Product certification in Argentina is rarely a single, linear process. Requirements vary by product type, by how a device connects or transmits, and by whether it’s sold as a standalone unit or as part of a family of related models. Getting the classification wrong early on tends to cascade into the delays this paper is meant to help you avoid.
This is a particularly important moment to get that right. ENACOM is in the middle of the most significant overhaul of its telecommunications certification framework in decades: Resolución 57/2026 replaces the existing RAMATEL model with a conformity-assessment framework built around independent Certification Agencies and revised lab requirements. ENACOM has since postponed the reform’s entry into force from September 1 to December 1, 2026 (Resolución 843/2026), a sign the transition is still taking shape. We cover what changed, when it takes effect, and what it means for products already registered in RAMATEL, before turning to the broader certification landscape.
Major 2026 Regulatory Update: ENACOM Overhauls the RAMATEL Certification Scheme
On February 24, 2026, ENACOM’s Interventor signed Resolución 57/2026, published in the Boletín Oficial on February 26, 2026. It replaces the certification framework that has governed RAMATEL since Resolución 729/80 in 1980, shifting equipment approval from ENACOM’s direct, in-house review to a system built around independent, accredited Certification Agencies.
Why ENACOM Made the Change
The resolution’s stated reasoning is worth understanding because it signals ENACOM’s direction going forward, not just this one rule change. ENACOM found that its 1980s- and 1990s-era regulations no longer matched the pace of the telecommunications sector: rising demand for equipment registrations was outpacing the agency’s capacity to process them directly, and the existing model gave ENACOM no efficient way to bring in outside expertise to help. The resolution ties the reform to reducing costs, encouraging investment, and aligning Argentina’s process with international regulatory practice, ahead of what it describes as future market-access agreements.
What's New: Three Registries Instead of One Review Process
Resolución 57/2026 approves three new regulations, each attached as an annex, and creates a registry to match:
- Annex I: Reglamento del Registro de Actividades y Materiales de Telecomunicaciones. The updated rules for the core RAMATEL activities and materials registries manufacturers already work with.
- Annex II: Reglamento del Registro de Agencias de Certificación de Materiales de Telecomunicaciones. A new registry of accredited third-party Certification Agencies, authorized to review lab test reports and applicant documentation and issue the Certificados de Conformidad that RAMATEL registration requires.
- Annex III: Reglamento del Registro de Laboratorios de Ensayos de Materiales de Telecomunicaciones. An updated registry for the testing laboratories, replacing what was previously called the Registro de Laboratorios Acreditados.
The practical effect is that ENACOM is stepping back from direct, item-by-item review and into a normalizer and oversight role, similar to the OCD model used in Brazil’s ANATEL certification process. Certification Agencies take on the day-to-day review of test reports and applications; ENACOM retains authority over technical standards and market surveillance of the Agencies themselves.
New Product Classes and a Simplified Category Structure
Annex I sorts materials into two classes and collapses the old three-category system into two:
- Class A: products for general public use
- Class B: professional-use equipment
The prior Homologación / Codificación / Autorización split becomes:
- Homologación: now covers all commercial products, Class A or B, by model or Product Family. Requires a Certificate of Conformity from an ENACOM-recognized Certification Agency.
- Autorización: now applies only to Class B equipment for private use. No Registro de Actividades registration needed, just a self-issued Declaración de Conformidad.
Certification and Surveillance by Class
Both classes require a Certificate of Conformity, but the underlying process differs:
- Class A: ISO/IEC 17067 Scheme Type 2, laboratory testing plus ongoing market surveillance every two years. The issuing Certification Agency buys a retail unit, checks the label and technical compliance, and can withdraw the certificate, which automatically cancels the Homologación.
- Class B: ISO/IEC 17067 Scheme Type 1a, laboratory testing only, no recurring surveillance. The applicable laboratory hierarchy under Annex I prioritizes laboratories recognized under the Argentine framework, while also providing specified pathways for other laboratories meeting the regulation’s qualification requirements, including certain laboratories accredited by internationally recognized accreditation bodies.
