NOM and IFT/CRT homologation: certification in Mexico

Hugues Orgitello updated 7 Oct 2026 14 min read

Placing an electronic product on the Mexican market runs through two separate legal tracks. Normas Oficiales Mexicanas (NOMs), issued under the Ley de Infraestructura de la Calidad, cover safety, commercial information in Spanish and energy efficiency, and are certified by accredited and approved certification bodies. Any product that can connect to a telecommunications network or use the radio spectrum must also be homologated. Until October 2025 the homologation authority was IFT, the Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones. A 2025 law dissolved it: since 17 October 2025 the Comisión Reguladora de Telecomunicaciones (CRT) holds the role, while the IFT technical dispositions and homologation rules stay in force until replaced. This guide sets out who does what after the change, which NOMs and dispositions apply to typical electronics, the dates of the 2025 and 2026 revisions, the marking rules and the deadlines the texts actually set.

What changed in 2025: IFT replaced by the CRT

The Telecommunications and Broadcasting Law (LMTR) was published in the DOF on 16 July 2025 and entered into force the next day. It creates the Comisión Reguladora de Telecomunicaciones (CRT), which Article 7 defines as an administrative body attached to the Agencia de Transformación Digital y Telecomunicaciones (ATDT), with technical, operational and management independence. IFT had been a constitutionally autonomous body since the 2013 reform; the CRT sits inside the federal executive.

The switch-over was tied to the integration of the CRT Plenary, not to a fixed date. The CRT records in the DOF that the President designated its Chair on 16 October 2025, which completed the Plenary under transitory article 4. The transitory articles then apply from the next day:

Date	Event	Text
16 July 2025	LMTR published in the DOF	Decree, evening edition
17 July 2025	LMTR in force; IFT keeps operating under the old law until the CRT Plenary exists	Transitory articles 1 and 3
16 October 2025	CRT Plenary integrated (Chair designated)	CRT recitals, DOF 9 December 2025
17 October 2025	IFT extinguished; Ley Federal de Telecomunicaciones y Radiodifusión (2014) abrogated; references to IFT read as references to the CRT or the national antitrust commission	Transitory articles 5, 6 and 8

Three transitory rules matter for equipment makers:

• Transitory article 28: until the CRT issues new regulations, general provisions and guidelines, the existing ones continue to apply insofar as they do not contradict the decree. The Homologation Guidelines and the IFT technical dispositions are in this category.
• Transitory article 18: legal acts IFT issued before the decree keep all their legal effects, so existing homologation certificates are not cancelled by the change.
• Transitory article 19: procedures pending before IFT continue before the CRT under the rules in force when they started.

The ift.org.mx site is now labelled as an IFT historical archive and points to the CRT for current procedures. Its pages on homologation, dispositions and certification bodies remain the most complete public lists, and are cited below as such.

Homologation under Articles 271 and 272 of the 2025 law

Article 271 LMTR: products, equipment, devices or apparatus intended for telecommunications or broadcasting that can be connected to a telecommunications network or use the radio spectrum must be homologated against the applicable NOMs or technical dispositions, in accordance with the Ley de Infraestructura de la Calidad. The CRT may apply mutual recognition of conformity assessment carried out in another State with which Mexico has signed an agreement or treaty for that purpose. The applicant must have a domicile in Mexico.

Article 272 requires the CRT to publish and maintain homologation procedures and guidelines, with a single certificate number per equipment or group of products, and sets the order in which technical references apply: NOMs, then technical dispositions issued by the Commission, then Mexican standards (NMX) and other standards, then standards referenced in treaties, then international standards, then foreign regulators' standards. It also lets the CRT accredit experts to support homologation.

The Homologation Guidelines (2021, amended 2024)

The operational rules are still the IFT Guidelines for the homologation of products, equipment, devices or apparatus intended for telecommunications or broadcasting, published in the DOF on 29 December 2021 and in force 180 calendar days later. They define the routes:

Route	When it applies	What the applicant files	Certificate validity
Type A homologation	Products covered by technical dispositions (and, where relevant, complementary NOMs)	A single certificate of conformity or inspection opinion from a conformity assessment body	Indefinite
Type B homologation	No applicable technical disposition	A single technical opinion signed by an expert accredited by the regulator, against NMX, treaty, international or foreign standards; not available for model families or IoT and short-range product groups	Indefinite, subject to a renewed technical opinion filed in the 90 days before the end of the second year
Type C homologation	Products subject to Type A and Type B together	Both documents	Indefinite, with the same two-year technical opinion
Registration types A, B, C	Inherently compliant products and ISM equipment; temporary use at an event; infrastructure	Registration instead of a certificate	Not a homologation certificate

