RCM is the Regulatory Compliance Mark, Australia and New Zealand's mandatory compliance mark, fully replacing the old C-Tick and A-Tick from March 2016. It signals that the product has met both countries' mandatory requirements for electrical safety, EMC and radio. It is not a "certificate" in the traditional sense, more a mark of compliance identity.
The mark is owned by the two regulators; an overseas manufacturer cannot apply directly. A local "responsible supplier" (importer or subsidiary) in Australia or New Zealand must register and hold it in the EESS database and bear the legal liability. A Chinese factory sticking the mark on directly is non-compliant, and in a dispute the local holder is the one pursued.
Level 1 covers low-risk electrical equipment within EESS scope (rated 50 to 1000 volts); it must meet the safety standard, and product registration is voluntary while the responsible supplier must register. Note clearly: battery devices below 12 volts are simply outside the EESS safety scope, not Level 1, and only need RCM compliance on the EMC or radio side. This tier may self-declare, but only on the premise that the standard was actually tested and records kept — do not skip the EMC that should be done.
Level 2 is medium risk: 240-volt appliances, power adapters and the like, with a safety plus EMC report and a supplier declaration of conformity. Level 2 also must register in the EESS database (no pre-certificate needed — register with the test report and declaration); only Level 1 registration is voluntary. Reports must come from a NATA-accredited laboratory or an overseas accredited laboratory under the ILAC mutual-recognition arrangement (such as a China CNAS-accredited lab); a self-issued declaration is not accepted.
Level 3 is high risk: power adapters, LED tubes, vacuum cleaners and the 56 controlled categories, requiring safety plus EMC plus an SAA certificate, mandatory EESS registration, and the supplier code marked on the product. This tier is most often rejected for missing items, so check the list three times before sampling.
Safety follows AS/NZS 62368-1 (IT/AV) and 60335 (appliances); EMC follows AS/NZS CISPR 32:2015 (+A1:2020) current edition; radio follows AS/NZS 4268. A CB or CE report can be transferred, saving two to three weeks, but the report version must match the current local edition.
The version-transition cutoff follows ACMA's current EMC standard list; do not copy outdated online dates like "mandatory in 2025, old certificates void by year-end". The report version must match the current local edition; submitting an expired report gets rejected, and missing the transition node wastes the work.
The process in steps: determine the risk level and applicable standards, and test safety and EMC at a NATA-accredited lab or an ILAC-MRA overseas accredited lab, adding RF for wireless. Compile the test reports, declaration of conformity, manual, circuit diagram and BOM into the technical file. The local responsible supplier registers in EESS and the product is marked RCM at no less than 3 mm height. The RCM mark must be marked adjacent to the supplier registration code (required for Level 2 and 3) to link the product to the EESS registration for traceability.
For Australia-NZ RCM, the risk level is fixed accurately first — low-risk products should not be over-tested on safety, and high-risk ones should prepare the SAA early, avoiding the costly rework of discovering the wrong level at sampling.
For those doing CE and RCM together, BlueAsia's one-stop testing and certification reuses the safety and EMC reports across the arrangement, one test serving both markets with a single schedule.
Do not stick the label just anywhere; RCM goes on a visible face of the product, tall enough and not easily detached. If it is stuck on and then peeled off by the operator, customs still counts it as unmarked, and re-sticking is another round.
For multiple models sharing one document set, the parameter differences of each model must be written clearly in the technical file; you cannot ride on one representative model. Australia-NZ spot checks will break models down and compare.
The RCM mark is no less than 3 mm high, on a visible and non-detachable spot; stuck on then peeled by the operator, it still counts as unmarked at customs, and re-sticking is another round.
For Level 2 and 3 products the supplier code must be marked adjacent to the RCM mark, retained on the product and outer packaging for market supervision and after-sales location — do not skip it for convenience.
Have the label artwork checked by the lab first — proportion, position and font all compliant before printing; relabelling after mass production costs more than revising a document.
Low-risk self-declaration finishes in as little as one to two weeks; high-risk with SAA and EESS registration often takes four to eight weeks, longer with remediation.
Do not leave the label and supplier code until before shipment; set them early and customs clears smoothly; patching at the last minute is passive, so set them early for peace of mind.
Contact: King Email: king.guo@cblueasia.comAddress: Building C, Hongjingda Industrial Park, No. 107 Beihuan Road, Shiyan Street, Bao'an District, Shenzhen, China BlueAsia delivers more than service!
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