Under the new framework, once the required Certificate of Conformity and supporting documentation have been submitted and the applicable requirements are satisfied, ENACOM is expected to process the Homologación without the type of direct technical review that characterizes the current system.
Product Family Registration
Applicants can group multiple models under one Homologación or Autorización if they share the same brand, manufacturer, manufacturing technology, functionality, applicable standard, and telecommunications interface characteristics (frequency, power, bandwidth). Testing can be done on one representative model for the whole family, a meaningful time-to-market gain for manufacturers with closely related model variants.
Key Dates and Transition Timeline
The reform does not take effect all at once. Manufacturers with existing RAMATEL registrations should track the following dates closely:
| Date | What Happens | Who Is Affected |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 27, 2026 | Resolución 57/2026 enters into force (day after publication). | All applicants and stakeholders |
| Feb 27, 2026 to Nov 30, 2026 | RAMATEL registrations continue processing under the prior rules (Res. 729/80). | New applicants during the transition window |
| Dec 1, 2026 (postponed from Sept 1, 2026) | The new Reglamento del Registro de Actividades y Materiales de Telecomunicaciones (RAMATEL), including the new certification-agency framework, enters into force. This date was postponed from Sept. 1, 2026 by Resolución 843/2026, published Aug. 28, 2026. Current status as of September 2026: until November 30, 2026, RAMATEL registrations continue to be processed under Resolución 729/80 and related rules. The new RAMATEL framework becomes operational on December 1, 2026. | All new RAMATEL applicants |
| 1 year from publication (to Feb 26, 2027) | OAA-accredited product certification bodies (ISO/IEC 17065, other schemes) may obtain provisional recognition as a Certification Agency without first holding telecom-standards accreditation, subject to ENACOM evaluation. | Prospective Certification Agencies |
| 2 years from publication (to Feb 26, 2028) | Currently recognized testing laboratories must adapt to the new Annex III laboratory registry or lose recognition. | Accredited testing laboratories |
| 3 years from publication (to Feb 26, 2029) | Existing RAMATEL Materials registrations remain valid for three years from publication of Resolución 57/2026. By that point, holders must adapt them to the new RAMATEL regulation or the registrations will be automatically deregistered. | Holders of current RAMATEL Materials registrations |
| Ongoing | Activities registrations already on file remain valid with no renewal required. | Manufacturers, importers, and distributors already registered |
Other Provisions Worth Noting
- New registrations issued under the reformed Activities, Certification Agency, and Laboratory regulations will be granted without an expiration date, removing a recurring renewal burden for those specific registrations.
- Only materials registered in RAMATEL may be commercialized in Argentina, and this now applies explicitly to online sales: e-commerce listings and marketplace intermediaries must display the applicable RAMATEL registration number.
- ENACOM will coordinate with the Secretaría de Industria y Comercio on market-surveillance enforcement, formalizing a link between the telecom and general commerce enforcement regimes.
- Resolución 700/96 is repealed immediately; a further group of older resolutions (including Res. 729/80 and Res. 784/87) is repealed effective December 1, 2026 (postponed from September 1, 2026 by Resolución 843/2026), once the new Annex I regulation takes over.
What This Means for Manufacturers
Products currently registered in RAMATEL do not need to be re-registered immediately. Existing Materials registrations remain valid for three years from February 26, 2026 and must then be adapted to the new regulation or they will be automatically deregistered. Existing recognized laboratories have a separate two-year adaptation period.
Manufacturers planning new RAMATEL submissions after December 1, 2026 should expect the option to route testing and documentation review through an accredited Certification Agency rather than ENACOM directly, which may shorten timelines once the Agency registry is populated.
Global Validity is monitoring ENACOM’s publication of the Annex IV materials list and the rollout of the Certification Agency registry, and will issue updates as implementation details are published.
Telecommunications Certification: ENACOM and RAMATEL
ENACOM is Argentina’s regulatory authority for telecommunications and broadcasting, created in 2015 under Decreto 267/15 and operating under the Argentina Digital Law (Ley 27.078). Article 16 of that law requires that any telecommunications equipment sold in Argentina undergo homologation and certification to protect network integrity, spectrum use, and user safety.
