Can ATEX-certified equipment be used outside Europe?

Often yes, but never automatically. ATEX (Directive 2014/34/EU) is law only in the EU and in the countries tied to it by agreement; everywhere else the national regulations and the project specification decide which certificates are acceptable. Many countries and international projects accept ATEX equipment, some use the ATEX documents as the basis for a national approval, and others, such as Australia, the USA, Canada, China, Brazil and the Eurasian Economic Union, require their own certification.

Short answer

• ATEX applies by law in the 27 EU states, in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway (EEA), and through agreements in Switzerland and Türkiye.
• Great Britain recognises the CE marking for Ex equipment without an end date, alongside UKCA.
• Many importing countries without their own scheme, and many oil, gas and chemical projects, accept ATEX or IECEx in their specifications.
• Some regulators use ATEX documents only as input: India's PESO approval, for example, accepts certificates from IEC or EN accredited test houses as supporting evidence.
• Others do not accept ATEX: Queensland states that ATEX certificates are in general not accepted, onshore USA and Canada need North American certification, and China, Brazil and the EAEU require national certificates.
• Wherever the equipment goes, the local installation rules (often IEC 60079-14 or a national version of it) and the area classification still apply.

Why ATEX travels well but is not universal

An ATEX product is assessed against European harmonised standards that are mostly identical adoptions of the IEC 60079 series, and since EN 60079-0:2009 its Ex marking also shows the gas group and the equipment protection level (EPL), for example II 2 G Ex db IIB T4 Gb. An engineer anywhere in the world can therefore read what the equipment is suitable for. This is one reason why many project specifications outside Europe name ATEX, often side by side with IECEx, as an accepted scheme.

Legal acceptance is a separate question. The ATEX certificate attests compliance with EU essential requirements, and the notified bodies that issue it are recognised by EU Member States, not by other governments. Queensland's regulator, for instance, explains that ATEX requirements are similar to but not the same as those for IECEx certification bodies, and that ATEX does not require compliance with IEC standards; it therefore accepts IECEx certificates and generally not ATEX ones.

In the USA, OSHA (29 CFR 1910.307) requires equipment in hazardous locations to be intrinsically safe, approved for the location, or safe for the location, where the employer must demonstrate that its type and design protect against the hazard. "Approved" in practice means accepted, certified, listed or labelled by a nationally recognised testing laboratory (NRTL), or one of the narrow alternative routes in 29 CFR 1910.399. An ATEX certificate is not an NRTL listing, so it does not meet that definition on its own.

Market overview

The table shows the general rule for electrical equipment. Mines, offshore installations and ships often have their own regimes, and some projects require both ATEX and IECEx regardless of the country.

How to check before you order

1. Read the national rule for the country of installation, or ask the importer or the authority having jurisdiction.
2. Read the project specification. Many owners list the accepted certification schemes; a contract can be stricter than the law.
3. Compare the marking with the area classification: zone, gas or dust group, temperature class, ambient range and EPL.
4. Check the practicalities: instructions in the local language, national labels, a local representative where the national scheme requires one.
5. Plan for a national certificate in good time where ATEX is not accepted; existing ATEX and IECEx test reports often shorten that process.

Common mistakes

• Assuming CE marking is recognised worldwide. It is an EU conformity mark; outside the EU it is information, not approval, unless a national rule says otherwise.
• Ignoring the ambient range. ATEX equipment is often rated -20 °C to +40 °C; desert or arctic sites may need a wider rating marked on the equipment.
• Using ATEX equipment in North American Division areas without the required local approval.

Related on excodex

• ATEX vs IECEx: differences, similarities and which one you need
• Ex certification in other markets: UKEX, EAC, INMETRO, CCC, PESO and others
• Which countries accept IECEx certificates directly?
• 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

• Directive 2014/34/EU and the European Commission ATEX 2014/34/EU Guidelines, 6th edition, January 2026 (EEA, Switzerland and Türkiye): ec.europa.eu
• IEC 60079-14, Explosive atmospheres, Part 14: Electrical installations design, selection and erection
• Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, IECEx and ATEX acceptance: worksafe.qld.gov.au
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.307 (hazardous locations) and 1910.399 (definitions of approved and acceptable): osha.gov and osha.gov
• PESO, approval of electrical equipment for hazardous areas: peso.gov.in
• US International Trade Administration, China CCC for explosion-proof products: trade.gov
• Inmetro technical note on Ex equipment certification (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.