CCC, SRRC and NAL: Three Approvals a Connected Device Needs in China

A device maker told me his China launch was ready. CE done, FCC done, factory lined up, distributor signed. I asked which of CCC, SRRC and NAL he had. He thought they were three names for the same thing.

They are not. They are three separate approvals covering three different risks, issued by different bodies, and for a connected consumer device you can need all three. One does not substitute for another, and the order they come in decides your launch date.

CCC: safety and electromagnetic compatibility

China Compulsory Certification is the baseline. Products that fall inside the CCC catalogue must carry the mark, and the scheme is administered by CNCA. Whether your product is in scope depends entirely on the catalogue, and the catalogue is what you check first.

Two cautions. Published summaries disagree on the catalogue’s size and on the validity period, with some sources giving five years and others describing annual renewal. Do not take a number from a lab brochure, including ours. Get the current catalogue and the current validity rule from CNCA or a China-based certification body for your specific product code.

Also worth knowing: a 2022 notice from MIIT and CNCA removed nine product types from CCC and announced moves to speed up radio type approval, including reducing final review to 15 working days, along with self-certification pilots using manufacturers’ own test reports. The scheme has been loosening in places. Check rather than assume the worst case.

SRRC: the radio inside your product

Anything with a radio needs SRRC approval, issued through MIIT. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, anything that transmits. The scope is broad and reaches industrial, commercial, professional and medical equipment, not just consumer gadgets.

There is no separate mark as such, but there is a CMIIT ID that has to appear on the product or its label. This is the detail that strands shipments. Reports from 2026 describe wireless products being held at the border without correct SRRC certification and a CMIIT ID.

The expensive misunderstanding here is the certified module. Buying a pre-certified Wi-Fi or Bluetooth module does not clear your finished device. Antenna configuration, how the module is integrated, the product category and the labelling can all require an independent SRRC review of the end product. Engineers who have shipped into Europe on module certificates are frequently caught by this.

NAL, also called CTA: connecting to the public network

If the device connects to China’s public telecommunications network, it needs network access approval. Three facts shape your schedule:

• It is valid for three years, shorter than you may expect.
• It cannot be applied for until SRRC is granted, because the SRRC test results are the basis of the NAL application. This is a strict sequence, not a preference.
• There is no modular route. NAL covers the end-use product only.

And the labelling has a timing rule: the product must be marked before it is imported, sold and commercialised in China. Not relabelled in a Chinese warehouse afterwards.

What this does to your launch calendar

Read the dependency column. Because NAL waits on SRRC, and SRRC may require a fresh review of your integrated device, the realistic path for a connected product is sequential rather than parallel. Brands that budget one certification window and plan a launch around it are usually planning around the wrong window.

You will also need help on the ground. A January 2026 note from a German chamber of commerce puts it plainly: without local contacts the procedures are often only partly possible or not possible at all. Those contacts mean a Chinese importer, a resident representative, or an accredited Chinese testing and certification body.

Where this meets the commercial side

Certification is also a sales asset, which almost nobody treats it as. A Chinese electronics distributor evaluating a foreign supplier wants to know whether you have CCC, whether your CMIIT ID exists, and whether your paperwork will survive customs. Saying so clearly on a Chinese-language page removes the main objection before the first call.

That is a search problem as much as a compliance one. The buyers looking for a supplier in your category type a query into Baidu and read what comes back. See our pages on Chinese importers of electronic products and home appliance distributors in China for how those searches land.

Questions we get asked

Our module supplier says it is already SRRC certified. Are we covered?

Probably not for the finished product. Antenna setup, integration and labelling may require an independent review of your device. Ask your certification body to assess your end product specifically, before you commit to a ship date.

Can we get NAL and SRRC at the same time to save weeks?

No. NAL is issued on the basis of SRRC test results, so the sequence is fixed.

We only send components to China for assembly and re-export. Does this apply?

Reporting notes that components entering China for integration and re-export can still face customs checks. Do not assume re-export removes you from scrutiny. Get it confirmed for your flow.

How long is CCC valid?

Sources conflict, with some stating five years and others annual renewal. This is exactly the kind of figure to verify directly with CNCA or your certification body rather than trusting a summary.

About the author

Jon Wang founded SEO Agency China and works with electronics and industrial suppliers selling into China, where the buyer is an engineer with a specification sheet and no patience for marketing language. Connect with Jon on LinkedIn.

This is an orientation to the three schemes, not certification advice. Confirm scope, validity and labelling with CNCA, MIIT or an accredited Chinese certification body for your product.

Sources

• ib-lenhardt, SRRC requirements overview
• Nemko, major changes to Chinese certification for electrical and telecom products