Other points from the same text:

• Guideline 3: certificates are granted only to applicants with a domicile in Mexico, and all filings go through the regulator's electronic filing window with an advanced electronic signature.
• Guideline 4: certificates are not transferable; affiliates, subsidiaries and importers listed in the certificate of conformity can be named on the homologation certificate, with the same responsibilities as the holder.
• Guideline 11: documents, forms and user manuals for Type A are filed in Spanish; the manual may also be filed in another language.
• Guideline 38 (marking), amended on 2 October 2024: see the labelling section below.

Deadlines the guidelines set (Type A)

Step	Deadline in the text
File the homologation request after the certificate of conformity is issued	5 working days
Regulator asks for missing information (once)	Applicant answers within 5 working days, otherwise the request is dropped
Technical evaluation, one notice of deficiencies to the applicant and the conformity assessment bodies	Within the 12 working days of the evaluation; answer within 20 working days
Issue of the homologation certificate	At the latest 12 working days from the request, counted again from the correction of any deficiency
Type B certificate, for comparison	At the latest 30 working days

These deadlines cover the administrative act only. Testing in an authorised laboratory and certification by an authorised certification body come first, and their duration is not set by these texts. For cross-jurisdiction orders of magnitude, see the certification timeline.

Technical dispositions and telecom NOMs used for homologation

The regulator's list of instruments applicable to homologation, as published on the IFT archive site, gives the following references and in-force dates. Titles are summarised from the DOF texts.

Instrument	Scope (DOF title, summarised)	DOF publication	In force from
IFT-004-2016	Interface to public networks for terminal equipment	21 January 2016	20 January 2016 (as listed)
IFT-005-2016	Digital interface to public networks (2048 and 34368 kbit/s)	21 January 2016	20 January 2016 (as listed)
IFT-007-2019	Human exposure limits to RF fields, 100 kHz to 300 GHz, around stations	25 February 2020	25 February 2021
IFT-008-2015	Spread-spectrum, frequency-hopping and digital-modulation equipment in 902-928 MHz, 2400-2483.5 MHz and 5725-5850 MHz	19 October 2015	20 October 2015
IFT-010-2016	Signal-blocking equipment in prisons	1 August 2016	30 September 2016
IFT-011-2017 Part 1	Mobile terminals: IMEI and FM broadcast receiver function	27 April 2017	26 July 2017
IFT-011-2017 Part 2	Mobile terminals in the 700, 800, 850, 1900, 1700/2100 and 2500 MHz bands	3 January 2018	2 April 2018
IFT-011-2022 Part 3	Mobile terminals, cell broadcast for risk and emergency alerts	13 September 2022	13 March 2023
IFT-012-2019	Specific absorption rate (SAR) limits for terminal products	26 February 2020	26 February 2021
IFT-013-2016	Television stations and auxiliary equipment	30 December 2016	1 January 2017
IFT-014-2018 Parts 1 and 2	Point-to-point and point-to-multipoint microwave equipment	26 November 2018	27 November 2018
IFT-015-2018	Transmitters for specialised fleet mobile radio	26 November 2018	27 November 2018
IFT-016-2024	Low-power radio devices from 30 MHz to 3 GHz	7 February 2025	3 November 2025
IFT-017-2023	RLAN equipment in 5150-5250, 5250-5350, 5470-5600, 5650-5725, 5725-5850 and 5925-6425 MHz	10 February 2025	7 November 2025
NOM-196-SCFI-2016	Terminal equipment connected by wire to a public network	7 November 2016	6 January 2017
NOM-208-SCFI-2016	Spread-spectrum radio equipment in 902-928, 2400-2483.5 and 5725-5850 MHz	7 February 2017	8 April 2017
NOM-218-SCFI-2017	Digital interface to public networks	15 February 2018	16 April 2018
NOM-220-SCFI-2017	Signal-blocking equipment in prisons	31 July 2018	See the DOF text
NOM-221-SCFI-2017 Part 1 and NOM-221/2-SCFI-2018	Mobile terminal equipment	16 August 2018 and 12 December 2019	15 October 2018 and 10 February 2020

