Are ATEX certificates from Turkish notified bodies valid in the EU?
Abstract
Yes, if the Turkish body is a notified body for Directive 2014/34/EU, listed in NANDO with a four-digit number for the procedure and product concerned. Under the EU-Türkiye Customs Union its results are recognised in the EU without repeat testing or extra requirements.
Yes, provided the Turkish body is a notified body under Directive 2014/34/EU and its notification covers the procedure and product type concerned. Such bodies are notified to the European Commission, receive a four-digit identification number and appear in NANDO like EU bodies. Under the EU-Türkiye Customs Union arrangements their conformity assessment results are recognised in the EU without repeat procedures or additional requirements.
Short answer
- Legal basis: Decision No 1/2006 of the EC-Turkey Association Council (15 May 2006). Once a Turkish body is notified, results of conformity assessment by Community bodies and by Turkish bodies are recognised by both sides, without repeating the procedures and without extra requirements.
- Türkiye applies the ATEX product directive through its regulation 2014/34/AB, and the Commission's ATEX Guidelines name Türkiye as a territory where the directive applies through the Customs Union.
- The Turkish Ministry of Industry and Technology designates the bodies, which must hold accreditation from TÜRKAK, the Turkish accreditation body. It notifies them through the Ministry of Trade to the Commission and the EU Member States in NANDO, and the Commission assigns the identification number.
- A Turkish "certificate" is only valid as an ATEX certificate if the body is notified for 2014/34/EU, for that module and that product. Accreditation alone, or notification under another directive, is not enough.
- If a notification is later withdrawn, assessments made before the withdrawal date remain valid unless the Customs Union Joint Committee decides otherwise.
Why a Turkish notified body counts like an EU one
Türkiye is not an EU Member State. Its product legislation is aligned with EU law under the Customs Union (Association Council Decision No 1/95 and later decisions). Decision No 1/2006 deals specifically with conformity assessment bodies. First, the Customs Union Joint Committee confirms that Türkiye has put the relevant EU legislation into force. Then Türkiye can notify its own bodies under the same designation rules that apply to Member States. Article 2 of the decision states that, once notification is complete, results of conformity assessment by EU bodies and by Turkish bodies are recognised by both sides without repeating the procedures or adding further requirements.
The Turkish equipment regulation (Muhtemel Patlayıcı Ortamda Kullanılan Teçhizat ve Koruyucu Sistemler ile İlgili Yönetmelik (2014/34/AB), Official Gazette 30 June 2016, No. 29758, amended 27 June 2020) follows the directive's chapter on notified bodies. The Ministry may designate only bodies that meet the directive's requirements. It notifies them through the Ministry of Trade, using the EU's New Approach notified bodies information system (NANDO). The body becomes a notified body once the Commission allocates an identification number and no objection has been raised. The Turkish Ministry of Trade has reported that Türkiye had notified 65 bodies under 16 New Approach directives as of April 2025.
For an ATEX product this means: an EU-type examination certificate or a quality assurance notification (QAN) from a Turkish notified body that is in scope supports CE marking for the whole EU market in the same way as a document from a German or Italian body.
How to check a Turkish notified body
- Find the number. It is on the certificate and, for the body that supervises production, after the CE mark (for example
CE 1234). - Search NANDO (now part of the Commission's Single Market Compliance Space) by that number or under Directive 2014/34/EU. Turkish bodies appear in the country list for Türkiye.
- Check the scope. The notification must cover the annex used, for example Annex III (EU-type examination) or Annex IV or VII (quality assurance), and the product type, such as electrical equipment or protective systems.
- Check the dates. The notification must have been active when the certificate or QAN was issued.
- Confirm the document with the body, using contact details from NANDO, not from the document itself.
| What you are shown | Valid for CE marking in the EU? |
|---|---|
| EU-type examination certificate from a Turkish body notified for 2014/34/EU, Annex III, matching product type | Yes |
| QAN from a Turkish body notified for 2014/34/EU, matching module and product | Yes |
| Certificate from a Turkish body notified only under another directive | No, not for ATEX |
| Accredited but not notified body's "ATEX certificate" | No, not a notified body document |
| Turkish IECEx certificate or test report | Not an ATEX certificate; it may support an ATEX assessment |
Example: A motor maker in Türkiye obtains an EU-type examination certificate (Annex III) and a QAN for product quality assurance (Annex VII) from a Turkish body that NANDO lists under 2014/34/EU for both annexes and for electrical equipment. It CE-marks its category 2 flameproof motors with that body's number and ships them to a Dutch distributor. No EU body needs to re-examine them. The distributor still checks that the marking, the EU declaration of conformity and the instructions in the language required in the Netherlands are complete, as for any ATEX product.
Common mistakes
- Treating every Turkish test house as notified. Many laboratories are accredited for Ex testing, but only bodies listed in NANDO under 2014/34/EU can issue ATEX certificates and QANs.
- Checking the body, not its scope. A body notified for machinery or pressure equipment cannot issue an ATEX type examination certificate.
- Assuming a separate EU approval is needed. Decision No 1/2006 excludes repetition of the procedures; extra national approvals are not required for compliant ATEX products.
- Forgetting language rules. In the EU, the instructions must be in the language required by the Member State where the product is made available; in Türkiye they must be in Turkish.
Related on excodex
- EU-Type Examination Certificates and Notified Bodies explained
- How to verify that an Ex certificate is genuine
- How do you check a notified body number?
- Which Turkish regulation corresponds to the ATEX product directive 2014/34/EU?
- Standards spaces: ATEX 2014/34/EU, Türkiye explosive atmosphere regulations
Standards and further reading
- Decision No 1/2006 of the EC-Turkey Association Council of 15 May 2006 on the implementation of Article 9 of Decision No 1/95 (2006/654/EC), OJ L 271, 30.9.2006: eur-lex.europa.eu
- Ministry of Trade of Türkiye, general rules and procedures on technical regulations (Customs Union decisions, notified bodies): trade.gov.tr
- Turkish equipment regulation 2014/34/AB, Official Gazette 30 June 2016, No. 29758: resmigazete.gov.tr; amendment of 27 June 2020, No. 31168: resmigazete.gov.tr
- Directive 2014/34/EU, Articles 17 to 33 on notification of conformity assessment bodies: legislation.gov.uk
- European Commission, ATEX 2014/34/EU Guidelines, 6th edition (January 2026): webgate.ec.europa.eu
- NANDO, the Commission's list of notified bodies in the Single Market Compliance Space: webgate.ec.europa.eu
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.