A brand compliance file is the standing evidence, kept per model, that the charger you sell is the charger your documents describe. It is not assembled when a retailer, marketplace or tender asks — it already exists, one file per model and variant, opened before the first stock arrives. When it is current, every request is a copy; when it is not, every request is an emergency.
Key Takeaways
- Keep one compliance file per model and variant, opened before first stock — not assembled when a buyer asks.
- Every document must name the exact configuration sold; a sibling model’s page is the classic void.
- Run the file on three beats: intake, any change notice, and a set review date for validity.
- Record what each listing actually states — a model with no listed marks gets an honest file, never a borrowed one.
The File, Document by Document
| Document | What it must show | The mismatch that voids it |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate for the model | Holder’s name, exact model and variant in scope, validity dates | It names a sibling model, or a superseded hardware revision |
| Test reports behind the marks | Report numbers, the issuing laboratory, and the configuration tested | The report covers a different connector or cable configuration |
| Declaration of conformity, where the market uses one | The exact model, the standards declared against, and the signatory’s role | A range-level declaration that never names the variant you ship |
| Rating-label artwork | The ratings printed on the unit, matching the certificate’s scope | A label figure — current, power, input — that the file does not cover; see our guide to rating labels and required markings |
| Manual and installation documents, in your brand’s version | The model, its warnings, and a version date you control | The factory’s manual for a different variant, shipped under your name |
| Change and version record | What changed in hardware or firmware, when, and which documents were reissued | A silent revision: the file describes units you no longer ship |
The Rhythm That Keeps It a File, Not an Archive
Files decay at three predictable moments, so the keeping rhythm has three beats. At intake: the file opens before the first order, from the documents behind the model’s listing. At change: any factory change notice triggers a document check, not only a price check; a revised unit with an unrevised file is a mismatch waiting to be found. At review: each model carries a review date on which validity is checked and renewals requested before expiry. One more rule sits under all three: hold your own copies. A file that lives only at the factory is the factory’s file, and who owns the certificate decides what you can produce when asked.
Two Models, Two Honest Files
The discipline is easiest to see across one range. The EV-ACT5006T wall charger’s listing states ETL, FCC and CE, so its file holds the certificates and the reports behind them, for the exact configuration sold. The EV-ACS3210T portable charger’s listing states no certification marks at all. Its honest file records exactly what the listing does state — six current steps, 10 to 32 A, NACS, IP66 — and routes mark questions to written confirmation. It never borrows the wallbox’s marks. Wording gets the same treatment: the EV-ACS3210E’s listing says “OCPP-ready” — a range-card phrase, not a compliance document — recorded as stated, never upgraded. Our explainer on EV charger certifications sets out what each mark covers.
Building the File When You Source From EVDANCE
EVDANCE is a Shenzhen EV charger manufacturer founded in 2011, with its own factory, exports to more than 30 countries and a 3-year standard warranty. Brands sourcing through the OEM and private-label program build each model’s file from the documents behind that model’s published listing, requested per model and variant, at order time rather than at a buyer’s deadline. Document requests for a specific model go through our contact page, naming the model and the market the file must serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
One file per brand, or one per model?
Per model, and per variant where variants exist. Certificates are scope documents; a brand-level file hides exactly the mismatches — one version covered, another not — that buyers check for.
The factory holds all the documents. Is that enough?
No. If you cannot produce it yourself, you have a promise to fetch it, not a file. Hold your own copies, and settle whose name the certificates carry before the first order.
How long should a file be kept after a model is dropped?
While units you sold remain under warranty and in the field — longer if your market’s retention rules require it. The exact period is a confirmation for your market and your agreements, so set it in writing when the model is retired.
Related Reading
- EV Charger Certifications Explained: CE, UKCA, UL, ETL, CB and What Buyers Should Ask For
- Who Owns the Certificate in a Private-Label EV Charger?
- Rating Labels and Required Markings on EV Chargers
- CE Marking for Private-Label EV Chargers Sold in the EU
