As a practitioner engaged in electronic hardware development and foreign trade in Shenzhen, you must be familiar with SRRC radio type approval. However, most manufacturers underestimate the complexity of SRRC compliance before completing the whole application process in person.

1. Basic Definition of China SRRC Certification

SRRC (Radio Transmission Equipment Type Approval) is the mandatory domestic access certification for all wireless transmitting devices sold and used in mainland China.

Definition of Radio Transmission Equipment

Any device that actively emits radio signals falls into the SRRC regulatory scope: Bluetooth modules, Wi-Fi terminals, satellite positioning modules and 4G IoT modules are all included for mandatory certification.

It is legally governed by the Radio Administration Regulations and MIIT Order No.57. After multiple system optimizations from 2019 to 2023, electronic certificates and unified online application systems have been fully implemented, covering the full frequency range of 9kHz~300GHz.

Critical Module Exemption Rule

Certified full-spec wireless modules do not equal whole-device SRRC exemption. The three preconditions for exemption are as follows:

·No modification to original RF circuits;

·Antenna specifications, gain and wiring fully comply with factory design;

·No additional RF control circuits added to the final product.

Vehicle electronics, industrial control equipment and medical devices face stricter exemption assessment. Restricted modules or modified RF designs require independent whole-device SRRC certification.

  2. Main Product Categories Under SRRC Supervision

·Cellular Communication Devices: Smartphones, tablets and 5G IoT terminals with the highest certification cost and longest cycle.

·Short-range Wireless Products: 2.4GHz Bluetooth, ZigBee and dual-band Wi-Fi devices; the 5GHz band is divided into indoor-only and indoor & outdoor available sub-bands per MIIT regulations.

·Smart Home & IoT Devices: Bluetooth locks, smart sensors and Mesh devices with high market demand and cost-sensitive certification budgets.

·Low-power Wireless Equipment: Eligible for micro-power exemption only within official specified power and frequency limits.

Pure signal receiving equipment without transmission functions is exempted from SRRC mandatory testing.

  3. The Most Influential SRRC Policy Update in 2026

MIIT Document No.129 is the core updated standard reshaping domestic wireless compliance requirements, with a clear implementation timeline:

·October 15, 2023: All new SRRC applications fully implement No.129 standard; old standards cease acceptance.

·December 31, 2025: Deadline for old-version certificate upgrade; expired old certificates cannot be renewed or extended.

·2026 Onwards: No old-standard certification services; all new applications and certificate upgrades must meet upgraded RF and spurious emission limits.

Key Technical Upgrades of No.129 Document

·Stricter Spurious Emission Limit: The 2483.5~2500MHz high-channel sideband spurious limit is upgraded to -40dBm/MHz, leading to widespread non-compliance of traditional Bluetooth and Wi-Fi products.

·Interference Avoidance Test: Mandatory for industrial wireless terminals and private network equipment; exempted for ordinary consumer Bluetooth earbuds and speakers.

·IPv6 Mandatory Support: Only applicable to network-attached wireless LAN devices; no impact on standalone Bluetooth wearable products.

Enterprises holding old-version SRRC certificates within the No.129 regulated frequency band shall complete upgrade testing and replacement as soon as possible with qualified CMA laboratories.

  4. Key Difficulties in SRRC Testing

The online application workflow is simple, while RF testing is the main bottleneck:

·Spurious Emission Failure: The top reason for non-compliance; poor shielding and insufficient RF filtering cause radiated spurious over-limit.

·Transmit Power Overrun: Even with factory-calibrated modules, impedance mismatch may lead to excessive peak EIRP.

·Carrier Frequency Deviation: Insufficient crystal oscillator accuracy causes Bluetooth frequency offset exceeding ±50kHz limits.

Occupied bandwidth control and modulation accuracy are also routine inspection focus items for 2026 new-standard testing.

  5. SRRC Certificate Validity & Model Combination Application

·Fixed valid period: 5 years; qualified products without RF modification can complete renewal via document review without repeated testing.

·Series Model Application: Multiple models with fully consistent RF hardware, PCB design and wireless schemes can share one SRRC certificate to greatly reduce testing costs and cycle time.

Unauthorized RF hardware modification during the certificate validity period will lead to certificate revocation and market supervision penalties. CMIIT ID permanent marking is still a mandatory regulatory requirement for domestic sales and e-commerce sales.

For Bluetooth product SRRC certification and 2026 new standard upgrade services, consult Blueasia Technology expert: 13534225140 (Benson)