Compliance documents by market
There is no single document pack that clears customs and the grid operator in every market. The battery can be identical; the file that proves it is not. A 100 kWh cabinet shipped to Rotterdam, to Birmingham, to Jeddah and to São Paulo needs four different sets of paperwork, and the grid-connection documents usually arrive later than the product certificates.
This index compares what each market asks for, in the order a project actually needs it: product conformity first, then safety test evidence, then grid connection, then site and fire approval. It is written for buyers and EPCs preparing an RFQ, and it is general information — not legal, electrical or fire engineering advice. Every market entry must be confirmed with the local authority having jurisdiction and the local network operator before ordering.
The four document layers, in the order they block a project
Compliance fails in stages, and each stage needs a different document from a different party. Suppliers can usually provide the first two layers. The third belongs to the grid operator and only the installer can obtain it. The fourth is the owner’s, and it is the one most often discovered late.
| Layer | What it answers | Who produces it | What buyers get wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Product conformity | May this product be placed on the market at all? | Manufacturer, via a declaration of conformity and technical file | Accepting a declaration whose cited standards or model numbers do not match the unit being shipped |
| 2. Safety test evidence | Was the specific model tested, and to which edition of which standard? | Accredited test laboratory, report owned by the manufacturer | Accepting a logo block instead of the report: standard edition, laboratory, report number, tested model |
| 3. Grid connection | May this unit export into this network at this site? | Unit certificate from the manufacturer; plant certificate and application from the installer or EPC | Assuming a unit certificate is a connection approval. It is one input to an application, not the approval |
| 4. Site, fire and planning | May it be installed there, and will the insurer accept it? | Installer, fire authority, building control, sometimes the insurer | Leaving siting and fire strategy until after the equipment is ordered |
Market comparison
The table below is a starting map, not a substitute for the market page or for local advice. Where a market has a national conformity scheme, the scheme — not the international test report — is what customs and the utility will ask to see.
| Market | Product conformity | Safety test basis | Grid connection | Site and fire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU | CE marking: LVD 2014/35/EU, EMC 2014/30/EU, RoHS 2011/65/EU, and Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, which is being phased in through 2027 and beyond | IEC 62619 for the battery; IEC 62477-1 for the PCS; IEC 62933-5-2 for the integrated system | EN 50549-1 for low voltage, EN 50549-2 for medium voltage, then the national code of the member state | National building and fire rules; installation safety per the IEC 62485 series |
| UK | UKCA marking, with CE marking still accepted indefinitely for most electrical goods | BS EN IEC 62619, BS EN IEC 63056, BS EN IEC 62485-5 | G98 notify-and-connect at or below 16 A per phase aggregated at the premises; G99 approval above it; G100 where export is limited | BS 7671:2018+A4:2026; PAS 63100:2024 for fire siting in dwellings; planning consent for larger or protected sites |
| GCC | Country certificate of conformity for customs — SASO SABER in Saudi Arabia, ESMA schemes in the UAE — and the G-Mark for low-voltage equipment | IEC 62619 and IEC 62477-1 reports, usually with an accredited-body certificate | Utility interconnection approval from the local distribution company, with protection settings agreed locally | Civil defence and landlord requirements; ambient temperature derating well above European assumptions |
| LATAM | National conformity mark where one exists — INMETRO in Brazil, RETIE in Colombia — otherwise an acceptance letter | IEC 62619 and IEC 62477-1 reports, with Spanish or Portuguese documentation | Distributed-generation connection process of the local utility, which differs by country and often by state | National electrical installation code plus municipal fire approval |
The EU pack is documented in detail, including which documents the supplier can issue, which the installer must obtain, and where the CE declaration stops short. The UK pack follows the same structure, including the CE and UKCA marking position and the G98 and G99 connection routes. The GCC and LATAM pages are in preparation and will follow the same structure.
The paperwork does not replace the specification. A unit that clears every document layer can still be the wrong capacity for the site, which is why the market file should sit alongside a 50–100 kWh system specification and a backup-power design rather than in place of them.
Four documents that travel everywhere
Regardless of destination, four documents are requested at the same point in every project, and asking for them in the first email rather than the week before shipment removes the most common transport delay:
- UN38.3 test summary — required for air, sea and road transport of lithium cells and batteries. It is a test summary, not the full report, and it names the cell type.
- Safety data sheet — the transport and handling document, in the language the freight forwarder will accept.
- IEC 62619 report — the battery safety evidence most non-EU markets recognise as the technical basis for their own scheme.
- IEC 62477-1 report — the power conversion safety evidence, which is frequently missing when the PCS is sourced separately from the battery.
Who is responsible for what
Most compliance disputes are not about standards; they are about which party was supposed to produce a document. Fixing that split in the contract is cheaper than discovering it during commissioning.
| Document | Supplier | Installer / EPC | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Declaration of conformity, test reports, UN38.3, SDS | Provides | Checks scope and model match | Retains |
| Unit certificate for the PCS | Provides | Matches it to the ordered model | — |
| Grid connection application, protection settings, plant certificate | Supports with data | Obtains | Signs where the operator requires the connection party |
| Fire strategy, siting, building control, insurance notification | Provides test evidence on request | Designs and submits | Owns the risk and the insurance |
| Import clearance and country certificate | Provides the certificate originals | Arranges the customs entry | Named importer of record |
How to use this in an RFQ
Add one line to the RFQ: state, per destination market, which of the four layers you provide documents for, and name the document you will issue. A supplier that answers "CE and IEC available" has told you nothing about the grid application. A supplier that answers "EN 50549-1 unit certificate for the 50 kW PCS, report number and issuing body listed" has told you whether the project can be energised.
Then merge the answer with the product specification: the 12-field RFQ checklist covers the hardware, this index covers the paperwork, and the comparison worksheet turns the priced fields into one number per supplier.
Frequently asked questions
Is a CE declaration of conformity enough for an EU installation?
No. It is necessary and insufficient. The declaration covers product conformity; the installation still needs a grid-connection application to the local network operator, a plant certificate where the national code requires one, and fire and building approval from the local authority. The declaration also has to cite the right directives and the right model; a family declaration that does not name the shipped configuration is a common gap.
Can one IEC 62619 report cover several cabinet models?
Only where the report’s scope says so. Reports are written against a tested configuration and a named cell. A larger cabinet using a different module count or a different cell may fall outside that scope even when the product family is the same. Always compare the model and cell named in the report against the unit on the purchase order, and ask for the scope page rather than the cover page.
Why does the grid operator ask for documents the manufacturer has never heard of?
Because grid connection is a site-specific approval, not a product certificate. Most European operators follow a type-based process where the unit certificate covers the device and a separate plant certificate covers the as-built installation at that premises. The forms, registries and settings are national, so a certificate issued in one country does not transfer to another even where the technical standard is harmonised.
Does the destination market change the hardware?
Often yes, in three places: the grid-protection settings and firmware profile, the enclosure and thermal design for ambient temperature, and the labelling language. A unit built for a 25 °C European summer and installed where summer peaks exceed 45 °C will derate, and the warranty basis may not account for it. State the design ambient temperature in the RFQ next to the market, not in a separate email.
Need the document list checked against a real project?
Tell us the destination market and the application. We reply with the document set we would require from a supplier for that market, and what is genuinely optional.
