Type Approval
International Type Approval and Homologation
National type approvals and homologation for radio, telecom, electrical, and vehicle products. ORBIS files, follows, and defends the application with the regulator, in every market you enter.
What homologation is
A test report proves the product meets a standard. A type approval is the regulator agreeing you may sell it.
Homologation is the process of obtaining that agreement, country by country, from the authority that controls the market.
The work
Filing, following, and defending the application until the certificate is in hand.
Homologation and type approval are the certification steps that follow testing. A national regulator, or a body it has designated, reviews the product's technical evidence against the requirements it enforces and issues a certificate, a grant, a registration, or a mark that permits the product to be imported and sold. For radio and telecom equipment, that regulator is usually the national communications authority. For electrical products it may be a standards body or a consumer safety agency. For vehicles and vehicle components it's a transport authority operating under UNECE or national regulations.
Every market runs the process differently. Some accept foreign test reports from accredited laboratories. Some require local testing. Some require the certificate to be held by an in-country company. Some publish approvals in a public database, some issue paper, and a growing number now require a QR code on the product that links to the certificate. Lead times range from days to many months, and the application often fails on paperwork rather than on technical grounds.
ORBIS Compliance manages homologation and type approvals as the core of our Product Certification service. Our regulatory professionals prepare and file the application, respond to the authority's questions, coordinate any local testing or representation, and follow the file until the certificate is issued. When the authority's requirements are unclear or its guidance conflicts with a laboratory's, we engage the regulator directly to settle the path.
Approval types
The approvals we secure
Radio and telecom type approvals
National approvals for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, LPWAN, and other wireless devices, and for equipment connecting to public networks, across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Electrical safety certification
National safety marks and certificates for electrical and electronic products, from CB Scheme based recognition to markets that require local testing and factory inspection.
Vehicle and component homologation
Type approvals for vehicles, systems, and components under UNECE regulations and national frameworks, including e-mobility and connected vehicle electronics.
Battery and energy product registrations
Certification and registration of cells, batteries, chargers, and energy storage under the safety, transport, and efficiency schemes that increasingly apply to them.
Marks and registrations
CE, UKCA, FCC, ISED, ANATEL, NOM, KC, CCC, BIS, RCM, EAC, G-Mark, BSMI, and the many national marks and registrations your markets require.
Renewals and modifications
Keeping approvals valid through expiry, product changes, regulatory updates, and holder changes, so a certificate doesn't lapse while the product is still selling.
How a filing runs
From evidence to certificate
- 1
Confirm applicability
We verify which approvals the product needs in each market, based on the product as built. Unnecessary applications are as costly as missing ones.
- 2
Assemble the file
Test reports, technical documentation, labels, photos, declarations, and local forms are prepared to each authority's format, with gaps identified and closed before submission.
- 3
File and follow
The application is submitted, tracked, and defended. Authority questions are answered by people who know the product and the regulation, and status is visible in ORBIS Intelligent Compliance.
- 4
Issue and maintain
The certificate is delivered into your product record, marking requirements are confirmed, and renewal dates and change triggers are tracked from day one.
Why direct regulator engagement matters
When guidance conflicts, a third opinion doesn't help. The authority's reading does.
Type approval is where conflicting advice becomes expensive. One consultant says a product needs local testing. Another says the foreign report is fine. A public AI tool says a certificate is valid for five years when the regulation says ten, or says a country requires local certification for a product class it doesn't regulate at all. Acting on the wrong answer burns application fees, weeks of effort, and launch dates, and the mistake often surfaces only when the shipment reaches customs.
ORBIS goes to the source. Our team engages regulatory authorities directly, on your behalf, to confirm applicability, resolve interpretation questions, and understand how a requirement is actually being enforced. That access is one of the reasons clients choose a Legal & Engineering Global Regulatory Advisory over a marketplace or a software-only tool. The regulator is the destination, and we know how to work with them.
Where a market requires the approval to be held by a local entity, our local holder representation service provides it, so the certificate stays under control and transfers cleanly if your distribution changes.
Questions
Homologation and type approvals
How long does a type approval take?
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Anywhere from a few days to several months, depending on the market, the product class, whether local testing is required, and how complete the file is on submission. ORBIS gives you realistic lead times per market during scoping, and a complete file is the single biggest factor in keeping to them.
Can we use one set of test reports for approvals in many countries?
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For many markets, yes. Reports to international standards from accredited laboratories are widely accepted, sometimes with national deviations. Some markets require local testing regardless. We map acceptance for your product and markets before the test program is designed, so you test once wherever possible.
What are QR-code certificate requirements?
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A growing number of countries are replacing or supplementing paper certificates with a QR code on the product or packaging that links to the approval record. Chile has led the way, with other markets in motion. Requirements differ on what the code must show and who hosts it. ORBIS tracks these mandates and, through the QRLink Comply Package, publishes and hosts compliant certificate pages with engineering review, purchasable per certificate.
What happens to our approvals if we change distributors or local partners?
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If the approval is held by a local partner, changing that partner can mean transferring or reapplying for the certificate. Using an independent local holder such as ORBIS keeps the approval under your control and separates it from your commercial arrangements.
Turn your test reports into permission to sell.
Bring the product, the markets, and whatever evidence you already have. We'll tell you which approvals apply, which reports carry, and how long each filing will take.
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