Which countries accept IECEx certificates directly?
Abstract
Few countries accept an IECEx certificate on its own. Australia is the clearest case, and the US Coast Guard accepts IECEx for ship equipment. Most IECEx members, including the EU, China, Russia, Brazil, India and the UAE, issue national approvals based on IECEx reports.
Only a few jurisdictions accept an IECEx certificate of conformity (CoC) on its own as legal proof. Australia is the clearest example: regulators such as Queensland's treat IECEx certificates as the normal way to show that hazardous area equipment meets the Australian standards. The US Coast Guard accepts IECEx certification for electrical equipment on ships, and countries without their own Ex scheme often accept the CoC. Most other IECEx member countries, including the EU states, China, Russia, Brazil, India and the United Arab Emirates, require a national certificate, which is often issued on the basis of the IECEx test and quality reports.
Short answer
- IECEx is a voluntary scheme. Each country's law, not the IECEx membership, decides whether a CoC is accepted.
- In October 2026 IECEx listed 36 member countries. Membership mainly means that the national certification bodies must recognise IECEx test and audit results, which gives a fast track to the national certificate.
- Direct acceptance: Australia, equipment on vessels regulated by the US Coast Guard, and many countries with no Ex certification scheme of their own. New Zealand shares the joint AS/NZS 60079 standards with Australia, but its own regulator's rules should be checked.
- National certificate required, usually based on IECEx reports: EU and EEA (ATEX), Great Britain (UKCA or CE), Eurasian Economic Union (EAC), China (CCC), Brazil (Inmetro), India (PESO), UAE (ECAS-Ex), and onshore USA and Canada.
- Project specifications and site owners can demand or accept IECEx even where the law does not; read the contract as well as the national rules.
How IECEx acceptance works
The IECEx FAQ describes three situations. Countries without their own Ex standards or certification scheme, many of them developing economies, can accept the international CoC as it stands. Established markets with their own national or regional scheme generally still require their own certificate. And the IECEx rules oblige member countries to recognise the conformity assessment data generated for an IECEx certificate, so a national body can issue its approval without repeating tests already covered by the Ex Test Report (ExTR) and Quality Assessment Report (QAR). Some non-member countries also accept CoCs.
IECEx is also the scheme recommended by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in its common regulatory framework for equipment in explosive atmospheres, adopted in 2010 and published in 2011. Countries that write new Ex legislation can use this model as a blueprint, and those that do may come to accept the CoC directly. The list of member countries is not a list of countries that accept the CoC.
Country examples
| Country or jurisdiction | How an IECEx certificate is used |
|---|---|
| Australia | Accepted: the Queensland electrical safety regulator states that compliance with Australian Standards is demonstrated through IECEx CoCs and that ATEX certificates are in general not accepted; the national ANZEx scheme also exists |
| New Zealand | Shares the AS/NZS 60079 standards with Australia and is usually grouped with it; confirm with the national regulator for the specific application |
| USA, vessels | 46 CFR 111.105-3 accepts apparatus tested to listed IEC 60079 parts and certified under the IECEx System |
| USA and Canada, onshore | Not accepted directly; North American certification is needed |
| European Union, EEA | Not accepted; ATEX conformity assessment and CE marking required, IECEx reports can serve as input |
| China | CCC compulsory certification for explosion-proof electrical products since 1 October 2019 |
| India | Approval by the Chief Controller of Explosives (PESO) under the Petroleum Rules 2002; for imports, certificates from IEC or EN accredited test houses support the application |
| Brazil | Inmetro certification with factory audit; the IECEx QAR does not replace the audit |
| United Arab Emirates | National ECAS-Ex certificate under the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (the UAE's IECEx member body), applied for with the IECEx documents |
| Eurasian Economic Union | EAC certificate under TR CU 012/2011 |
Example: A manufacturer holds an IECEx CoC for an intrinsically safe transmitter and receives orders from Queensland, a liquefied gas carrier under US flag and a refinery in India. The Australian order and the ship order can be supplied on the CoC (subject to the project specification). For India, the agent applies for PESO approval with the IECEx documents as supporting evidence and waits for the approval before the transmitter can be used in the refinery.
Common mistakes
- Reading the IECEx member list as an acceptance list. China, Russia, the EU states and the USA are members but all require national approval for general markets.
- Forgetting the label. Even where a national certificate is based on the ExTR, national marking, language and representative rules usually apply.
- Relying on an old answer. National rules change; check the regulator's current requirements before quoting delivery dates.
Related on excodex
- The IECEx scheme explained: CoC, ExTR, QAR and the online certificate database
- ATEX vs IECEx: differences, similarities and which one you need
- Ex certification in other markets: UKEX, EAC, INMETRO, CCC, PESO and others
- Can ATEX or IECEx equipment be used in the United States?
- Which Ex certification is needed in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf countries?
Standards and further reading
- IECEx, FAQ on the certified equipment scheme (where IECEx certification is accepted): iecex.com
- IECEx member countries: iecex.com
- Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, electrical safety with hydrogen equipment (IECEx and ATEX acceptance): worksafe.qld.gov.au
- NSW Government, Ex certification (IECEx and ANZEx certificates of conformity): nsw.gov.au
- 46 CFR 111.105-3, US Coast Guard, approved equipment in hazardous locations: ecfr.gov
- US International Trade Administration, China moves explosion-proof electrical products to CCC (2019): trade.gov
- PESO, approval of electrical equipment for hazardous areas: peso.gov.in
- Inmetro technical note on the certification of electrical equipment for explosive atmospheres (2025): gov.br
This article is general technical information prepared by the excodex editorial team. It does not replace the applicable standards, the equipment certificates and instructions, national regulations or the assessment of a competent person.