Three Approval Categories
RAMATEL registration currently falls into one of three categories:
- Homologación: the standard path, for equipment covered by an existing ENACOM technical standard.
- Codificación: the same idea, for equipment without a specific governing standard yet.
- Autorización: same review process, but use is restricted to the registration holder.
This changes under Resolución 57/2026. Starting December 1, 2026 (postponed from September 1, 2026 by Resolución 843/2026), Homologación and Codificación merge into a single category covering all commercial products (see the Major 2026 Regulatory Update section above). Autorización narrows to Class B, private-use equipment only, with a lighter self-declared path. The three-category system above remains in effect only until that date.
What Requires Registration
Registration applies to any equipment using the radio spectrum or connecting to public telecom networks: spread-spectrum devices in common IoT/Wi-Fi bands (902-928 MHz, 2400-2483.5 MHz, 5725-5850 MHz), cellular-connected devices, and anything terminating on the public switched telephone network. ENACOM’s own guidance gives concrete examples:
- Mobile phones, cellular devices, and mobile network base stations
- Wireless accessories: headsets, smartwatches, speakers, keyboards, mice, webcams
- IoT devices, two-way radios (“handies”), Wi-Fi routers and access points
- Telephone exchanges and sets, and other radio-spectrum telecom equipment
Reconditioned, used, artisanal, sample, and experimental-use equipment are exempt from mandatory registration, though they must still respect ENACOM’s underlying technical rules. Not every frequency is available for certification, either: bands assigned to licensed mobile carriers, such as the 800 MHz cellular band (roughly 806-824 / 851-869 MHz), are off-limits to generic RF products. Check Argentina’s Cuadro de Atribución de Bandas de Frecuencias (CABFRA) before assuming a frequency is open.
Filing, Testing, and Recertification
Applicants build a Carpeta Técnica (technical file) and submit it to ENACOM’s CAUER office. Core documentation:
- Formulario F2 (applicant info), Formulario D3 (a COPITEC-issued Certificado de Encomienda confirming a licensed engineer handled the filing), and Formulario F5 (variant by equipment type)
- Laboratory test reports, or the applicable test protocol for coded equipment
Under the current pre-December 1, 2026 RAMATEL process, testing generally must be performed through laboratories recognized under ENACOM’s existing framework, and foreign FCC or EU RED test data should not be assumed to substitute for the required Argentine testing. The new framework, effective December 1, 2026, introduces a limited pathway for qualifying foreign laboratory data for Class B equipment. Applications run through ENACOM’s online HERTZ platform, and current Materials registrations are valid for three years, renewed on that cycle.
This process changes under Resolución 57/2026. Starting December 1, 2026 (postponed from September 1, 2026 by Resolución 843/2026):
- The F2/D3/F5 filing above is replaced by a Certificate of Conformity issued by an accredited Certification Agency, so review moves off ENACOM’s desk. ENACOM has not yet published the new intake forms or procedure in detail.
- For Class B (professional-use) equipment, the new framework provides a limited pathway for test reports from laboratories accredited by an accreditation body recognized within the applicable international accreditation framework. The acceptance of foreign laboratory data remains subject to the specific requirements and hierarchy established by Annex I.
- The three-year renewal cycle disappears. New registrations carry no expiration date, replaced by ongoing compliance obligations and, for Class A products, biennial market surveillance instead of a renewal deadline.
- Changes to a registered product’s specifications (frequency, emission power, emission type) or its name/brand/model already fall under the Certification Agency’s review, per Annex I, and require a fresh Homologación filing if the Agency determines it’s needed. The same standard applies to declared changes on Autorización-only equipment.
Local Representation
ENACOM does not accept applications from foreign entities directly, a local applicant of record is required, and that party is responsible to ENACOM for the accuracy of the registered specifications. Importers bringing in someone else’s registered product generally need their own registration unless formally designated to act under that registration.
Annex I formalizes this with specific role names, effective December 1, 2026 (postponed from September 1, 2026 by Resolución 843/2026): the local party is a Representante Local, who holds the Homologación and can name Importadores Designados and Fabricantes Designados to act under it, so products they cover don’t need separate registration. The underlying requirement isn’t new, Argentina has always required a local applicant of record, but these formal designations are.