The 2025 and 2026 changes

• IFT-016-2024 (in force 3 November 2025) is the general disposition for low-power devices that the 2021 guidelines were waiting for. Its scope lists bands between 30 MHz and 3 GHz, including 806-902 MHz, 902-928 MHz and 2400-2483.5 MHz, and excludes bands identified for distress, safety, search and rescue and protected spectrum. Devices must not cause harmful interference and must accept it. Until it existed, the 2021 guidelines (transitory article 4) let the homologation certificate of a short-range device set its own technical parameters.
• IFT-017-2023 (in force 7 November 2025) covers Wi-Fi-type equipment from 5150 MHz to 6425 MHz, including the 5925-6425 MHz band, with TPC, DFS and contention-based protocol tests. Its transitory article 2 removes the 5725-5850 MHz digital-modulation part of IFT-008-2015 (and the digital-modulation part of hybrid equipment) from that date. Certificates issued earlier stay valid until their stated term (transitory article 8).
• IFT-011-2022 Part 3: on 28 August 2026 the CRT published a modification (alert channel and message-type tables, alert settings menu) that enters into force 60 calendar days after publication, which places it in late October 2026. Certification bodies and laboratories already accredited have 60 calendar days from publication to update their scope. It is the only CRT amendment to a technical disposition found in the DOF as of 7 October 2026, and the disposition keeps its IFT number.

Who certifies

For telecom dispositions, the dispositions require laboratories and certification bodies that are both accredited and authorised by the regulator. The list published on the IFT archive site names, among others, NYCE and ANCE with scopes covering NOM-208-SCFI-2016, IFT-008-2015, IFT-016-2024 and IFT-017-2023, together with other bodies with narrower scopes. Check the current scope and validity dates of a body in that list before contracting.

NOMs for typical electronics

NOMs are issued by the competent ministries under the Ley de Infraestructura de la Calidad (DOF, 1 July 2020), which abrogated the Ley Federal sobre Metrología y Normalización. The ones a consumer or ICT electronics maker meets most often:

NOM	What the DOF text covers	Key points from the text
NOM-001-SCFI-2018	Safety of electronic equipment and accessories supplied from the public network (single-phase up to 277 V AC, three-phase up to 480 V AC, 60 Hz) or from other sources up to 500 V DC, plus external power supplies for ITE	Requirements built on NMX-I-60065-NYCE-2015 (numbered after IEC 60065) and, for external power supplies, NMX-I-60950-1-NYCE-2015 (numbered after IEC 60950-1). Clause 7 declares it not equivalent (NEQ) to any international standard. Excludes equipment in the scope of NOM-019-SCFI-1998. Marking may be in Spanish or English, safety texts in Spanish
NOM-019-SCFI-1998	Safety of data processing equipment	Still the in-force edition. The Programa Nacional de Infraestructura de la Calidad 2026 lists its modification, to add a conformity assessment procedure, widen the scope and align with international standards
NOM-024-SCFI-2013	Commercial information on packaging, instructions and warranties for electronic, electrical and household products sold to final consumers	Packaging data in Spanish (clause 5.1), instructions and warnings in Spanish, other languages being allowed in addition (6.3), warranty in Spanish (7.1.1). The 2026 programme also lists its modification, including digital manuals and warranties
NOM-032-ENER-2013	Maximum standby power for listed products (digital TV adapters, set-top boxes, printers and multifunction devices, audio equipment, microwave ovens and others)	Partial concordance with IEC 62301 for the measurement method

Certification against these NOMs is done by product certification bodies accredited and approved for the NOM in question. NOM-001-SCFI-2018 (clause 6.4) lets Mexican persons, or nationals of a country with which Mexico has a free trade agreement, hold the certificate, and lets them extend it to a representative legally established in Mexico. NOM-032-ENER-2013 (11.4.1) uses a similar rule.

Labelling: the IFT number, the IFT seal and Spanish text

Guideline 38 of the Homologation Guidelines, as amended on 2 October 2024, requires each homologated product to carry a physical or electronic marking that is printed, digitised or reproduced and shows at least:

1. the current homologation certificate number;
2. that number preceded by the prefix "IFT" in capital letters, on a single line, legible without magnification;
3. the IFT seal, under the separate guidelines on the use of the seal.

The information may also be given on the packaging and in the manual, and the obligation extends to affiliates, subsidiaries and importers that use the certificate. Each technical disposition repeats this in its product mark clause (for example clause 11 of IFT-017-2023 and clause 13 of IFT-016-2024).

