Existing certificate: renewal and review
An EU type-examination certificate is valid for five years at most. What has to happen before it expires depends on who issued it. A certificate issued by BIMEO is reviewed by BIMEO and renewed where the type continues to meet the applicable requirements. Where another notified body issued it, BIMEO assesses the certificate together with its documentation and determines what an EU type-examination certificate issued by NB 1524 requires.
Your certificate was issued by BIMEO (NB 1524)
- The manufacturer asks for the review before the certificate expires. The Regulation sets the window: the application is submitted at the earliest 12 months and at the latest 6 months before the date of expiry (Annex V, point 7.4). Applications received in that window are reviewed before the expiry date.
- Nothing has changed: where the approved type — including its materials, components and the standards applied — is unchanged, the state of the art has not changed, and BIMEO confirms both, the simplified review procedure applies. The examinations and tests are not repeated and the certificate is renewed, at a cost proportionate to the administrative work (Annex V, point 7.6).
- Something has changed: we examine the type and carry out the tests which the change makes necessary (Annex V, point 7.5). If the review concludes that the certificate is no longer valid, it is withdrawn (point 7.7).
- A modification between two renewals that may affect conformity is reported when it is made, not at renewal: it requires approval in the form of an addition to the certificate (Annex V, point 7.2).
Your certificate was issued by another notified body
BIMEO assesses the existing certificate, the technical documentation and the available test reports, and determines what is required for an EU type-examination certificate issued by NB 1524.
This is an EU type-examination of its own, carried out by BIMEO. It is not a transfer, renewal or conversion of the other body's certificate, and the existing certificate does not prejudge its outcome. The existing test reports go through the same technical review as any other: how existing test reports are assessed.
What to send
- the certificate with its annexes and additions;
- the technical documentation behind it;
- the test reports the certificate rests on, as far as you hold them;
- a description of everything that has changed since the certificate was issued: the product, its materials, components or suppliers, and the standards applied;
- for Category III products, the results of the product checks or audits carried out under Module C2 or Module D.
Category III products
For Category III PPE, ongoing conformity assessment under Module C2 or Module D is required alongside the certificate. Depending on the product scope, this may be provided by our partner notified body GÉPTESZT (NB 2233). Where BIMEO issues a new certificate, the notified body carrying out Module C2 or D needs a copy of it.
Frequently asked questions
How long is an EU type-examination certificate valid?
Five years at most. Regulation (EU) 2016/425 caps the validity of a newly issued and of a renewed certificate alike (Annex V, point 6.1). The date of expiry is stated on the certificate.
When should we apply for renewal?
At the earliest 12 months and at the latest 6 months before the date of expiry. The Regulation sets this window (Annex V, point 7.4) so that the review can be finalised before the certificate expires.
Does renewal mean that the tests are repeated?
Not when nothing has changed. If there has been no modification to the approved type — its materials, components and the standards applied included — and no change in the state of the art, and the notified body confirms this, the simplified review procedure applies and the tests are not repeated. If the product or the state of the art has changed, the tests which that change makes necessary are carried out.
Can BIMEO renew a certificate issued by another notified body?
No. Under the Regulation, a certificate is reviewed and renewed by the notified body that holds its technical documentation — normally the body that issued it (Annex V, points 7.2 and 7.4). What BIMEO can do is assess the existing certificate, the technical documentation and the available test reports, and determine what is required for an EU type-examination certificate issued by NB 1524. It is a procedure of its own, not a transfer or conversion of the existing certificate.
The standard has been revised since our certificate was issued. What does that mean?
A revised standard can be a change in the state of the art, which the Regulation names as a reason to have the certificate reviewed (Annex V, point 7.4). Whether tests are needed, and which, is determined in the review.
We still hold a certificate issued under the old Directive 89/686/EEC. Is it valid?
No longer. EC type-examination certificates issued under Directive 89/686/EEC remained valid until 21 April 2023 at the latest (Regulation (EU) 2016/425, Article 47). The product needs an EU type-examination under the Regulation; the test reports you hold are assessed first.
Can we apply to BIMEO while an application is pending with another notified body?
No. The Regulation requires the application for EU type-examination to be lodged with a single notified body, together with a written declaration that the same application has not been lodged with any other (Annex V, point 3).
Further reading
Discuss an existing certificate
Tell us which product the certificate covers, who issued it, when it expires and what has changed since it was issued. Our reply states what the review or the new procedure requires.
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