Many products that do not fall under the mandatory CCC certification can obtain a CQC or CCAP certification on a voluntary basis. Voluntary product certifications provide an indication to distributors and/or the end user in China that a certified product meets Chinese quality standards and corresponding GB standards. The voluntary certification increases a product’s competitiveness in the Chinese market. National quality labels have a much greater significance in the People’s Republic of China than similar quality markings in Europe or the US (for example the CE or UL logos).
It is called a “voluntary” certification because the requirement of certification does not come from the Chinese authorities. In most cases, the requirement comes from the end customer or the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). The voluntary certification is especially common requirement for components in the automotive industry. OEM’s will require that component manufacturers obtain a voluntary CQC certificate or CCAP certificate for their products for homologations of their vehicles. They will also typically ask for a voluntary certification in addition to the mandatory CCC self-declaration to show continued annual compliance to the relevant Chinese standards.
There are several authorities in China that issue voluntary certificates. The two most common and largest authorities for voluntary certification are the China Certification Centre for Automotive Products Co, Ltd. (Chinese: 中汽认证中心有限公司), also known as CCAP, and the China Quality Certification Centre (Chinese: 中国质量认证中心, ) also known as CQC. The voluntary certifications are officially named after the issuing authorities, in each case: CCAP Voluntary Certification or CQC Voluntary Certification.
The CCAP authority specializes in automotive components and certifies automotive products for CCC certification and voluntary CCAP Mark certification. The CQC authority can certify most products requiring CCC certification and offers voluntary CQC certification too. Both authorities can provide the voluntary certification. The voluntary CQC certificates and voluntary CCAP certificates have an equivalent status to CCC as “Voluntary Certification” in China.
To maintain the validity of the voluntary certificates, a follow-up inspection must take place annually. In addition, CoP tests (CoP = Conformity of Production) must be conducted.
The product may be marked after receipt of the certificate. For CQC approval, a marking permission must also be applied for. CQC and CCAP marking is optional for voluntary certification. Please note CCC and CCC Self-Declaration markings are mandatory for products that require CCC and CCC Self-Declaration.
The voluntary CCAP Mark certification and CQC Mark certification each have their own logo, which may only be applied to the products after receipt of the valid certificate.
There are certain requirements regarding the diameter, size and color of the logo.
updated on :12.27.2023