Certification timeline planner: official clocks only
Most certification time is set by contracts, not by law: the lab queue, the TCB or notified body, the scheme and the operator each quote their own lead time. Only a handful of steps carry an official clock. This planner prefills those clocks, with the exact wording and the source, and leaves every other step blank for the lead time you were quoted in writing. It then adds up each regime and shows the critical path. Nothing is sent anywhere: the arithmetic runs in your browser.
Result
Working days are converted at 5 working days = 7 calendar days; public holidays are not counted. Official clocks start at a complete, accepted application and never include testing.
The official clocks, regime by regime
Section titled “The official clocks, regime by regime”Each clock below starts at a complete, accepted application and covers only the authority step. None includes testing.
| Regime | Step | Clock | Exact wording | Nature | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China (SRRC) | Type approval decision | 15 working days | "自受理申请之日起15个工作日内作出核准或者不予核准的决定" (decides to approve or not within 15 working days from the date the application is accepted) | Regulation, maximum for the authority | MIIT Order 57, art. 9 |
| China (SRRC) | Technical testing organised by the radio administration | Not counted in the 15 working days | The time needed "不计算在本规定第九条第一款规定的期限内，但应当将所需时间书面告知申请人" (is not counted in the article 9 period, but the applicant must be told the time needed in writing); it includes sample shipping, transport, set-up and testing | Regulation | MIIT Order 57, art. 10 |
| Canada (ISED) | Wireless equipment certification by ISED | 14 calendar days | "Wireless equipment certification 14" in the column "Number of calendar days"; ISED adds "We will strive to meet our service standards" | Service standard: a target, not a legal deadline | ISED service standards (June 2025) |
| USA (FCC) | TCB review and grant | None | The TCB must "Grant or dismiss each certification application"; no time limit is set | Rule | 47 CFR 2.962 |
| USA (FCC) | Set-aside after grant | 30 days | "Within 30 days of the date of grant of certification, the Commission or TCB issuing the grant may set aside a grant of certification that does not comply with the applicable requirements or upon the request of the applicant." After 30 days, "the Commission may revoke a grant of certification through the procedures in § 2.939" | Rule, post-grant window | 47 CFR 2.962 |
The planner treats the China and ISED clocks as prefilled steps and the FCC set-aside window as an optional step, off by default.
Steps with no official duration
Section titled “Steps with no official duration”For these steps no regulation, regulator or scheme owner publishes a duration. In the planner they say "No official duration: set by the lab, body or scheme. Ask for a written lead time."
- EU, RED, EMC and LVD. Module A (internal production control) has no authority step: you draw up the technical documentation and sign the EU declaration of conformity yourself. Neither the RED nor Decision 768/2008/EC sets a time limit for a notified body EU-type examination (module B, RED Annex III) or full quality assurance (Annex IV).
- EN 18031 assessment under RED Article 3(3)(d)(e)(f). EN 18031 is a standard and sets no assessment time. When a notified body is involved (RED Article 17), the body quotes its own time.
- Test campaigns, for every regime. No text sets how long a radio, EMC or safety campaign takes, nor how long retests take.
- FCC, TCB review. 47 CFR 2.962 lets a TCB set its own fees and sets no review time.
- PTCRB and GCF. The PTCRB public process pages describe the steps and state no review time.
- Operator acceptance. Operator programmes are private and set no regulatory duration. Use the figure the operator gives you in writing.
Other official clocks that do not set time to market
Section titled “Other official clocks that do not set time to market”These clocks are real, but they run after the product is on the market or concern a different procedure. They are not added to the planner totals.
| Regime | Clock | What it covers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA (FCC) | 30 days | TCB report to the Commission of the actions taken after a post-market surveillance failure | 47 CFR 2.962 |
| EU (CRA) | 24 hours | Early warning of an actively exploited vulnerability, from becoming aware of it (post-market reporting) | Regulation (EU) 2024/2847, Article 14(2)(a) |
| EU (CRA) | 72 hours | Vulnerability notification, from becoming aware of it (post-market reporting) | Article 14(2)(b) |
| EU (CRA) | 14 days | Final report, no later than 14 days after a corrective or mitigating measure is available (post-market reporting) | Article 14(2)(c) |
| EU (CRA) | From September 11, 2026 | Date from which Article 14 applies | Article 71 |
| USA (Cyber Trust Mark) | 10 business days | The label administrator "should respond to appeals of their decisions in a timely manner and within 10 business days" | 47 CFR 8.212 |
| USA (Cyber Trust Mark) | 60 days, then 45 days | An aggrieved party asks the administrator for review within 60 days of its decision; the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau acts within 45 days on a request properly before it, a period it may extend by up to ninety days. No time limit is set for granting the label itself | 47 CFR 8.212 |
| China (SRRC) | 20 working days | Decision on a temporary import (临时进关) application, from acceptance | MIIT Order 57, art. 22 |
How the planner computes
Section titled “How the planner computes”- One chain per regime. Your shared preparation comes first, then the steps of each regime one after another (for example lab campaign, then TCB review).
