Engineering studies

Regulatory compliance study: CE marking, certificates, customs

What your product must meet in its destination country, written up and sourced, before the first order.

€390Excluding tax

per product and destination country

Launch pricing until 31 December 2026Lead timeWithin 10 working days
Order the compliance studyWhatsApp

A factory sells you a product; it does not sell you the right to place it on the European market.

  • In the Union, the importer answers for that.
  • We work through the texts that apply, the markings that are due, the certificates to demand from the factory and the customs position.
  • Written deliverable, every statement carrying its source.
Scope of the study

Documentary and regulatory study. It is not an engineering calculation note and does not engage the liability of a certified engineering office.

What the study contains
  • Scope: product, intended use, intended users, destination country, who the importer is.
  • Applicable texts, cited by their exact title.
  • Markings and mandatory wording: CE marking where it is due, warnings, language of the instructions.
  • Certificates to demand from the factory: which ones, in what form, and which ones are worthless.
  • Customs: proposed tariff classification, the reasoning behind it, duty rate, import VAT.
  • Import paperwork: what customs expects, and what keeps a container standing still.
Included
  • One product, one destination country, one intended use.
  • The texts in force on the day of delivery, each one sourced.
  • The list of certificates to request from the factory, ready to send as it stands.
  • The proposed tariff classification, the duty rate and the VAT treatment.
  • A debrief call to go through the report with you.
Not included
  • No laboratory testing: the report tells you which tests to commission.
  • No engineering calculation note. Signed calculations are the work of a certified engineering office, which we can bring into the file.
  • No binding tariff information: our classification is reasoned, it does not bind customs.
  • No filings made on your behalf with an authority or a compliance scheme.
What you send us
  • The factory specification sheet, or its product page and clear photographs.
  • The destination country and the intended users.
  • Any certificates the factory has already sent you.
After payment
  1. 01
    Same working day

    Acknowledgement and request for anything missing.

  2. 02
    Day 1

    Framing call: scope, destination country, intended use.

  3. 03
    Days 2 to 8

    Research: texts, tariff classification, documents chased with the factory by Guangzhou.

  4. 04
    Within 10 working days

    Report delivered, followed by a debrief call.

When it applies

  • You have a factory, without knowing whether the product may legally enter your market.
  • The factory sends a certificate and you cannot tell whether it is worth anything.
  • Your freight forwarder wants a tariff code and nobody can give one.

Who carries it out

Handled by Sorva. Documents are obtained from the factory through our Chinese-speaking team in Guangzhou; the report reaches you in English.

Frequently asked

01The factory shows a CE mark. Is that enough?
No. The mark is affixed by the manufacturer under its own responsibility, and in the Union it is the importer who answers for the product placed on the market. We establish which texts actually apply and what the factory has to sign.
02Do you give the official tariff classification?
We propose a reasoned classification in the combined nomenclature, with the duty rate and the VAT treatment. Only customs can bind a classification, through binding tariff information that the importer requests itself.
03Does this replace a certified engineering office?
No. Documentary and regulatory study. It is not an engineering calculation note and does not engage the liability of a certified engineering office. Where a signed calculation is needed, the report says so and the file can be passed to a certified office.
04Is this study part of a package?
Yes, the compliance study on the target product sits inside level I, and therefore inside the levels above it. Bought on its own, it remains the right place to start before committing to production.
Bespoke

Large programmes stay bespoke

A continuous buying programme, a large volume or an unusual arrangement will not fit into a box. The pricing page carries the initial pack, the monthly retainer and the success fee.

See bespoke pricing

Not sure which service fits your case? Write to us: we answer within twenty-four working hours.

Excluding tax
€390