A standard is a document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context (ISO/IEC Guide 2 definition).

An International Standard is a standard published by an international standardizing organization such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). International Standards generally reflect the best experience of the industry, researchers, consumers, and regulators worldwide, and cover common needs in a variety of countries, thus, they constitute one of the important bases for the removal of technical barriers to trade. These standards are adopted by WTO member countries in compliance to the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement (WTO-TBT) to facilitate international trade.

A Philippine National Standard (PNS) is a standard developed/adopted and promulgated by the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS).

Anyone can purchase PNS at a minimal fee from the BPS Standards Data Center (SDC) located at the 3rd Floor, Trade and Industry Building, 361 Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City. Available PNS may be searched online through the PNS Catalogue accessible at the BPS Standards and Conformance Portal (http://www.bps.dti.gov.ph/).

Yes, as a member body of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the BPS SDC can facilitate acquisition of needed standards.  Request letter addressed to the BPS Director is required for the specific standard needed.  Order for any standard requires pre-payment.

The BPS SDC is open from Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Information Service – disseminates information on Standards, Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Procedures (STRACAP) matters to stockholders. The SDC may also act as an intermediary between the client and international standardizing organizations or other national standards bodies for inquiries and clarifications.

Library Service – serves as a frontline unit of the BPS where clients may purchase PNS and International Standards and a research hub for students and researches for free.

The BPS implements two (2) Mandatory Product Certification Schemes: the Philippine Standard (PS) Quality and/or Safety Certification Mark Licensing Scheme and the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) Certification Scheme. Products covered by the mandatory certification, whether locally manufactured or imported, are not allowed to be distributed in the Philippine market without the necessary PS or ICC marks.

The PS License is granted to either local or foreign manufacturer whose factory and product have successfully complied with the requirements of the PNS ISO 9001 and the relevant product standard/s, respectively. 

The ICC Certificate, on the other hand, is issued to an importer whose imported products have shown conformance to relevant standards through inspection, verification, and product testing by the BPS Recognized Testing Laboratories.

Importers of products covered by the BPS mandatory certification (complete list in www.bps.dti.gov.ph) are required to obtain the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) before they can distribute their products in the Philippine market. The ICC Certificate and the corresponding ICC stickers are issued to an importer once its imported products have shown conformance to relevant standards through inspection, verification, and product testing by the BPS Testing Laboratory or BPS-recognized testing laboratory.

Kindly visit the BPS Standards and Conformance Portal (www.bps.dti.gov.ph) for the complete and updated List of Products under Mandatory Certification. The products are classified into three (3) major groups: (a) Electrical and Electronic Products, (b) Mechanical/ Building and Construction Materials, and (c) Chemical and Other Consumer Products.

The Philippine Standard (PS) Mark and the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) Sticker serve as the consumers’ guide and assurance that what they purchase are certified quality and safety products conforming to the relevant Philippine National Standards (PNS). Products covered by the BPS Mandatory Product Certification Schemes, whether locally manufactured or imported, are required to bear the PS Mark or ICC sticker before being distributed in the Philippine Market.

You may use the ICC Sticker Verification System Mobile App downloadable from Google Play (for Android users) and App Store (for iOS users). Simply look for the QR code in the ICC sticker, scan it, and check the result.

Manufacturers and importers must submit their PS or ICC applications with complete documentary requirements (complete list in www.bps.dti.gov.ph) online through the BPS’ Product Certification Information Management System (PCIMS).

The BPS’ Product Certification Information Management System (PCIMS) is an end-to-end online and paperless processing of PS License and ICC, which aims to facilitate ease of doing business by streamlining and automating the frontline service transactions.

To register and secure an account in PCIMS, manufacturers and importers must completely fill out the Account Registration Form (downloadable at www.bps.dti.gov.ph), have it notarized, and submit it together with the necessary attachments as listed in the form to the BPS Standards Conformity Division (SCD) or through email at bps.scd@dti.gov.ph.

Yes. Please email bps@dti.gov.ph to request for a seminar or a resource speaker to discuss the BPS Product Certification Schemes on your workshops or meetings.

Yes. The BPS Testing Laboratory (BPSTL) is located at CMDC Compound, Carlos Trinidad Avenue, Salawag, Dasmariñas City, Cavite.

Please visit: http://www.bps.dti.gov.ph/index.php/product-test/schedule-of-fees for the list of products the BPSTL is capable of testing and the latest schedule of testing fees.

The BPSTL receiving section will issue a Statement of Account (SOA) and the client will pay the corresponding testing fee at the DTI Cashier in Makati City.