Conformity certificate suspended: what should I do?
Hold release of potentially affected goods while you verify the issuing body's notice and scope. Obtain a competent assessment of stock and pending shipments, then agree the evidence needed for each batch before release. Factory records and checks in China can be coordinated by Cambridge China Bridge.
Verify the notice and what it affects
Contact the issuing body using independently checked contact details. Obtain the complete notice and confirm the certificate reference, holder, reason, effective date, affected models, manufacturing sites and assessment activities. Ask whether the action concerns the product certificate, production surveillance or the body's own appointment. Keep the notice and correspondence together.
Ask the body to explain what suspension or withdrawal means for your goods and what would resolve it. OPSS guidance says appointed assessment bodies must restrict, suspend or withdraw certificates as appropriate when corrective measures are absent or ineffective. Do not treat a factory's appeal or promise of renewal as confirmation that the status has changed.
Map stock and stop uncontrolled release
Create an affected-stock register covering work in progress, finished goods in China, goods in transit, UK warehouse stock and goods already supplied. Match each group to model, batch, production date, component configuration and certificate reference. Mark uncertain groups separately rather than assuming that everything made before the notice is unaffected.
As a precaution, give the factory, forwarder, warehouse and sales team written hold instructions for potentially affected goods. For cargo already moving, agree where it can be held and prevent onward distribution pending assessment. Keep packing, shipment and payment decisions separate, as explained in inspection and release approvals.
Commission an assessment of the actual goods
Appoint someone with relevant product and conformity-assessment experience. Give them the notice, certificate annexes, test reports, technical file, change records, complaints and stock register. Ask for a written assessment distinguishing product safety, missing compliance evidence and certification status. Specify the destination, including whether goods are for Great Britain or Northern Ireland. Our guide to appointing a compliance consultant helps define the brief.
Ask for a conclusion for each stock group: what is affected, what remains uncertain, what checks are needed and whether goods already supplied need corrective action. OPSS advises that products should only be sold after compliance with product safety regulations has been demonstrated appropriately. If safety concerns emerge, obtain prompt advice from the relevant enforcement authority about reporting and corrective action.
Agree the fresh evidence before ordering tests
Ask the assessor and relevant issuing body to specify the evidence needed to close each finding. Depending on the issue, the requested package might include corrective-action records, tests on traceable production samples, an updated technical file, reassessment of production controls or written confirmation of reinstatement or replacement certification. Agree sample selection and acceptance criteria before the factory sends anything for testing.
Match fresh evidence to the actual goods, including variants, components and manufacturing site. Ask which earlier reports remain usable and why. A passing laboratory result should not be treated as confirmation that a suspended certificate has been reinstated. Use checking whether a test report covers your order to review the match.
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Record a decision for each batch
Build a release record containing the verified notice, scope assessment, stock identifiers, corrective-action evidence, relevant certification status and the buyer's approval. State exactly which goods may move or be supplied, which remain on hold and who authorised the decision. Reconcile that record against the packing list and warehouse inventory before removing a hold.
Keep commercial remedies separate from the conformity decision. Agree responsibility for storage, testing, rework and replacement with the supplier, and record any revised payment conditions. Cambridge China Bridge's own staff in China can collect factory records, check segregation and coordinate samples while the competent assessor and relevant certification body address the conformity questions.
Frequently asked questions
Can I ship goods made before the certificate was suspended?
Do not assume the production date settles it. Ask the issuing body and competent assessor to review the notice, batch history and destination before approving movement or supply.
Does a withdrawn certificate mean all stock must be recalled?
Obtain an assessment of the affected scope and goods already supplied. Ask the relevant enforcement authority about corrective action where safety concerns arise; avoid a blanket decision based only on the certificate status.
Will a new test report restore a suspended certificate?
Ask the issuing body what it needs to change the certificate status. Match any new report to your goods and obtain written confirmation of the certification outcome before relying on it.
What should I ask the factory for first?
Request the full notice, certificate and annexes, batch inventory, production and component-change records, existing reports and corrective-action plan. Ask it to identify and segregate potentially affected goods.