Equipment Labeling Requirements: RAMATEL Product Marking
Every product registered in RAMATEL must carry a compliant identification mark before it reaches the market. The governing rule is the Annex to Resolución ENACOM 586/2023, which replaced the prior marking annex attached to Resolución CNC 82/2015.
Label Content and Design
A compliant label needs exactly two elements: the RAMATEL isologotipo/isotipo and the assigned registration number. Design rules:
- Color: black only, positive or reversed.
- Isotype typography: Montserrat Regular. Logotype (“RAMATEL”): the Montserrat family.
- Registration number typography: Arial, minimum 5-point height.
- The number sits centered directly beneath the logo, except in the horizontal isologotipo and standalone isotipo formats, where it may sit to the right instead.
- If the label is reduced below ENACOM’s minimum published size, proportions must still be preserved.
Special Cases
- Can’t mark the device itself (size, construction, packaging): print the identification in the user manual, quick-start guide, and/or packaging instead, following the same content and design rules.
- Modular equipment: each module needs its own label; if it’s hidden once installed, the host device’s exterior needs a “CONTIENE” label with the module’s RAMATEL ID (Arial, minimum 5pt).
- Vehicle-installed equipment: if hidden from view, identification can instead appear in manuals/documentation or on the manufacturer’s or importer’s website.
- Electronic (on-screen) labeling is allowed alongside, not instead of, physical marking, with quick access and instructions in the manual, packaging, or website.
Durability and Filing
Marking must stay indelible and legible for the product’s full working life. Applicants submit a proposed identification at registration, and a photo of the actual labeled product at renewal/ surveillance; ENACOM can require changes to bring it into compliance.
A Note on Exact Minimum Dimensions
Resolución 586/2023‘s Annex sets minimum sizes for the logo and registration number in image-based tables that couldn’t be read as text from the government site.
Secondary compliance sources report roughly 10mm height by 8mm width for the full isologotipo, and a 2mm minimum for the standalone isotipo, with 2mm of clear space around each, consistent with the reference image provided.
Before publishing exact millimeter specs, pull the annex’s image tables directly (linked above) or confirm against ENACOM’s downloadable logo files.
Electrical Safety Certification
Separately from ENACOM’s approval, electrical and electronic products are subject to mandatory safety certification under the Reglamento Técnico de Seguridad Eléctrica (Secretaría de Industria y Comercio), covering low-voltage equipment generally between 50-1,000 VAC (75-1,500 VDC). It runs in parallel with RAMATEL for any product that’s both a telecom device and an electrical product, such as a Wi-Fi router with an AC adapter.
Regulatory Structure and Certification Process
The framework was reorganized in 2024-2025: Resolución 237/2024 set a general conformity-assessment framework, paired with product-category resolutions: Resolución 16/2025 (power supplies, chargers, appliances, lighting, and electronics, replacing Res. 169/18) and Resolución 26/2025 (electrical installation materials). Compliance with the applicable IRAM or IEC standard satisfies the underlying safety requirement.
Certification runs through OAA-accredited bodies who test products at an accredited lab and issue the certificate underlying a Declaración Jurada de Conformidad (DJC).
- Certificates are valid two years generally, four years for ITE, audio/video, and office equipment.
- Decreto 892/2025, published December 17, 2025, establishes mechanisms for recognizing qualifying foreign certifications, conformity evidence, and, subject to the applicable complementary regulations, laboratory test reports for certain imported products. The availability and implementation of these pathways should be evaluated case by case based on the product category, applicable technical requirements, and the relevant implementing regulations.
How Global Validity Can Help Keep You Compliant in Argentina
Bringing a product to market in Argentina means navigating a certification landscape that’s grown more complex, and continues to evolve, as regulators update the frameworks manufacturers have relied on for decades.
Global Validity manages this process on your behalf: determining which certifications apply to your product, arranging accredited local testing, and tracking your registrations through renewal as Argentina’s requirements change. Having a partner already tracking these shifts helps manufacturers avoid gaps between old processes and new ones.
