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What is the SELO License?
The SELO license is a mandatory product certification for the approval of pressure vessels, hydrogen products and valves for the Chinese market.
In 2014 a new regulation on the safety of special equipment came into force in China. This regulation affects pressure vessels, hydrogen products and valves and regulates that domestic and foreign manufacturers must obtain a SELO license to distribute their products in China.
SELO certification is carried out by the China Special Equipment Inspection and Research Institute (CSEI). The CSEI reports directly to the Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR).
What does SELO mean?
The SELO license is also called China Manufacture License (CML), China Stamp or pressure vessel license. This is an approval process run by the Chinese authority SELO – China Special Equipment Licensing Office.
SELO certification is required for various products including steam boilers, pressure boilers, hydrogen products, boilers, safety parts, gas cylinders, tanks and hot water generators. In the area of SELO certification, there are different approval paths depending on the product and area of application.
SELO Standards
The SELO license is carried out in accordance with the current TSG guidelines and GB standards. Some of these include:
- TSG Z0004-2007 – Basic Requirements for Special Equipment Quality Assurance System on Manufacture, Installation, Alteration and Repair
- TSG 07-2019: Regulation for Production and Filling Licensing of Special Equipment
In addition to these standards there are additional test standards, for example:
- TSG D7002-2023: Regulation for Type Testing of Pressure Piping Elements
Which products do NEED China Manufacture License?
SELO without testing:
- Steam Boiler
- Pressure Vessel
- Boiler
- Gas Cylinder
- Tanks
- Hot Water Generator
SELO with test:
- Valves
- Pressure Lines
- Transportable Pressure Vessels
- Safety Parts
SELO licensing process
SELO Check
Classification
Application
Product Test
Design Approval
Factory Inspection
License
Details about the China Manufacturing License certification process
- In the first step, we check whether your product requires a SELO license. Pressure vessels generally require licensing from a nominal pressure of 0.1 MPA, but there are exceptions here as well. It is therefore advisable to subject all pressure vessel products to a check if a China Manufacturing License is needed before considering an import into China.
- The product must be classified into its matching category. This is important for the application because the manufacturer license is issued according to product categories.
- Applications and supporting documentation are required to apply for pressure vessels in China. Among other things, a quality manual in English is required. The manual must be prepared in accordance with the Chinese standard TSG Z0004. Some other documentation required include application form, a copy of the business license, a company introduction, product data including drawings and copies of other existing certificates (e.g. ISO) and more.
- For some parts, such as safety valves, product testing in China is required.
- For other products, such as pressure vessels or boilers, a design approval must be applied for. For this purpose, technical drawings and designs must be submitted and approved by the responsible authority. The design approval is intended to ensure compliance with the requirements of Chinese technical safety standards and codes.
- After acceptance of the application and supporting documentation the factory audit will need to take place. This usually takes no longer than 4 days, but varies by product category and complexity.
- Once the audit has been completed successfully, the SELO license will be issued and the product can be imported into China and sold.
SELO type testing
For some product groups there is another separate approval route called the SELO type test. The SELO type test is regulated in the implementing regulation TSG 23-2021 Technical Regulations for Gas Cylinder Safety.
Areas of application include safety valves for hydrogen tank systems in vehicles in accordance with GB/T35544-2017 or in accordance with the new GB/T standard 42536-2023.
SELO Type Testing Process
SELO Check
Classification
Application
Document Verification
Sampling from the Manufacturer
Product Test
Issuance of Certificate and Test Teport
Details about the certification process
- Documents such as technical drawings, design specifications, calculations and quality certificates are checked as part of the application process.
- If the documents and the product meet the market requirements in China, auditors from the CSEI authority will take samples from the manufacturer. For this purpose, samples must be prepared in accordance with the regulations. CSEI will select a certain number from them for testing. As part of the sampling process, the production process of these samples can also be checked accordingly.
- The samples must then be sent to the relevant testing laboratory in China for testing.
- Once the tests have been carried out and passed, a test report and the SELO type test certificate will be issued.
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Preparation and support of the factory audit
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SELO Certification Overview
| SELO Licensing | SELO Type Test | |
| Validity of the registration | 4 years | 4 years |
| Certification period | Approx. 8 months | Approx. 8 months |
| Tests required? | Tests are required for certain products | Yes |
| Factory audit required? | Yes | Possible in conjunction with sampling |
| Sampling from manufacturer required? | No | Yes |
| Representative in China required? | No | No |
| Follow-up process | After 4 years, a one-off extension for a further 4 years can be applied for by means of a follow-up. | After 4 years, a one-off extension for a further 4 years can be applied for by means of a follow-up. |
SELO Certification FAQ
You can check the list of products subject to SELO. We will be happy to support you with a specific classification.
Typically, about eight months.
The SELO certificate is valid for four years and can then be extended once for another four years.
The audit is carried out by the CSEI authority.
As a rule, a new audit must be carried out.
Every factory that produces the product to be exported to China must be audited. This means that in this case several SELO certificates will be required.
VIDEO About SELO Certification for China
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