IT Hardware Certification Lead Times by Country: 2026 Data

Why the regulator’s clock and ours differ

A regulator’s clock starts when it accepts a complete file. Testing at a recognised laboratory, translation and appointing a local holder can all happen before then, but they sit inside our ranges, which is why real-world lead times run longer than published ones. Some regulators publish only an upper limit, and some publish no processing time at all.

The holder column matters more than the time column. Where a scheme requires a locally eligible applicant or certificate holder, plan for it from the start, because whether that holder can import itself or authorise another importer depends on the market. See how to import IT equipment into Brazil without a local entity, India without a local entity and Saudi Arabia without a local entity, and our guides to SASO 3114 certificates in Saudi Arabia and NOM certification for IT hardware in Mexico.

Where the longest waits sit

Brazil has the widest range at the top, 6 to 12 weeks. For products subject to Anatel homologation, Act 18086 of 25 November 2025, in force since 25 May 2026, sets separate procedures by import purpose, covering homologated products for use or sale, own use, conformity samples and demonstration. Published summaries of the Act, including the US International Trade Administration’s, say commercial imports of homologated products are restricted to the homologation holder or its legal representative. Confirm the procedure for your shipment before it leaves. See our importer of record in Brazil page.

South Africa’s range starts at four weeks. ICASA issues type approval only to South African registered companies, and its approval is tied to brand, model and specification. Products under a compulsory specification may also need a letter of authority from the NRCS. See our pages on the importer of record in South Africa and South Africa’s IOR rules for tech imports.

Indonesia and Cambodia can stretch to 12 weeks. Under Indonesia’s 2024 regulation, the telecom equipment certificate itself has no time limit, but the holder may make, assemble or import the covered equipment for only three years from issue. To continue after that, Article 18 requires new testing and a new certificate. Local content rules can add a separate layer, explained in our TKDN guide. Cambodia lets only a Qualified Agent hold type approval, covered in our guide to the Cambodia TRC Qualified Agent certificate.

Where approval is quickest

Approval is quicker where no new third-party certificate is needed. Our one-to-two-week ranges reflect the cases we have handled, not every new model, because each route depends on the equipment, its radios, the standards applied and any existing approvals.

• United States. Servers and other digital devices may use a supplier’s declaration with a US-based responsible party. Most Wi-Fi or Bluetooth devices are intentional radiators that need certification through a recognised certification body. See our importer of record in the USA page.
• Canada. Radio apparatus needs ISED certification, while computers and other interference-causing equipment follow a supplier’s declaration under ICES-003. The two routes are not interchangeable. See our importer of record in Canada page.
• European Union. Under the Radio Equipment Directive, the conformity route depends on the applicable requirements and standards used. Internal production control may be available where the relevant harmonised standards are fully applied, otherwise a notified body may be needed. Cybersecurity rules for specified radio equipment still apply, and products under the radio, EMC and low voltage directives need an EU-established economic operator, who is not automatically the importer of record, covered in our guide to CE marking importer obligations.
• United Kingdom. Great Britain continues to recognise CE marking for the product regulations covered by the government’s recognition policy, with no end date currently set.
• UAE. Approval moves quickly once a supplier is registered with TDRA, but ownership does not transfer, so a second importer needs the holder’s authorisation. See our importer of record in the UAE page.

Planning a rollout across several of these markets? Send Carra Globe your model list and destinations, and we will tell you which approvals each model needs, who must hold them, and the lead time to plan around. Request a certification check.

Why approved shipments still get held

A certificate on file does not guarantee a clean entry. Across our shipments, four problems come up most often on goods that were otherwise approved.

• A radio module outside the approval. A server or laptop is approved, but its Wi-Fi or Bluetooth module falls outside that approval’s scope or needs its own. We see this most in India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
• A certificate the importer cannot use. The approval sits with the manufacturer or another importer and does not transfer. This comes up most in Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
• A model number that does not match. The invoice shows a model or variant different from the certificate. We see this most in Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Argentina.
• Missing lithium battery papers. This recurs on battery-containing shipments across all our lanes.

Battery rules tightened on 1 January 2026. Under IATA guidance, lithium-ion batteries packed with equipment (UN3481, Packing Instruction 966) must generally ship at no more than 30% state of charge, with shipments above that allowed only under specific approvals from the states of origin and of the operator. Under Section II, batteries of 2.7 Wh or less are only recommended to meet it. For batteries contained in equipment (Packing Instruction 967), 30% is a recommendation.

A test summary, not a data sheet. Manufacturers and later distributors must make a UN 38.3 test summary available, which need not travel with every shipment, while a safety data sheet is a carrier expectation, not a dangerous goods rule. See our lithium battery customs clearance guide.

Mismatches are cheaper to fix before departure. Check the model number on the invoice against the certificate, and the HS code for routers and switches or for servers against the declaration. If something is already held, our guide to resolving customs holds on IT shipments sets out the next steps, and our note on a customs hold on servers covers the most common case.

A five-step certification plan

1. List every model and module, including radios inside servers, laptops and access points, and any batteries shipped loose.
2. Check approval status per market on the regulator’s public register where one exists, and confirm who holds each certificate.
3. Confirm the holder can import for you, or arrange a local holder where the market requires one.
4. Start new approvals at purchase order, using the new model column above, before you book freight, especially on a first shipment to a new country.
5. Match the paperwork so invoice model numbers, certificates and battery documents agree, then build the timing into your landed cost and multi-country deployment plan.

How Carra Globe handles certification-led shipments

We check approvals before we accept a shipment, not after it lands. Carra Globe acts as importer of record for IT, data centre and network hardware. In Malaysia we can apply for and hold SIRIM and MCMC certificates as the local holder, set out on our Malaysia SIRIM compliance page. Our partner in Kenya holds a Communications Equipment Distributor licence, our Cambodian partner holds a TRC Qualified Agent certificate, and our Mexican partners hold NOM certificates.

Carra Globe works through importer-side registrations and local importing structures appropriate to the goods and destinations it accepts, its own in some markets and established local structures in others. Approvals falling outside the available structure are flagged before a delivery date is agreed.

When equipment later leaves a market, Carra Globe can act as exporter of record. Wider coverage across 175+ countries is on our IOR by country page.

For a certification check, send us your draft commercial invoice, model datasheets, destinations, battery documents and the date the goods need to arrive. Reach us at info@carraglobe.com.