How Long It Really Takes to Certify Your Product
Certification of a new electronic product feels overwhelming.
It’s expensive, it’s confusing, and it has the power to stall your launch for months.
Most entrepreneurs assume they need to handle certification right after their first prototype works, which means they start stressing about spending thousands of dollars far too early.
But here’s the surprising truth: in most cases, you don’t need to spend a dime on certification until much later than you think.
And if you follow the advice I’m going to share in this video, there’s a good chance you won’t be paying for any of it out of your own pocket.
That doesn’t mean you can ignore certification. The key is to design with it in mind from the very beginning.
If you do that, then when the time finally comes for certification, the process will go much smoother.
So let’s walk through how long certification really takes, when in your development process you should do it, and what the full timeline looks like.
The first thing to understand is that there isn’t just one certification. Different countries and industries all have their own rules.
If you’re selling in the United States, your product almost certainly needs FCC certification. In Europe, you’ll need CE marking.
Add in Canada, the U.K., Japan, China, or Australia, and suddenly you’re juggling half a dozen sets of regulations.
Then there are safety certifications. In the U.S. that often means UL testing. In Europe it’s usually IEC standards.
And if your product uses a lithium battery, you’ll need transport certification like UN38.3, plus safety certifications such as UL 1642 or UL 2054.
That’s why there’s no single timeline. Some products can be certified in a month. Others may take half a year or longer.
Okay, let’s break down the timeline for the most common certifications.
Something a lot of people underestimate is just how much your early design decisions will affect certification later.
If you mess up something fundamental, like your ground plane layout, shielding strategy, or power supply design, it’s not a quick fix.
Those problems can follow your product all the way through development, and the only real solution may be a major redesign.
That’s why thinking about certification from day one isn’t optional.
One of the biggest certifications you’ll face relates to electromagnetic interference, or EMI. In the United States this is handled by the FCC.
If your product has no wireless radios then it’s considered an “unintentional radiator.”
These can often go through the simpler SDoC process, which stands for Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity.
That’s mostly self-documentation and some testing, and it usually takes two to four weeks.
But if your product includes a wireless radio, it’s an “intentional radiator.” That means you need formal FCC certification, unless you use a pre-certified wireless module then you can usually go through the simplier SDoC process.
For non-intentional radiators the actual testing can sometimes be wrapped up in a week or two.
But that assumes everything passes first time, you get into the lab immediately, and reports are turned around quickly.
More often, delays in scheduling or small issues that require retesting stretch this process out to several weeks.
With a custom RF design it’s commonly two to three months or longer, simply because of the complexity and the high chance of issues showing up.
After the FCC in the United States, the next major requirement you’ll encounter is CE marking in Europe.
CE is required for nearly all electronics, and it covers electromagnetic compatibility, low-voltage safety, and environmental rules like RoHS.
Some parts of CE can technically be self-declared, meaning you don’t always need a lab. But in practice, most companies still go through third-party testing, because retailers and distributors expect the paperwork.
CE testing can take anywhere from two to eight weeks.
Beyond EMI requirements, many products also need safety certifications.
In the United States, this often means UL certification, even though it isn’t legally required by law. Retailers, insurers, and customers frequently expect it.
In Europe, safety is covered under CE marking through what’s called the Low Voltage Directive.
The actual technical standards often come from the IEC, but from your perspective it’s all part of achieving CE.
For a simple consumer device, UL or CE safety testing might be finished in as little as two weeks, but it often stretches to six to twelve weeks once you add reports, reviews, and the possibility of design changes.
The exact requirements depend heavily on your product category. For example, medical devices are notoriously the most complex to certify and can take six months or more.
Lithium batteries are one of the biggest risks for certification delays if you try to design your own custom one.
To ship batteries by air, you need UN38.3 transport certification. That test typically takes two to four weeks.
The bigger challenge comes with safety certifications like UL 1642 for cells or UL 2054 for packs. These tests can stretch into several months when you’re developing a custom battery.