NOM-024-SCFI-2013 then requires, in Spanish: the product name or illustration, the name and address of the Mexican manufacturer or importer, the country of origin, the rated electrical characteristics on the packaging, instructions and safety warnings, and a printed warranty with minimum content. Other languages may be added.

Claims the texts contradict

Common claim (including earlier versions of this page)	What the primary text says
IFT is the autonomous regulator that issues homologation	IFT was extinguished on 17 October 2025, the day after the CRT Plenary was integrated (LMTR transitory article 8). The CRT is an administrative body attached to the ATDT (Article 7), not an autonomous constitutional body
NOM-208-SCFI sets commercial information for radio equipment	NOM-208-SCFI-2016 is a technical NOM for spread-spectrum equipment in 902-928, 2400-2483.5 and 5725-5850 MHz, with specifications and test methods
IFT-008 covers "some ISM families", IFT-011 and IFT-012 cover "specific bands"	IFT-008-2015 covers spread-spectrum equipment in three named bands; IFT-011 covers mobile terminal equipment (three parts); IFT-012-2019 covers SAR limits
NOM-016-ENER covers energy efficiency of "selected equipment"	NOM-016-ENER is about three-phase squirrel-cage induction motors. The standby-power NOM for electronics is NOM-032-ENER-2013
NOM-001-SCFI is moving to IEC 62368-1	NOM-001-SCFI-2018 builds on NMX-I-60065-NYCE-2015 and NMX-I-60950-1-NYCE-2015, does not reference IEC 62368-1 and declares itself not equivalent to any international standard
A foreign manufacturer can never hold a NOM certificate	NOM-001-SCFI-2018 (6.4) allows nationals of free trade agreement countries to hold it. The Mexican domicile requirement applies to the homologation certificate (guideline 3, LMTR Article 271)
Spanish must be at least as visible as any other language	NOM-024-SCFI-2013 requires Spanish and allows other languages in addition; it sets no visibility parity rule. NOM-001-SCFI-2018 allows marking in Spanish or English, with safety texts in Spanish
The 868 MHz band is closed in Mexico, so 868 MHz modules must be redesigned	The texts checked here do not say this. IFT-016-2024 lists 806-902 MHz among the bands in its scope, under its own limits and operating conditions. Check the limits of that disposition for the actual device
ONNCCE is one of the usual certification bodies for electronics	ONNCCE does not appear in the regulator's list of certification bodies for telecom NOMs and dispositions; NYCE and ANCE do, with others
The IFT number can only be a physical label on the device	Guideline 38 accepts a physical or an electronic marking (printed, digitised or reproduced), and the information may in addition appear on the packaging or in the manual

Step by step

1. Classify the product: safety NOM (NOM-001-SCFI-2018 or NOM-019-SCFI-1998), NOM-024-SCFI-2013, any energy NOM such as NOM-032-ENER-2013, and, for radio or network-connected products, the technical dispositions and telecom NOMs that apply.
2. Choose the homologation route: Type A when a disposition covers the product, Type B or C when none does or only partly.
3. Set up a Mexican holder for homologation: a person or company with a domicile in Mexico, with access to the electronic window. Decide whether importers or subsidiaries should be named on the certificate.
4. Test and certify: in a laboratory and with a certification body accredited and authorised for the disposition or NOM, using the current lists.
5. File homologation within 5 working days of the certificate of conformity, in Spanish.
6. Receive the certificate (12 working days for Type A, from a complete file) and mark the product with "IFT" plus the number and the IFT seal.
7. Complete the NOM-024 Spanish information on packaging, instructions and warranty.
8. Track changes: IFT-017-2023 replaced part of IFT-008-2015 from 7 November 2025, the CRT amended IFT-011-2022 Part 3 in 2026, and NOM-019-SCFI-1998 and NOM-024-SCFI-2013 are on the 2026 revision programme.

