 5135.3-2025: Automatic sprinkler system—Part 3:Water spray nozzle;

3. GB 5135.4-2025: Automatic sprinkler system—Part 4: Dry pipe valves and accelerator;

4. GB 5135.11-2025: Automatic sprinkler systems—Part 11: Grooved pipe couplings and fittings;

5. GB 5135.21-2025: Automatic sprinkler system—Part 21: Inspector's test connection;

6. GB 11417.2-2025: Ophthalmic devices - contact lenses - part 2: rigid contact lenses;

7. GB 11417.3-2025: Ophthalmic devices - contact lenses - part 3: soft contact lenses;

8. GB 12791-2025: Point-type flame detectors;

9. GB 12978-2025: Rules for test of fire electronic products;

10. GB 14287.5-2025: Electrical fire monitoring system—Part 5: Pyrolysis sensing electrical fire monitoring detectors;

11. GB 14287.7-2025: Electrical fire monitoring system—Part 7: Current limiting protector for electric fire prevention;

12. GB 14773-2025: Safety technical requirements for hand-held electrostatic spray guns and auxiliary device;

13. GB 16710-2025: Earth-moving machinery - noise limits;

14. GB 17919-2025: Safety specifications for explosion prevention in combustible dust collection system;

15. GB 18154-2025: Safety specifications for combustible dust explosion suppression

16. GB 18320-2025: Safety technical specification of tri-wheel vehicles

17. GB 27897-2025: Class A foam extinguishing agent;

18. GB 27898.4-2025: Fixed water supply equipment used for fire-protection—Part 4: Gas-driven fixed water supply equipment used for fire-protection;

19. GB 37241-2025: Safety specification for interting of combustible dust;

20. GB 29539-2025: Minimum allowable values of energy efficiency and energy efficiency grades for household and similar range hoods and ventilating fans;

21. GB 32276-2025: Safety specification for dust explosion protection in the textile industry;

22. GB 46768-2025: Technical specification of work safety in confined spaces;

23. GB 46770-2025: Safety specifications for explosion isolation for combustible dust;

24. GB 46772-2025: Safety requirements for packaging machinery.

India: Deferral of implementation date of the Electrical Equipment (Quality Control) order and New Standards on Electronics and Information Technology goods

2025-11-26

The corresponding orders entered into force through November 2025. They impact product categories such as low voltage switchgears and control gears, audio/video, extended reality (augmented reality, virtual reality, etc.), electrical wheelchairs/scooters or IoT devices.

Order, S.O. 5038(E), 2025: implementation date of the Electrical Equipment (Quality Control).

On 7 November 2025, the Indian Ministry of Heavy Industries released an Order which defers the upcoming implementation date of the Electrical Equipment (Quality Control) Order 2020 and subsequent amendments.

The enforcement date for all product categories listed in the Table to Order S.O. 1896(E), 2024—except those already brought into effect on November 10, 2024—shall be deferred until further orders;
Specific requirements outside the scope of this Order:
- All tests prescribed under IS/IEC 60947: Part 2: 2016 shall apply, except for the test specified in Sr. No. 1.1(b) of the table for AC Circuit Breakers (Category A) with ratings up to 630 A and up to 440 V AC.

Order No. S.O. 4997(E), 2025: Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirement of Compulsory Registration)

On 7 November 2025, The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued an amendment, to the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Compulsory Registration) Order S.O. 1248(E), 2021.
The existing standards IS 13252: Part 1: 2010 and IS 616:2017 have been replaced by the new standard IS/IEC 62368: Part 1: 2023.
- (i) The Entry “IS 13252: Part 1: 2010” in Column (3) and “Information Technology Equipment - Safety General Requirements” in column (4) shall be substituted by “IS/IEC 62368: Part 1: 2023” and “Audio/Video, Information and Communication Technology Equipment - Part 1 Safety Requirements” respectively.
- The Entry “IS 616:2017” in Column (3) and “Audio, Video and Similar Electronic Apparatus – Safety Requirements” in column (4) shall be substituted by “IS/IEC 62368: Part 1: 2023” and “Audio/Video, Information and Communication Technology Equipment - Part 1 Safety Requirements” respectively.
- The concurrent running for standards IS 13252: Part 1: 2010 and IS 616: 2017 with IS/IEC 62368: Part 1: 2023 shall be permitted until November 1, 2028.
- After this date, IS 13252: Part 1: 2010 and IS 616:2017 shall stand withdrawn.
The corresponding entries in the Order are updated to reflect this change.

