Understand the difference between GS certification and CE certification in one article

Both GS certification and CE certification can be recognized by the European market. What is the difference between the two certifications? The following table shows the specific differences between the two:

	GS certification	CE certification
Nature of certification	Voluntary certification	Compulsory certification
Applicable regulations	Applicable to German safety regulations for testing	Use EU standards for testing
Issuing agency	An independent third party authorized by the German government conducts testing and issues a GS mark certificate	The CE can be declared on the premise of having complete technical documents (including test reports)
Certificate annual fee	Must pay annual fee	No annual fee
Factory audit	The application needs to be reviewed by the factory and the factory needs to be reviewed annually after obtaining the certificate	No factory audit required
Re-certified	After the 5-year validity period of GS certification expires, the product needs to be retested and applied again	One-time certification, unlimited time limit
Market awareness	The GS mark is issued by an authorized testing unit, with high credibility and market acceptance	Factory self-declaration of product conformity, low credibility and market acceptance