PESO certification is India’s equivalent of ATEX or IECEx certification. Strictly speaking, one of the two certificates for explosion-proof products is required for successful PESO certification. In addition, you need current test reports according to one of the two schemes.
The PESO certification is issued by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation and was called “Chief Controller of Explosives” approval (CCoE) until 2010.
PESO certification and affected product groups are defined in the Explosives Act of 1884 and the Petroleum Act of 1934 and their several amendments. For foreign companies, however, it is simple: anything that needs an ATEX or IECEx certificate also needs PESO.
There is no testing in India or inspection of the product factory in the PESO certification. Nevertheless, it is one of the most difficult certifications in India because the document requirements are extremely high. Plan on several months to compile the application documents.
The most important facts about PESO certification
Depending on the complexity of the case, the number of documents can go beyond 30 or even 40. Without listing them all, you will need evidence / forms of these categories:
- Company licenses manufacturer, certificate holder (if different from manufacturer), and local representative in India (AIR);
- Contracts and proof of training (use of product) between manufacturer and AIR, and QM presentation by AIR;
- Description and ideally video of the factory and production;
Detailed product description (function and design), ATEX or IECEx certificates and test reports, QAR/QAN; - Commercial information on the product, sales figures, reference customers, proof of order from India, expected sales figures for three years;
- 6-10 formal letters to the authority with stamp and signature.
ince PESO is a pure document review, the certification itself can be completed very quickly. The authority needs on average about six weeks to process an
application, but the preparation of the quite a few documents can take many months and even more than a year
As a single product may have its own ATEX or IECEx certificates for each of its components, the number of PESO certificates depends on the number of ATEX or IECEx certificates submitted. The
What is the PESO certification for?
PESO certification covers both electrical explosion-proof products and containers under pressure. If you manufacture a product that has to work in a gas, has to withstand a corrosive atmosphere or is operated under water, PESO certification is needed in many cases.
For foreign manufacturers, you can only apply for PESO if you have valid and up-to-date certificates and test reports according to ATEX or IECEx. In most cases, this means that the certificate and test report are not older than 1-2 years. If your documents are older than that, PESO might not accept them, even though they might still be valid. So make sure your certificates and test reports are up to date.
How does the PESO certification process work?
As described above, certification under the laws has only one step:
- Submit application documents.
However, as described above, this step should not be underestimated. Depending on the complexity of the case (is the manufacturer also the certificate holder? Is the product sold directly to an Indian customer or does the trade go through many channels? Is the product modular with many variants?), the number of documents requested can go into the mid-double digits.
Also, after submitting the application and compiled documents, the authority may request more documents several times, which may delay the receipt of the certificates. Make sure that all your documents fit together coherently and leave no questions unanswered.
Please also note that although you as the manufacturer and later certificate holder are not subject to any inspection, the user of your products in India must have his plant and all installed components approved by the PESO (by the Chief Controller of Explosives, CCoE) in any case.
Frequent mistakes
There are errors in the application documents
The formal requirements are extremely high and errors can lead to long delays or even rejection of the application.
Your Authorised Indian Representative (AIR) is not sufficiently qualified.
Your AIR must demonstrate product-specific knowledge, without which certification cannot be carried out.
The sales chain is not clear
The documents must clearly show through which channels your product reaches the customer in India.
Contracts are not valid for at least five years
The contract with the AIR must be valid for the provisional duration of the PESO certificate (usually five years).