NOM and homologation compared with CE and FCC

Criterion	CE (EU)	FCC (US)	Mexico
Electrical safety	LVD, harmonised EN standards	Outside the FCC remit	NOM-001-SCFI-2018 or NOM-019-SCFI-1998, certified by an accredited and approved body
Radio	RED, harmonised EN standards	FCC Parts 15 and others, FCC ID	Homologation by the CRT against IFT dispositions and telecom NOMs
Who certifies radio	Notified body only in some cases	TCB	Authorised certification body, then a homologation certificate from the regulator
Local holder	Authorised representative or importer if the manufacturer is outside the EU	Grantee	Applicant with a domicile in Mexico for homologation
Foreign test reports	MRAs, depending on the agreement	Mutual recognition agreements, depending on the country	Mutual recognition possible for the CRT where an agreement or treaty provides for it (Article 271)
Marking	CE marking	FCC ID	"IFT" plus certificate number and IFT seal; Spanish commercial information

For the broader comparison, see CE vs FCC and parallel EU and US certification.

Further reading

• CE marking: EU regime
• FCC: US regime, also in ITU Region 2
• PTCRB: operator certification for cellular devices in North America, separate from homologation
• Parallel EU and US certification: sharing test effort
• Certification timeline: orders of magnitude by jurisdiction
• Glossary: definitions of EMC, IEC, ETSI and ISM bands

See also

• LATAM: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru (post-Brazil)
• Africa: Egypt (NTRA), Nigeria (NCC), Kenya (CA)
• ISED Canada: radio certification and REL listing
• ACMA and RCM: product compliance for Australia + NZ
• ANATEL Brazil: certification and Homologation Number

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Sources & references

1. Decree issuing the Ley en Materia de Telecomunicaciones y Radiodifusión (DOF, 16 July 2025), Diario Oficial de la Federación dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5763167&fecha=16/07/2025
2. CRT, Lineamientos para la identificación de líneas telefónicas móviles (DOF, 9 December 2025), recitals on the Plenary integrated on 16 October 2025, Diario Oficial de la Federación dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5775677&fecha=09/12/2025
3. IFT, Lineamientos para la homologación de productos, equipos, dispositivos o aparatos (DOF, 29 December 2021), Diario Oficial de la Federación dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5639645&fecha=29/12/2021
4. IFT, amendment of lineamiento Trigésimo Octavo on marking and the Sello IFT (DOF, 2 October 2024), Diario Oficial de la Federación dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5740045&fecha=02/10/2024
5. NOMs and Disposiciones Técnicas applicable to homologation, with DOF and in-force dates, IFT archive, operated by the CRT www.ift.org.mx/industria/normas-oficiales-mexicanas-y-disposiciones-tecnicas-correspondientes-la-homologacion
6. List of certification bodies authorised for telecom NOMs and Disposiciones Técnicas, IFT archive, operated by the CRT www.ift.org.mx/industria/lista-de-organismos-de-certificacion
7. Disposición Técnica IFT-008-2015, spread-spectrum equipment in 902-928, 2400-2483.5 and 5725-5850 MHz (DOF, 19 October 2015), Diario Oficial de la Federación dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5411997&fecha=19/10/2015
8. Disposición Técnica IFT-016-2024, low-power radio devices from 30 MHz to 3 GHz (DOF, 7 February 2025), Diario Oficial de la Federación dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5748669&fecha=07/02/2025
9. Disposición Técnica IFT-017-2023, RLAN equipment from 5150 MHz to 6425 MHz (DOF, 10 February 2025), Diario Oficial de la Federación dof.gob.mx/2025/IFT/IFT_100225_01.pdf
10. CRT, modification of Disposición Técnica IFT-011-2022 Part 3 (DOF, 28 August 2026), Diario Oficial de la Federación dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5797463&fecha=28/08/2026
11. NOM-208-SCFI-2016, spread-spectrum radio systems (DOF, 7 February 2017), Diario Oficial de la Federación dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5471010&fecha=07/02/2017
12. NOM-001-SCFI-2018, Aparatos electrónicos, safety requirements and test methods (DOF, 17 September 2019), Diario Oficial de la Federación dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5572453&fecha=17/09/2019
13. NOM-024-SCFI-2013, commercial information for packaging, instructions and warranties (DOF, 12 August 2013), Diario Oficial de la Federación dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5309980&fecha=12/08/2013
14. NOM-032-ENER-2013, maximum standby power (DOF, 23 January 2014), Diario Oficial de la Federación dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5330530&fecha=23/01/2014
15. Programa Nacional de Infraestructura de la Calidad 2026 (DOF, 24 February 2026), Diario Oficial de la Federación dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5780781&fecha=24/02/2026
16. Decree issuing the Ley de Infraestructura de la Calidad (DOF, 1 July 2020), Diario Oficial de la Federación dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5596009&fecha=01/07/2020