What is the difference between SRRC, CMIIT ID and CCC?

"SRRC" is the name industry uses for Chinese radio type approval (型号核准), granted by the national radio administration within the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The CMIIT ID is the type approval code that must be marked on the device. CCC (China Compulsory Certification, the 3C mark) is a separate scheme for product safety and EMC under the market regulator. A mains-powered Wi-Fi product typically needs both, and a cellular terminal also needs the MIIT network access licence.

What is the legal basis of SRRC type approval?

Article 44 of the Radio Regulations of the People's Republic of China, as revised by State Council and Central Military Commission Order 672 and in force since 1 December 2016, requires type approval for radio transmitters produced or imported for sale or use in China, except micro-power short-range devices. The procedure is set by MIIT Order 57, the Radio Transmitting Equipment Management Provisions, in force since 1 July 2023. Technical limits come from MIIT notices, such as notice 129 of 2021 for 2.4, 5.1 and 5.8 GHz.

Can a foreign manufacturer apply for SRRC directly?

Yes. MIIT Order 57 lists, among the application documents, the organisation certificate "for overseas applicants only", and the CMIIT ID coding rules reserve region code 99 for applicants registered in other countries and regions. Many foreign manufacturers still use a Chinese agent for language and logistics, but the texts do not make a resident representative a condition of the application.

How do I read a CMIIT ID?

Since 1 December 2023 the code has twelve characters, CMIIT ID: AABCCDDDEEEE. AA is the year of application (23 for 2023), B is the device type letter (C public mobile, J wireless access, F private radio, D navigation, L radar, G broadcast, W satellite, Z other), CC is the region where the applicant is registered (44 Guangdong, 31 Shanghai, 81 Hong Kong, 99 outside China, and so on), DDD is the applicant code generated on first application, and EEEE is chosen by the applicant. Older approvals carry the previous ten-character format, such as 2013DJ9946.

Who pays for SRRC testing?

Under article 10 of MIIT Order 57, testing for type approval is organised by the radio administration, which may delegate it to provincial radio administrations that select test bodies through government procurement. The radio administration may not charge for that testing, and the testing time is not counted in the 15 working days MIIT has to decide. Article 11 allows applicants with good quality management and credit to submit their own test reports instead, except for special items such as network security.

Which Wi-Fi bands and power levels are allowed in mainland China?

MIIT notice 129 of 2021 opens 2400-2483.5 MHz (20 dBm EIRP, 27 dBm with a combined antenna gain of 10 dBi or more), 5150-5350 MHz (23 dBm EIRP, indoor only and not in cars) and 5725-5850 MHz (33 dBm EIRP). Devices in 5250-5350 MHz must use DFS and TPC and must not offer an option to turn DFS off. 5470-5725 MHz is not in the notice, and 6425-7125 MHz has been allocated to IMT mobile since 1 July 2023, so Wi-Fi 6E channels have no place in a China firmware build.

Are low-power devices exempt from SRRC?

Micro-power short-range devices listed in, and compliant with, the catalogue of MIIT Announcement No. 52 of 2019 need no type approval, no frequency licence and no station licence. The catalogue covers eight families, from general micro-power devices and remote controls to wireless microphones, utility meters and medical telemetry. They must still meet the technical limits and carry the dedicated micro-power marking required by article 25 of MIIT Order 57.

How long is an SRRC certificate valid?

Between two and five years, under article 9 of MIIT Order 57, unless frequency planning or a frequency licence requires otherwise. Renewal must be requested at least 30 days before expiry; a renewed certificate keeps the same CMIIT ID, and each renewal is for up to five years.

SRRC and CMIIT ID: China radio type approval in 2026

Hugues Orgitello updated 7 Oct 2026 10 min read

Much of what is written about Chinese radio approval in English describes a procedure that no longer exists. The rules were rewritten in three steps: a new national radio regulation in 2016 that exempted micro-power devices, MIIT Order 57 in July 2023 that rebuilt the type approval procedure, and a new twelve-character CMIIT ID from December 2023. Read in the original, the texts say things that surprise most product teams. A foreign manufacturer can apply in its own name. The state organises the type approval tests and may not charge for them. The approval code may be shown on a screen instead of a label. This guide rebuilds SRRC from those texts, decodes the CMIIT ID, tabulates the Wi-Fi limits of notice 129, and lists the claims the texts contradict.

TL;DR: Radio transmitters sold or used in mainland China need type approval (型号核准), known as SRRC, unless they are micro-power devices listed in the 2019 catalogue. The procedure is MIIT Order 57 (since 1 July 2023): file with MIIT, the radio administration organises free testing, MIIT decides within 15 working days, and the certificate lasts two to five years. The CMIIT ID now has twelve characters that encode year, device type, applicant region and applicant. Wi-Fi is limited to 2.4 GHz, 5150-5350 MHz indoors and 5725-5850 MHz by notice 129, with no 6 GHz. CCC for safety and EMC, and the network access licence for cellular terminals, are separate.