Note: All three standards may run concurrently until November 1, 2028, after which IS 13252: Part 1: 2010 and IS 616:2017 will be withdrawn.

Notification No. HQ-PUB013/1/2020-PUB-BIS (1353), 2025: Newly established standards

On November 6, 2025, the Bureau of Indian Standards published a Notification to establish new Indian Standards affecting, among others, products such as electrical wheelchairs and scooters or IoT devices.

Singapore: Socket Outlets - Circular reminding that Changing Internal Components of Portable Socket Outlets requires Recertification

South Korea: New Korean Industrial Standard (KS) for Photovoltaic Products

Energy Efficiency

Azerbaijan: Ecological Design Requirements for Energy-Consuming or Energy-Impacting Products

Brazil: Public Consultations on New Energy Efficiency Requirements for Household Appliances and on Conformity Assessment for Water Heaters launched

2025-11-25

The deadline for comments is January 3, 2026.

The Public Consultation No. 33/2025 proposes significant updates to Portaria Inmetro nº 89/2022, directly affecting manufacturers of gas water heaters. The proposal introduces mandatory electrical safety testing for all gas water heaters that operate with electrical current and are connected to an external power source, integrating IEC 60335-1:2016 and IEC 60335-2-102:2017 requirements into the Brazilian conformity assessment framework.

Manufacturers will have 24 months from the publication of the final portaria to adapt their products, processes, and documentation to the new requirements;
After 36 months, manufacturers and importers may place only compliant products on the national market;
After 60 months, retailers and wholesalers must also sell exclusively compliant products.

The Draft updates the list of mandatory complementary standards and expands the definition of product families for both instantaneous and accumulation-type gas water heaters.

Manufacturers must classify models using a more detailed set of technical characteristics, including gas type, nominal power, combustion chamber type, burner specifications, exhaust characteristics, and, for accumulation heaters, insulation materials and heat exchanger dimensions.

Certification procedures are also revised;
- Manufacturers must provide detailed technical sheets, energy efficiency data, and descriptive memorials including electrical design information.
- The initial testing plan now includes additional safety tests and broader sampling requirements, and manufacturers must ensure that routine production tests, especially those related to electrical safety, are performed and recorded.
Marking Requirements improved:
- Manufacturers must ensure that products bear durable, visible Portuguese-language safety information, including installation restrictions, exhaust requirements, ventilation needs, and mandatory safety instructions prescribed in IEC 60335-2-102.
Annex G:
- Establishes in detail the electrical safety tests that must be performed both by laboratories and as routine checks by manufacturers, covering grounding continuity, dielectric strength, and functional evaluations.

In summary:

The consultation significantly increases manufacturers’ responsibilities by adding electrical safety conformity, expanding documentation and testing obligations, revising family definitions, tightening maintenance procedures, and imposing phased deadlines for compliance across the supply chain.

Brazil: Technical Requirements for Conformity Assessment and Energy Labelling of Air Conditioners amended

2025-11-25

INMETRO Portaria No. 672 amending several parts of INMETRO Portaria nº 269/2021 entered into force on November 4, 2025.

Portaria Inmetro nº 672/2025 amends:

• Article 17, which now allows first-party laboratories to demonstrate their competence through bilateral interlaboratory comparisons with accredited laboratories, instead of relying on a formal proficiency-testing provider. It also requires manufacturers that issued initial conformity declarations after 1 July 2021 without meeting this rule to submit new test reports by 31 December 2025.

• RAC item 6.1.1.1.2.2, the portaria adds specific temperatures that must be used in heating-mode testing.

• RAC Item 6.1.1.3.2, which clarifies that first-party laboratories may be used only for initial performance tests and must participate in proficiency testing for each test condition.

• The portaria replaces item 6.1.1.3.2.1, introducing minimum requirements for interlaboratory comparison protocols and determining that suppliers must test their most complex model and repeat comparisons every two years, with the reference laboratory reporting results to Inmetro.

• Item 6.1.1.3.3 - The portaria now requires test reports to be written in Portuguese and to specify whether they refer to initial or maintenance testing.

• In item 6.2.1.2.5, it adds that suppliers must send a Brazilian-standard power cord and a declaration stating that tests correspond to the maintenance stage.

• In Annex A, the calculation of seasonal cooling performance (IDRS) and annual energy consumption must now follow ISO 16358-1, including amendments, using the table of temperature bins provided.

