Certification Resources
For those product developers who are seeking Compliance Certification with the NFC Forum, the following resources will help you prepare for testing. Comprised of a Certification Release (CR) of Test Cases with a companion Devices Requirements, developers along with their Test Lab partners can quickly navigate to market readiness.
As noted throughout this site, there are three paths for certification and you should clearly understand each prior to embarking on any one particular path.
Authorized Test Labs are experts at navigating the NFC Forum Certification Program. Please consult with an Authorized Test Lab or our Compliance Manager with questions about our processes.
Quick Links
Certification Releases | Devices Requirements | Test Case Category List | Problem Reporting
Certification Releases
Devices Requirements
The NFC Forum Devices Requirements documents define the applicable versions of the Specifications which apply, and the detailed requirements that a conformant product must meet in order to be certified.
Pricing, TCCL and Problem Reporting
Obtaining a NFC Certified Certificate is very affordable and in many cases is available at no cost. The business model of the NFC Forum is to assess a nominal per-use Test Case License Fee on testing services provided by either internal or external testing services.
Using Authorized Test Labs
Beginning with Certification Release 12, all other Members and the community-at-large must use a 3rd Party Test Lab, and in our case an Authorized Test Lab which will provide a signed Test Report. NFC Certified Certificates are provided $FREE to products that include this signed Test Report.
Inheritance
Products built with NFC Certified Complaint components or subsystems following analog testing are $250.
Refresh
Already NFC Certified Compliant products or subsystems that are being renamed or rebranded are $250.
First Party Labs
Sponsor or Principal Members can apply to host a 1st Party Test Lab internally. NFC Certified Certificates for products certified at a 1st Party Test Lab are accessed as one time $2,500 fee per product.
The fees described above are net of applicable taxes and duties which, where appropriate, will be payable in addition by the Supplier to the NFC Forum (or to the relevant tax authorities as applicable).
Test Case Category List
The Test Case Category List (TCCL) is an important document that lists all the NFC Forum Test Cases and the current status of each. Depending on the status of a test case, it must be included in Certification Testing for an Implementation Under Test (IUT).
Always ensure that the most recent version of the TCCL is used when submitting a product for NFC Forum certification. As of June 27, 2022, the Active Version is 4.01 available here.
Problem Reporting
Any applicant for certification may disagree with the reported result of a certification test, or an NFC Forum Test Laboratory may report an issue for clarification about the specifications, Devices Requirements, the Test Specifications, or the certification process and policy. In such case, a Problem Report (PR) is completed and submitted to the NFC Forum Certification Issue Resolution Panel (NCIRP), the body that is responsible for bringing the issue to resolution. As a result of its deliberations the NCIRP may issue an advisory.
The NCIRP process is intended to help members resolve issues related to the Certification Program. For example, a member may disagree with the reported result of a test, or report an issue for clarification about the Specifications or Test Specifications, or report an issue about the certification process and policy. In such cases, the member can complete and submit a Problem Report and once completed, it will be submitted to the NCIRP.