In March 2026 we reported that the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) had published a proposal for stricter controls on a wide range of imports from China. That proposal centred on a Pre-shipment Verification of Conformity (PVoC) system that would have required Certificates of Conformity (CoC) to be ... Read More

One of the most effective ways to reduce the cost of NRCS compliance is to group related models under a single test report and, where possible, a single Letter of Authority (LOA). When done correctly, this approach can significantly cut laboratory fees and the number of LOA applications required. When ... Read More

Obtaining a Letter of Authority (LOA) from the NRCS is only the first step. Keeping it valid is often where importers and manufacturers run into trouble. Many assume that renewal is a simple administrative exercise — submit the old documents, pay the fee, and continue trading. In practice, renewals frequently ... Read More

Why the Correct IEC Test Reports Matter for Your LOA application to NRCS If you import or manufacture electrotechnical products for the South African market, the Letter of Authority (LOA) issued by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) is non-negotiable. Yet one of the most common reasons applications get ... Read More

If you are importing goods into South Africa, you already know about compliance essentials like the NRCS Letter of Authority (LOA) or ICASA type approvals. But there is another regulatory hurdle you must clear before your shipment even leaves the port: correctly classifying your goods with a tariff code. At ... Read More

1. “My product is already certified in Europe / America / China, so South Africa should accept that.” Not automatically. NRCS recognises specific IEC standards, but with South African deviations. Your CE mark, FCC ID, or CCC certificate won’t get you an LOA. The test reports must cover the correct ... Read More