Anatel Homologation by Individuals

Brazilian regulations for electronic devices with telecommunication functions have specific measures to deal with products for personal use. In this article we will detail the process to require homologation for telecommunication products for personal use in Brazil.

Anatel Homologation for Telecommunication Products

According to Brazilian regulations every product that makes use of any kind of telecommunications and is to be used or sold in the country must be homologated by the Brazilian Telecommunications Agency, or Anatel.

This means that any product that transmits data through wi-fi, bluetooth or radio, for example must be homologated by Anatel when arriving in Brazil. International passengers arriving at Brazilian airports carrying laptops, smartphones, tablets, video game consoles or drones without Anatel certification are all subject to product apprehension, and can only be released once an Anatel certificate has been provided for the product.

The normal procedure for homologation, directed at companies who want to commercialise these devices, involves sending a number of samples of the product for evaluation to one of Anatel’s certified labs and awaiting a certificate by an OCD, or designated certification organization.

In the case of personal use, or when the product will not be commercialized or be used to provide telecommunication services, Anatel offers a service for product owners to obtain certification simply by using their web page systems, providing an existent product certificate and undergoing a special homologation procedure which only involves Anatel and also costs a fraction of the regular homologation prices.

Homologation of products for personal use

Anatel recommends the following series of simple steps to request homologation for products for personal use without the need of lab testing.

Registering at SGCH

The first step to homologate a product for personal use is to register at Anatel’s Certification and Homologation Management System, or SGCH. The system asks for a CPF, the Brazilian tax payer number for individuals.

Once registered, Anatel recommends users to send an email to their Homologation Management sector, at the rfcec@anatel.gov.br address, regarding the update of the SGCH profile to be able to request product homologation.

Homologation Procedure

With the necessary clearance provided, a section of the SGCH profile dedicated to product homologation requests becomes available. On this page users must select Declaration of Conformity, in the Type of Documents box and select Importer of Product for Personal Use in the Required box.

The system then asks for general information, like email, address and telephone number. With these provided, the next section will ask for the name and general information of the product manufacturer. The SGCH then generates the homologation request number for this product.

The product model, category and type of services must be completed on the next page. It is necessary to provide technical information about the product such as frequencies emitted and maximum power output, which can be found, for example, at international product regulation agencies like the North-American FCC. For products intended for personal use it is not necessary to provide an EAN number.

On the Lab information page, the Non-Registered Lab option should be selected in the Lab box, and all fields regarding homologation terms and deadlines can be completed with the number 1. The next page asks for images of the following items in .pdf. format:

• ID document, in the articles of association box
• CPF card, in the CNPJ card box
• Product manual
• FCC certificate of similar international certification from a body member of the ILAC the International Laboratory Accreditation cooperation
• Clear pictures of the product, including its label, in the EAN letter box
• Picture of an Anatel stamp model and the location where it will be put on the product
• Standard Declaration of Conformity

Boleto payment

Once the homologation request procedure is finished, product owners must access the Boleto section of the SGCH profile, insert the homologation process number and download a BRL 200,00 Boleto Bancário which, when paid, will initialise the homologation procedure. Anatel takes an average of 45 days to deliver the homologation documents.