The legal chain

Text	Date	What it does
Radio Regulations of the PRC, revised by Order 672	In force 1 December 2016	Article 44: type approval for transmitters produced or imported for sale or use in China, micro-power short-range devices excepted; the CMIIT code must be marked on the device
MIIT Announcement No. 52 of 2019	Published 28 November 2019	Catalogue and technical requirements for micro-power devices, which need no type approval; replaces the 2005 micro-power requirements (notice 423 of 2005), under which they did
MIIT notice 129 of 2021	Requirements apply from 1 January 2022; type approval applications must meet them from 15 October 2023	Uses, power limits and interference avoidance for 2400, 5100 and 5800 MHz
MIIT Order 57, Radio Transmitting Equipment Management Provisions	In force 1 July 2023	The type approval, renewal, change, temporary import and sales filing procedures
Frequency allocation regulations, 2023 edition	In force 1 July 2023	Allocates 6425-7125 MHz to IMT (mobile)
Type approval code coding rules	Applicable from 1 December 2023	The twelve-character CMIIT ID

"SRRC" is a legacy name. The texts speak of the national radio administration (国家无线电管理机构), which sits in MIIT as the Radio Administration Bureau, also called the State Radio Office. Industry, test houses and most English sources still say SRRC, and so does this page.

Claims the texts contradict

Common claim	What the text says
"A foreign manufacturer cannot apply; a resident Chinese representative is mandatory"	Order 57, article 8, lists the organisation certificate "for overseas applicants only", and the coding rules give region code 99 to applicants outside China
"You choose and pay an accredited Chinese lab"	Order 57, article 10: the radio administration organises the tests, through provincial administrations that select test bodies by government procurement, and may not charge for them. Article 11 lets applicants with good quality management and credit submit their own reports instead
"Low-power Bluetooth and 433 MHz devices all need SRRC"	Devices in the 2019 micro-power catalogue that meet its limits are exempt (Regulations article 44). Wi-Fi and Bluetooth at notice 129 power levels are not micro-power and do need approval
"MIIT notice 423 sets the civilian frequency plan"	Notice 423 of 2005 was the old micro-power requirements, replaced by Announcement No. 52 of 2019
"The label must carry regulatory text in Simplified Chinese"	Order 57, article 15 requires the type approval code, on the device or shown electronically, and on the packaging or manual only when the device is too small
"The CMIIT ID is ten characters"	Since 1 December 2023 it has twelve; ten-character codes are the older format

Decoding a CMIIT ID

Format: CMIIT ID: AABCCDDDEEEE

Position	Field	Content
AA	Year	Last two digits of the year the application was filed
B	Device type	One letter, chosen by the main function for converged devices
CC	Region	Where the applicant is registered
DDD	Applicant code	Three characters with at least one digit, no I or O, generated by the system on first application and never changed, even if the company is renamed
EEEE	Applicant's own code	First character a capital letter or digit (no I or O), then three digits; chosen by the applicant, unique per year and device type, or randomly generated if the applicant does not choose

Device type	Letter
Public mobile communication equipment	C
Private radio communication equipment	F
Wireless access equipment (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and similar)	J
Broadcast transmitters	G
Radar	L
Navigation	D
Satellite communication	W
Other	Z

Region codes follow the provinces (11 Beijing, 31 Shanghai, 32 Jiangsu, 33 Zhejiang, 44 Guangdong and so on), with 71 for Taiwan, 81 for Hong Kong, 82 for Macao and 99 for other countries and regions. An illustrative code CMIIT ID: 24J99AB1C123 would therefore be wireless access equipment, applied for in 2024 by an applicant registered outside China.

The applicant composes the code when filing, but Order 57 article 15 forbids selling or using the device in China before approval. MIIT corrects or returns codes that break the rules, and the code cannot be changed after the application is accepted.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: notice 129

Band	Allowed uses	Max EIRP	Max EIRP density	Conditions
2400-2483.5 MHz	Broadband wireless access including WLAN, Bluetooth, point-to-point	20 dBm (27 dBm if combined antenna gain is 10 dBi or more)	10 dBm/MHz (17 dBm/MHz at 10 dBi or more); frequency hopping 20 dBm/100 kHz
5150-5350 MHz	Broadband wireless access including WLAN	23 dBm	10 dBm/MHz	Indoor only, not in vehicles; 5250-5350 MHz requires DFS and TPC
5725-5850 MHz	Broadband wireless access including WLAN, point-to-point, electronic toll collection	33 dBm	19 dBm/MHz

Five other requirements in the notice catch designs made for Europe or the United States:

No DFS off switch. Equipment in 5250-5350 MHz must use DFS and TPC and must not offer an option to disable DFS. TPC range must be at least 6 dB; without TPC, the EIRP and density limits drop by 3 dB.
Antenna lock. The RF unit and antenna must be designed and produced as an integrated or matched set; changing antennas or adding an RF power amplifier is not allowed.
IPv6 by default. WLAN equipment that assigns public IP addresses must support IPv6 and enable IPv6 address assignment by default.
Station licence outdoors. Access points, central stations and point-to-point stations deployed outdoors above 20 dBm EIRP at 2.4 GHz or 30 dBm at 5.8 GHz need a station licence from the provincial radio administration.
Interference avoidance. Every device in the three bands must meet one of the interference-avoidance requirements of annex 2.

There is no 5470-5725 MHz band in the notice, which is where European and US channels 100 to 144 sit. And because the 2023 frequency allocation regulations gave 6425-7125 MHz to IMT, a China firmware build should ship with Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 6 GHz operation disabled. Spurious emission limits in the annex include -40 dBm/MHz inside 5150-5350 MHz and 5725-5850 MHz for 2.4 GHz devices, which constrains harmonics more than a generic limit would.

Micro-power devices: exempt, but not unregulated

The 2016 regulations removed the type approval requirement for micro-power short-range devices; Announcement No. 52 of 2019 says which devices qualify. Its catalogue has eight families: general micro-power devices, general wireless remote controls, wireless microphones, civil metering devices, biomedical telemetry and medical implants with their accessories, 2.4 GHz digital cordless phones, industrial wireless remote controls, and model remote controls. Each family has its own bands, power and bandwidth limits.

A listed device needs no type approval, frequency licence or station licence, but it is still regulated. It must meet the catalogue limits, must not cause harmful interference and cannot claim protection from it, and, under article 25 of Order 57, must carry the dedicated micro-power marking on the device and in its instructions. A device that exceeds the catalogue limits is simply a transmitter that needs type approval.

The procedure under MIIT Order 57

Step	Article	Rule
Who must apply	6	Anyone producing or importing transmitters for sale or use in China, micro-power devices excepted
Conditions	7	Production capacity, technical staff and a quality system; frequency, power and other parameters compliant
Application file	8	Signed application and undertaking; business licence, or organisation certificate for overseas applicants; production and quality description; manual, technical handbook, colour photos, RF circuit diagrams, block diagram and list of key RF components
Decision	9	Within 15 working days of acceptance; paper or electronic certificate with equal effect
Validity	9	Two to five years, unless frequency planning or a frequency licence requires otherwise
Testing	10	Organised by the radio administration, free of charge, testing time not counted in the 15 days
Own test reports	11	Allowed for applicants with good quality management and credit, except special items such as network security
Renewal	12	Apply at least 30 days before expiry; the CMIIT ID stays the same; up to five years each time
Changes	13, 14	Changes go through a change application; parameters must stay those on the certificate
Marking	15	Code on the device or displayed electronically; on packaging or manual only if the device is too small
Samples and demo units	20 to 22	Temporary import approval, decided within 20 working days, valid up to six months, then re-export
Sales filing	23	Sellers of approved equipment file with the provincial radio administration

The 15 working days are the decision time once the file is complete. In practice the schedule depends on sample logistics and the test queue, which the regulation excludes from that count.

Cellular terminals: the third layer

A 4G or 5G device needs type approval for its radio, CCC where its category is on the CCC catalogue, and the MIIT network access licence for equipment connected to public telecom networks, before any operator testing. The licence and the operator programmes are covered in China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom acceptance. For safety and EMC, see CCC / 3C.

SRRC, CE and FCC compared

Criterion	CE (RED)	FCC	SRRC
Who decides	Manufacturer, notified body in some cases	TCB or FCC	MIIT, product by product
Who tests	Manufacturer's choice of lab	FCC-recognised lab	Organised by the radio administration, free; own reports for qualifying applicants
Foreign applicant	Yes, with an EU-based economic operator for market surveillance	Yes, with a US agent for service of process	Yes, region code 99
Identifier	None (CE mark)	FCC ID	CMIIT ID, 12 characters
Validity	No expiry	No expiry	Two to five years, renewable

The practical consequence: CE and FCC reports help you predict the Chinese results, but the approval is a separate decision against different limits, and a Wi-Fi product tuned for ETSI or FCC channels will usually need a China firmware build.

