Designation Requirements for Chinese Taipei: Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI)

Introduction

Through the American Institute of Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), the US and Chinese Taipei signed exchange letters to implement Phase I of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Mutual Recognition Arrangement for the Conformity Assessment of Telecommunication Equipment (APEC Tel MRA)  on March 16, 1999.

The MRA between the US and Chinese Taipei covers the recognition of testing laboratories and acceptance of test reports generated by those recognized labs.

Regulatory Authority

There are two Chinese Taipei organizations that regulate aspects of telecommunications equipment:    

• Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI)   

  The BSMI is the authority responsible for standardization, metrology and product inspection.  BSMI regulates EMC for telecommunications products. 

• National Communications Commission (NCC – formerly DGT)  
  The NCC regulates the telecommunications/radio, information and broadcasting sectors.

This webpage covers the requirements for designation to BSMI only. To obtain the requirements for designation to NCC, please visit the NIST NCC webpage.

Standards Available for Recognition
 

BSMI requires that EMC testing be performed in accordance with the following National Standards of the Republic of China: 

1. CNS 15936 (2016) – adopted February 24, 2022.

BSMI’s list of national deviations from CISPR 32 can be viewed here.
 

IMPORTANT NOTE On February 24, 2022, BSMI adopted CNS 15936 (2016) to replace CNS 13438 (2006) and CNS 13439 (2004).  [BSMI Announcement: Amendments to Legal Inspection Requirements]  CABs can now seek NIST designation and BSMI recognition for CNS 15936 (2016). Transition times:      Effective January 1, 2024: CNS 13438(2006)  and CNS 13439 (2004) will no longer valid under the RPC and TABI conformity assessment options (see page 4/5). Effective January 1, 2025: CNS 13438 (2006) and CNS 13439 (2004) will no longer be valid under DoC (see page 5).

2. CNS 13438 (2006) – Up to 6 GHz.  See IMPORTANT NOTE above.

• The measurement distance for frequency up to 1 GHz is 10 meters.
• The measurement distance for frequencies from > 1 GHz up to 6 GHz is 3 meters.

To obtain recognition, CABs must have the necessary facilities to test in the full range up to 6 GHz (at both distances). 

3. CNS 13439 (2004) - Sound and Television Broadcast Receivers and Associated Equipment - Radio disturbance characteristics - Limits and methods of measurement (added June 27, 2017). See IMPORTANT NOTE above.

4. CNS 14757-2 (2010) - Uninterruptible Power Systems (UPS) Part 2: Electromagnetic compatibility requirements (added December 1, 2016)

View the Table of Products Subject to BSMI EMC Regulations (issued March 16, 2022)

Scope of Accreditation Format Requirements

For designation of CNS 15936 (2016), the ISO/IEC 17025 scope of accreditation must list the year.

Authorized Test Report Signatory Requirements

Test reports for BSMI must be signed by the CAB’s authorized test report signatories on record with BSMI.  BSMI accepts electronic signatures from authorized signatories.

1. Upon initial application, CABs shall submit the names of at least one primary and one secondary authorized signatory to NIST.
2. Names of additional authorized signatories can be submitted.
3. NIST will submit the names of the authorized signatories to BSMI.
4. Once BSMI approves the signatories, NIST will inform the CAB in writing.
5. CABS must inform NIST of any changes to the authorized signatories so that NIST can inform BSMI.  
6. Test reports signed by CAB personnel that are not on record as authorized signatories with BSMI may not be accepted. 

CABs can view their authorized signatories in the BSMI Recognized Lab Database by entering their assigned BSMI Number (no dashes) in the SL field. [Find the BSMI Number here.]

General CAB Requirements
 

The CAB must meet the following requirements:

• General Requirements for CAB Designation

 Application Documents & Process
 

The CAB shall submit the following documents to NIST electronically at mra [at] nist.gov (mra[at]nist[dot]gov(link sends e-mail)).

• Phase I Application Documents 
• Names of at least two test report signatories (see Authorized Test Report Signatory Requirements section above)  

Once NIST has reviewed the application and confirmed its completeness, NIST will forward a designation request to BSMI, who, under the terms of the MRA, has up to 60 days to respond to NIST.

Test Reports and Filing Process
 

a.  Test reports submitted by the CAB can be in English. BSMI will accept electronic signatures from approved signatories.

b.  Documentation (user manuals, warnings etc.) for class A devices may be in English. However, the warning label for class A devices must be in Mandarin Chinese. 

c.  Documentation (user manuals, warnings etc.) for class B devices must be in Mandarin Chinese. 

d.  There must be a legally responsible representative (to act as the applicant) in Chinese Taipei.  The representative will handle the application to BSMI. 

e.  The CAB must send the electronic file or paper file of the test reports to the representative/applicant in Chinese Taipei.

f.  The representative/applicant will submit all application documents to BSMI via the e-filing system:  http://www.bsmi.gov.tw/wSite/ct?xItem=18051&ctNode=3042

g.  A file number will be assigned upon receipt of each application.

h.  The representative in Chinese Taipei must be available to help facilitate communications on any issues that come up with the test report that has been filed.

Interpretations and Meetings
 

a.  BSMI is now publishing official interpretations and modified test plans for IT products at the following URL: https://www.bwtcmall.com/article.php?id=114

b.  CABs are responsible for obtaining accurate translations of the relevant information and for following the mandatory interpretations. 

c.  BSMI welcomes all interested parties, manufactures, CABs, agents, etc., to attend its monthly technical meeting and submit technical topics to discuss.  These meetings are open to the public.

About the APEC TEL MRA

The initial signing of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Conformity Assessment of Telecommunications Equipment (APEC Tel MRA) took place on May 8, 1998.  Participation in the APEC Tel MRA is voluntary and includes two phases: Phase I for mutual acceptance of test reports and Phase II for certification or product approvals.  The United States has implemented the APEC Tel MRA with many countries and more are forthcoming.

For Further Information

For questions about the implementation of the APEC TEL MRA with Chinese Taipei, please contact the NIST Telecom MRA Program via  mra [at] nist.gov (mra[at]nist[dot]gov).

 

Technical Content last revised on July 21, 2022