Unlike Europe, market access for products and services to China is generally not free: For many product categories, government approval is required before goods can be imported for the Chinese market. These approvals come in various forms, such as licences, certifications, registrations, marks, and even individual approval of shipments. They are issued by the government itself or by appointed bodies acting on behalf of the government. All of these approvals have one thing in common: They will be regularly checked at the borders or, in case of China domestic production, by inspection authorities.
The CCC system is the most widely used approval system for China and applies to a broad range of products, both for consumer and industrial use. The system consists of a compulsory certification, issued by a government-appointed certification body, and a mark, controlled by a government agency. The product categories that require CCC certification are listed in the CCC catalogue. For products not listed in the catalogue, it is not possible to obtain CCC certification. The CCC system is not a self-declaration and is not comparable with China export (CE) marking.
Please note that this guildline has been updated on July, 2014.