For most products, the smarter choice is to use a certified off-the-shelf battery pack.
That way you can bypass most of the delay and focus your time and money on the rest of your product.
If you’re selling beyond the U.S. and Europe, expect extra steps. The U.K., Japan, China, and Australia all require their own approvals.
Some countries will accept U.S. or European test reports, while others require local testing that can add weeks or months.
The important takeaway is that expanding internationally almost always adds time, though many certifications can be pursued in parallel once FCC or CE are complete.
So far, I’ve given you the best case timelines. But certification rarely goes perfectly.
Testing labs often have backlogs. Just getting a slot can take weeks. If you fail your first test, you’ll need to fix your design and retest, which can add months.
I’ve seen products delayed by half a year because of poor grounding in the PCB layout, or because a lithium battery didn’t pass safety testing.
One of the best ways to avoid this is to get your PCB reviewed by someone who really understands EMI before you even build your first board.
Early design choices, like how you handle ground planes or layer stackups, can make or break your ability to pass certification.
It’s much easier and cheaper to catch those mistakes in the design phase than to discover them in the lab.
Does that mean you ignore certification until the very end? Not at all.
The smart approach is to do pre-compliance testing. That means running a quick scan at a local lab to catch big issues early.
You might do this after your first working prototype, and then again after you’ve refined the design. Think of it as a dress rehearsal.
The results don’t go in your final report, but they can save you from ugly surprises when it’s time for official testing.
So where does certification actually fit into your product development process?
The first major stage of product development is called EVT (Engineering Validation Test).
This is your first fully functional custom prototype, not a dev kit or Arduino but a version designed with mass production in mind.
EVT is when you prove the basics work, and it’s also a good point to do an initial pre-compliance test to catch obvious EMI issues early.
Next comes DVT (Design Validation Test). At this stage the product is much closer to the final version, with a refined PCB and enclosure.
It’s another smart point to do some pre-compliance testing.
This is also the stage where I encourage you to consider crowdfunding or pre-selling.
By DVT, your product looks polished enough to show publicly, and more importantly, you can finally predict shipping timelines with some accuracy.
That’s the main reason you don’t do crowdfunding earlier.
Before DVT there are simply too many unknowns, and even platforms like Kickstarter require you to have at least a production prototype before launching a campaign.
After DVT you move into pilot production. This is your first small run on the actual manufacturing line, and the units are production-equivalent.
That’s when you begin formal certification, because certifying hand-built prototypes risks invalid results if the design changes.
Once certification is complete, you’re ready for mass production and can legally ship to customers.
So what are the biggest things that drag out the certification timeline?
One of the most common ones is lab backlog. Testing labs are often booked weeks in advance, and if you don’t schedule early, you could be waiting before you even get started.
Another major slowdown happens when you fail pre-compliance scans. If your PCB layout is noisy or you don’t have proper shielding, you’ll get hit with EMI spikes that force you to redesign and try again.
Custom wireless designs are another culprit. If you’re using a pre-certified Wi-Fi or Bluetooth module, certification is much faster.
But if you decide to design your own radio, expect testing to drag on and usually involve multiple rounds.
Custom batteries can also slow things down.
Off-the-shelf packs that already carry certifications are relatively quick, but once you design your own pack, safety testing can stretch into several months.
So how do you keep things moving?
The first step is to engage with a certification lab early in your design process. Don’t wait until you’re ready to submit.
Talk to them up front, understand what they’ll be testing, and ask about their lead times.
Second, always do pre-compliance testing before you submit for official certification.
A half-day at a local lab can save you months of frustration.
Third, whenever possible, use pre-certified wireless modules and certified off-the-shelf battery packs.
These choices can cut months off your certification timeline.
And finally, always build buffer time into your schedule. Assume something will fail.
If you budget as though you’ll pass everything the first time, you’re almost guaranteed to run into delays.
