Approval certification process doesn’t stop on the issuance of the certificate. Upon the certificate issuance, there will be another task that can’t be skipped. It’s labelling process or putting the certification label/mark on the device or on the packaging. This step is important to indicate that the product is already certified according to the applied regulation in a certain country or areas. Therefore, it is already safe and legal to use within the territory of that country.
Specifically, about Mexico, after obtaining Mexico Type Approval certificate, importers or certificate holder must affix the IFT label on the product. There are three components that must be included in the IFT Label. These are the IFT Seal or IFT symbol, the prefix “IFT” in capital letters, and the Homologation Certificate number.
For the IFT Symbol, when it’s requested, the vector file containing this Symbol is downloadable through IFT electronic portal. This symbol must be printed clearly so it’s easily visible to the end user without the need of using any magnification tools. Regarding the color, IFT symbol should be printed in 100% black or 100% negative black, respecting the protected areas and minimum printing dimensions, as shown in the figure below.
Besides IFT symbol, there are prefix “IFT” in capital letters and the Certificate number that must be included into the label. The combination between IFT symbol, IFT prefix, and certificate number can be arranged in either vertical or horizontal. You may follow the format as shown in the figure below.
Lastly, the use of IFT label is prohibited for the following conditions:
- When there is no valid Homologation Certificate issued by CRT that covers the Product.
- When the Approval Certificate number is not listed on the List of Certified Equipment on the authority’s website or when the number does not correspond to the certified product.
- When the product has specifications which is different from those provided or regulated in the regulations.
- When the Product’s Certificate is suspended and/or revoked by the authority.
- For products that are not subject or exempted to the approval.
- For any purpose other than that stipulated in these regulation
Why We Care
Label is one big part of the approval process. Through the label, buyer can see whether the product is already certified or not. Having an approval label is like a sign that the product is already approved, hence it is legal, tested, and safe to use. That’s why many buyers tend to choose products that have compliance label rather than those that have no compliance label. Therefore, indirectly the compliance label can also increase the value of the product.
In many cases, including Mexico type approval, the use of label is regulated. There are some rules that must be followed when creating the label. Violating these rules can bring negative effect to the product. Therefore, we want to make sure that once you obtain Mexico Type Approval certificate, the labelling rules are correctly followed.