• Annex B is amended to require that split-type evaporators be installed close to the calorimeter partition wall and at a minimum height of 1.000 mm.

• Annex II is updated with new ENCE energy label formats that become mandatory from 31 December 2025, including a new label specifically for window-type units. It also revises the rules for the “type” field and maintains the obligation to indicate the technology as conventional or inverter.

Costa Rica: Standard equivalences granted for Energy Efficiency and Household Appliances

2025-11-25

They entered into force on October 23, 2025. It impacts split-type inverter air conditioners and Electrical Products such Cookers, Hobs, Cooktops, Induction Hobs and Electric Ovens for Domestic Use.

On October 23, 2025, the Costa Rica Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) published Resolutions granting regulatory equivalence for Split-Type Inverter Air Conditioners and equivalence to the Canadian standard CAN/CSA-C358-03, regarding the energy consumption test methods for household electric ranges.

Resolution No. 0035-2025-DE: Equivalence of AHRI Standard 210/240-2017 with RTCA 23.01.78:20 Energy Efficiency Specifications for Inverter Split Type Air Conditioners;

1. The regulation sets the general requirement that all technical conditions of the approved certificates must be fully satisfied, in line with the equipment model, the terms of approval, the information submitted in the application, and all applicable regulations. The certificate applies only to the specific product or reference number listed.
- 1. AHRI CERTIFIED REFERENCE 216740983;
- 2. AHRI CERTIFIED REFERENCE 216740984;
- 3. AHRI CERTIFIED REFERENCE 216740985

In addition:

The granted standard equivalence is valid indefinitely from its publication, but it becomes invalid if:
- The certified values analysed are updated, expire, or are modified
- The referenced standards are updated
- Products are found to be certified under a different standard than the one declared
Energy-efficiency labels must follow the requirements of the national standard.
Traders must ensure that the technical provisions of the referenced standard have not been modified or repealed. Any change to the original standard automatically invalidates the equivalence for conformity-demonstration purposes.
If there is verified evidence that products fail to comply with the referenced standards, the authority (ANC) may partially or fully suspend the equivalence. The ANC must also notify MINAE to initiate the revocation process.
ANC, MINAE, and any legally authorized oversight body may review the validity of the equivalence. If market inspection shows misuse, the trader loses the right to use the equivalence and must comply with the full conformity-assessment procedures established in the applicable technical regulation, in addition to any administrative sanctions under national law.

Resolution No. 0036-2025-DE: Equivalence to the Canadian Standard CAN/CSA-C358-03 for Energy Efficiency for Electrical Products, Cookers, Hobs, Cooktops, Induction Hobs and Electric Ovens for Domestic Use

1. The products listed in ANNEX A include their respective product models (electric stove category), consumption limits, efficiencies, label numbers, and certificate numbers corresponding to Model 4, among other data, for use in national conformity assessments.
2. All technical conditions of the approved certificates must be met in accordance with the equipment model, the terms under which approval was granted, the information submitted by the applicant, and all applicable regulations.
3. The equivalence remains valid indefinitely from its publication, but it will expire, lapse, or become invalid under any of the following conditions:
- The certificate values under analysis are updated, expired, or modified.
- The normative documents under analysis are updated (RTCR 503:2021, CAN/CSA-C358-03, or INTE E17 series 2024 national standards).
- Products are certified under a different normative document than declared.
4. Goods sold under this equivalence must comply with the originating normative documents and labeling requirements established in the respective regulation.
5. Merchants using this equivalence must ensure that no technical provisions are altered. Any repeal or annulment of the original standard invalidates the equivalence, preventing its use for demonstrating conformity.
6. Product energy efficiency labels must conform to national standards.
7. If there is verified evidence that goods do not comply with the originating normative documents, ANC may partially or fully revoke the equivalence. ANC will notify MINAE to initiate the revocation process.
8. ANC, MINAE, or any legally authorized trade supervision entity can assess the validity and effectiveness of the equivalence.

Mexico: DEKRA Mexico Certification Body scope for energy efficiency regulations extended

Telecommunications

Chile: DEKRA Chile support towards new requirements on Short Range Devices (SRD) equipment after regulatory changes

Cuba: Updating Channelization Plans for the Efficient and Rational Use of the Radio Spectrum.

2025-11-25

It entered into force on October 2, 2025. It impacts Frequency Bands and Channeling, Frequency Distribution, Aviation Protection Limits, Frequency Assignment Criteria and New Band Approval.

On October 2, 2025, the Cuban Ministry of Communications published Resolution 13/2025.