Common pitfalls

Pitfall	Consequence
Shipping 5470-5725 MHz or 6 GHz channels in the China build	Parameters outside notice 129 and the allocation table; approval refused or product non-compliant
A user-accessible "disable DFS" setting	Explicitly forbidden for 5250-5350 MHz
Allowing external antennas or an optional amplifier	Notice 129 requires an integrated or matched RF unit and antenna
Treating a Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan approval as valid in the mainland	They are separate jurisdictions; the mainland approval is a separate file
Printing a self-composed CMIIT ID before approval	Selling or using before approval is forbidden by article 15
Changing the RF design during the certificate's life	Parameters must match the certificate (article 14); file a change
Letting the certificate lapse	Renewal must be filed 30 days before expiry
Assuming a micro-power device is unregulated	Catalogue limits, no-interference rule and the dedicated marking still apply
Forgetting the network access licence for a cellular product	Type approval alone does not allow connection to public networks

Step-by-step checklist

Classify each transmitter: micro-power catalogue device, or type approval needed.
Freeze a China configuration: notice 129 bands and limits, DFS and TPC without an off switch, no 6 GHz, fixed antenna.
Prepare the article 8 file: application and undertaking, organisation certificate, quality description, manual, photos, RF schematics, block diagram, key RF component list.
Plan samples: temporary import approval for demo units (articles 20 to 22), samples for the test body.
Apply and test: testing organised by the radio administration, or own reports if you qualify under article 11.
Mark the CMIIT ID on the device or its screen after approval.
Run CCC and, for cellular, the network access licence in parallel.
Diary the renewal 30 days before expiry and route any RF change through a change application.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between SRRC, CMIIT ID and CCC?: "SRRC" is the name industry uses for Chinese radio type approval (型号核准), granted by the national radio administration within the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The CMIIT ID is the type approval code that must be marked on the device. CCC (China Compulsory Certification, the 3C mark) is a separate scheme for product safety and EMC under the market regulator. A mains-powered Wi-Fi product typically needs both, and a cellular terminal also needs the MIIT network access licence.
What is the legal basis of SRRC type approval?: Article 44 of the Radio Regulations of the People's Republic of China, as revised by State Council and Central Military Commission Order 672 and in force since 1 December 2016, requires type approval for radio transmitters produced or imported for sale or use in China, except micro-power short-range devices. The procedure is set by MIIT Order 57, the Radio Transmitting Equipment Management Provisions, in force since 1 July 2023. Technical limits come from MIIT notices, such as notice 129 of 2021 for 2.4, 5.1 and 5.8 GHz.
Can a foreign manufacturer apply for SRRC directly?: Yes. MIIT Order 57 lists, among the application documents, the organisation certificate "for overseas applicants only", and the CMIIT ID coding rules reserve region code 99 for applicants registered in other countries and regions. Many foreign manufacturers still use a Chinese agent for language and logistics, but the texts do not make a resident representative a condition of the application.
How do I read a CMIIT ID?: Since 1 December 2023 the code has twelve characters, CMIIT ID: AABCCDDDEEEE. AA is the year of application (23 for 2023), B is the device type letter (C public mobile, J wireless access, F private radio, D navigation, L radar, G broadcast, W satellite, Z other), CC is the region where the applicant is registered (44 Guangdong, 31 Shanghai, 81 Hong Kong, 99 outside China, and so on), DDD is the applicant code generated on first application, and EEEE is chosen by the applicant. Older approvals carry the previous ten-character format, such as 2013DJ9946.
Who pays for SRRC testing?: Under article 10 of MIIT Order 57, testing for type approval is organised by the radio administration, which may delegate it to provincial radio administrations that select test bodies through government procurement. The radio administration may not charge for that testing, and the testing time is not counted in the 15 working days MIIT has to decide. Article 11 allows applicants with good quality management and credit to submit their own test reports instead, except for special items such as network security.
Which Wi-Fi bands and power levels are allowed in mainland China?: MIIT notice 129 of 2021 opens 2400-2483.5 MHz (20 dBm EIRP, 27 dBm with a combined antenna gain of 10 dBi or more), 5150-5350 MHz (23 dBm EIRP, indoor only and not in cars) and 5725-5850 MHz (33 dBm EIRP). Devices in 5250-5350 MHz must use DFS and TPC and must not offer an option to turn DFS off. 5470-5725 MHz is not in the notice, and 6425-7125 MHz has been allocated to IMT mobile since 1 July 2023, so Wi-Fi 6E channels have no place in a China firmware build.
Are low-power devices exempt from SRRC?: Micro-power short-range devices listed in, and compliant with, the catalogue of MIIT Announcement No. 52 of 2019 need no type approval, no frequency licence and no station licence. The catalogue covers eight families, from general micro-power devices and remote controls to wireless microphones, utility meters and medical telemetry. They must still meet the technical limits and carry the dedicated micro-power marking required by article 25 of MIIT Order 57.
How long is an SRRC certificate valid?: Between two and five years, under article 9 of MIIT Order 57, unless frequency planning or a frequency licence requires otherwise. Renewal must be requested at least 30 days before expiry; a renewed certificate keeps the same CMIIT ID, and each renewal is for up to five years.