CCC Certification Update: Automotive Seats, Seat Belts, and More – Shift in Certification Bodies

24. June 2026

The Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People’s Republic of China (CNCA) has officially released the first batch of designated certification bodies and laboratories for mandatory product certification in several key areas. This announcement, designated as 2026 Announcement No. 10, introduces a significant shift in the landscape of authorized CCC certification entities. Newer institutions such as CAERI (CAERI Testing and Certification (Chongqing) Co., Ltd), CATARC (CATARC Huacheng Certification (Tianjin) Co., Ltd.), and CQM (China Quality Mark Certification Group) have been entrusted with these responsibilities, while major established bodies like CQC and CCAP have, for the time being, not been included for many of these categories.

Regulatory Update and Implementation

This decision formalizes the list of authorized entities responsible for conducting mandatory product certification activities for specified product categories, including automotive components such as seats, headrests, and seat belts as well as industrial products like fuses, electric motors and others listed before in the CCC Self-Declaration catalogue. A critical implication of this update is that manufacturers currently working with CQC or CCAP for these categories may need to switch to one of the newly designated authorities to ensure continued compliance, as current certification bodies may not be accredited to process these specific mandatory certifications.

It is important to note that the CNCA has designated this as the “first batch,” indicating that additional authorities, potentially including CQC and CCAP, could be approved in the near future, with further updates expected in the coming months. For the automotive safety glass sector, where no authority has yet been designated, the deadline for accepting certification applications has been postponed to October 1, 2026.

Overview of Designated Certification Bodies

Considerations for Manufacturers and Importers

Manufacturers should inform their OEMs and clients that a conversion with their current certification authority may be impossible. If an OEM or client insists on an immediate conversion, an authority change is obligatory; however, for certain categories, only one or two authorities have been accredited so far out of a total of 28 proposed bodies.

The CNCA announcement explicitly mentions a “first batch,” indicating that additional authorities, such as CCAP, CQC or CTC, could be approved soon. Industry experts are currently aligning with all authorities—both accredited and not—to clarify the implications of this announcement. It is currently being verified what this unexpected announcement means for all running applications (initial, change, or extension) that are not completed before July 1st, 2026. This is the first time that the three major authorities did not directly receive accreditation for a certification category they were previously entrusted with.

Risks Associated with Short-Term Changes

A transition to a new authority involves significant considerations:

• Extended Processing Times: Conversions may be time-consuming, particularly if only limited certification bodies are approved to handle a high volume of certificate conversions. It remains unclear whether existing data, inspection reports or test reports from previous voluntary certifications by CQC or CCAP will be accepted.
• Operational Uncertainties: It is not yet fully clear if all newly accredited authorities possess the necessary capabilities to conduct inspections in regions outside of China in compliance with the new CNCA requirements (which mandate two auditors (one auditor needs to be product-specific and the other certification-specific).
• Potential Costs: A change of authority may result in high additional costs, including new setup fees, additional factory audits, the re-submission of application documents, and potential changes or removals of factory markings.

Seats, head rests, safety belts and other categories usually require CCC certification in order to be approved for import and sale in China. Further information regarding the specific designated bodies and updated certification procedures will be available in our news.

For more information on how CCC certification, Battery Registration for China, the CCC Self-Declaration and voluntary CCAP or CQC certification may affect your company, or for more information about CCC certification in general, please visit our News Section where you will find current updates twice a week.

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You can also check our free CCC-Brochure, which can be downloaded as a PDF file. The brochure also contains information on the CCC Self-Declaration and the voluntary CQC- and CCAP-Certification).