- Regimes in parallel. The longest chain is the critical path. The planner also gives the total if you run the regimes one after another.
- Units. Weeks count as 7 calendar days and 5 working days as 7 calendar days. Public holidays, in China or elsewhere, are not counted: add them to your own entries if they fall in the window.
- Labels. Each step is marked "Official clock", "Official clock, edited by you", "Your quote" or "No value yet". A missing value is left out of the sum, and the result then says the total is a lower bound.
- Reset puts back the official values and clears your entries.
Claims the texts contradict
Section titled “Claims the texts contradict”The previous version of this tool showed week ranges for every scenario. None of them came from a text.
| Claim (previous version of this tool) | What the texts say |
|---|---|
| "Simple EU product: 8 to 12 weeks" | No EU text sets a duration. Module A has no authority step; Decision 768/2008/EC and the RED set no time limit for module B |
| "EN 18031 cybersecurity self-assessment 2-4 weeks" | EN 18031 is a standard and sets no assessment time |
| "FCC Certification: 12 to 16 weeks", "TCB submission 2-4 weeks" | 47 CFR 2.962 sets no time limit for a TCB to grant. The only fixed clock is the 30-day set-aside window after the grant |
| "PTCRB lab scheduling and certification review add an indicative 4-8 weeks" | The PTCRB public process pages state no review time |
| "Operator homologations add 4-12 weeks per targeted operator" | No regulatory duration exists; operators set their own |
| "Recommended buffer: 2, 3, 4, 6 or 8 weeks" | No source; removed. Put your own margin in the shared preparation or in each quote |
For the clocks of other regimes (Korea, Latin America, PTCRB TAC reservation) and for the figures carriers publish themselves, see the certification timeline guide.
Further reading
Section titled “Further reading”- Guide: Certification timeline: the durations set by the texts, regime by regime
- Guide: Certification costs
- SRRC type approval in China, ISED certification in Canada, Cyber Resilience Act
- CE, RED, FCC, PTCRB procedures
Sources & references
- MIIT Order 57, Provisions on the Management of Radio Transmitting Equipment, articles 9, 10 and 22 (in force July 1, 2023), State Council Gazette (China) www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2023/content_5745288.htm
- ISED, Spectrum and Telecommunications Service Standards (updated June 2025), ISED Canada ised-isde.canada.ca/site/spectrum-management-telecommunications/en/learn-more/key-documents/spectrum-and-telecommunications-service-standards
- 47 CFR 2.962, Requirements for Telecommunication Certification Bodies, FCC (eCFR) www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-2/subpart-J/section-2.962
- 47 CFR 8.212, review of Cybersecurity Label Administrator decisions, FCC (eCFR) www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-8/subpart-B/section-8.212
- Directive 2014/53/EU (RED), Annexes II to IV, EUR-Lex eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/53/oj
- Decision No 768/2008/EC, common framework for the marketing of products (modules A and B, Article R23), EUR-Lex eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2008/768/oj
- Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 (Cyber Resilience Act), Articles 14 and 71, EUR-Lex eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/2847/oj
- PTCRB, Get Certified (process description, no review time stated), PTCRB www.ptcrb.com/get-certified/
Frequently asked questions
- How long does certification take in the EU, the US or Canada?
- No text sets an end-to-end duration. The EU sets no time limit for a notified body, and module A has no authority step at all. In the US, 47 CFR 2.962 sets no time limit for a TCB to grant. Canada publishes a 14 calendar day service standard for wireless equipment certification by ISED, a target and not a legal deadline. The test campaign is never covered by an official clock: take it from your lab quote.
- Is there any legal deadline for type approval in China?
- Yes. MIIT Order 57, in force since July 1, 2023, gives the radio administration 15 working days from acceptance of the application to approve or refuse type approval (article 9). Technical testing is not counted in those 15 working days (article 10), but the administration must tell the applicant in writing how long it needs.
- Does the FCC 30-day set-aside window delay my launch?
- 47 CFR 2.962 lets the TCB or the FCC set aside a non-compliant grant within 30 days of the date of grant; after 30 days, the Commission may revoke a grant through the procedures in 2.939. The rule is not written as a waiting period. The planner leaves the window out by default and lets you add it if you choose to wait it out.
- Are the CRA 24 and 72 hour deadlines part of certification time?
- No. Article 14 of Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 sets reporting deadlines for manufacturers after a product is on the market: an early warning within 24 hours of becoming aware of an actively exploited vulnerability, a notification within 72 hours, and a final report no later than 14 days after a corrective or mitigating measure is available. They apply from September 11, 2026 and do not shorten or lengthen any conformity assessment.