Summary:

1. Defines Frequency Bands and Channeling:

The Resolution establishes the specific frequency bands and their corresponding channel bandwidths for radio relay system operations, as outlined in the Sole Annex.

2. Review of Frequency Distributions:

The National Radioelectric Frequency Commission, upon request from the General Communications Directorate, will issue recommendations on the applicability of frequency distributions in the designated bands.

3. Aviation Protection Requirements:

In the 3.8–4.2 GHz and 4.4–5.0 GHz bands, the General Communications Directorate must restrict the use of 4–4.2 GHz and 4.4–4.6 GHz within 5 km of airport runway ends to safeguard aircraft radio altimeters.

4. Frequency Assignment Criteria:

Assignments must follow the established channeling and bandwidth criteria for each band and incorporate a compatibility analysis of existing and proposed stations.

5. Approval of New Bands:

The General Director of Communications will evaluate and propose new frequency bands for radio relay systems to the authority responsible for issuing the Resolution.

The annex lists the frequency bands and channelizations for analogue and digital radio relay systems. This includes:

• 413.05 to 450 MHz: 0.25; 0.5; 1; 3.5 MHz 13

• 1900 to 2670 MHz: Ranges from 1 MHz to 28 MHz, depending on sub-band 14

• 3800 to 4200 MHz: 29 MHz 15

• 4400 to 5000 MHz: 28 MHz 16

• 5925 to 6425 MHz: 5; 10; 20; 40 MHz 17

• 6430 to 7110 MHz: 5; 10; 20; 30; 40 MHz 18

• 14500 to 15350 MHz: 1.75; 7; 14; 28; 56; 112 MHz 19

• 71.0 to 76.0 GHz and 81 to 86 GHz: 250 to 4500 MHz 20

• Other High-Frequency Bands: Up to 95.0 GHz are included, with channelizations ranging from 1.75 MHz up to 4500 MHz212121212121212121.

Mauritania: New requirements on Low-power and Short-range Devices

Niger: Approval of Terminal and/or Radio Equipment

US: FCC - Notice to clarify Rules Prohibiting Authorization of Covered Equipment that Include Modular Transmitters ("bad labs" rule) published.

2025-11-25

It is effective since November 26, 2025. The Commission also adopts a procedure to limit previously granted authorizations of covered equipment to prohibit the continued importation and marketing of such equipment

On November 24, 2025, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a pre-publication notice to clarify that rules prohibiting authorization of covered equipment include modular transmitters.

1. Prohibition on Covered Equipment
- 1. The FCC prohibits the authorization of “covered equipment” — devices that pose a national security risk.
- 2. This prohibition is clarified to include modular transmitters (standalone transmitters that can be integrated into other devices).
- 3. Also, the rule prohibits authorizing any host device that contains a modular transmitter if that transmitter itself is “covered equipment.”
2. Limiting Previously Granted Authorizations
- 1. The FCC introduces a procedure to limit previously granted authorizations for covered equipment.
- 2. Specifically, it aims to stop further importation and marketing of such equipment, while minimizing disruption for existing users.
3. Clarifying “Produced by” and Modification
- 1. The rule clarifies what “produced by” means in the context of covered equipment, which is important for determining who is disallowed from manufacturing.
- 2. It also clarifies restrictions on modifying previously authorized covered equipment.
4. Attestation Requirements
- 1. Applicants seeking equipment authorization must attest that their equipment does not include covered modular transmitters.
- 2. This tightens previous rules, ensuring more scrutiny of component-level risks.
5. National-Security Risk Mitigation vs Consumer Impact
- 1. The FCC balances national security goals with minimizing consumer disruption. For example, they design the revocation process so that existing users can continue using their devices, even if imports/marketing are restricted.
- 2. They explicitly adopt a “prospective” partial revocation approach rather than requiring full removal from use.
6. Regulatory Compliance and Oversight
- 1. The rule addresses how the FCC will enforce compliance going forward, including post-market surveillance.
- 2. It also includes information collection requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act.
7. A Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis is provided to assess the impact on small entities.
8. Legal Authority and Policy Basis
- 1. The rule is grounded in the Secure Networks Act and the Secure Equipment Act, giving FCC the authority to prohibit equipment that poses unacceptable national security risks.
- 2. It emphasizes the FCC’s role in protecting the integrity of the communications supply chain.

Other news

Saudi Arabia: DEKRA SQM (Saudi Quality Mark) service already active