The European Community has formally adopted several Directives that apply to Medical Devices. This means that any company, interested in selling a product in one of the European Community countries, must comply with the requirements of the applicable Directive and must mark its product with the CE symbol according to those requirements. The meaning of the CE MARK symbol is that the product has been carefully reviewed by the regulatory authorities, and has been found to be safe to use and to meet the relevant quality requirements based on the standards that were adopted by the European market (EN, IEC, ISO). Once granted with a CE MARK, you may sell the product without any other limits in every country of the European Community. The requirements of the CE can be divided into two major categories:

  1. Quality system Requirements, with which the manufacturer should comply, regarding the development and the manufacturing of the product.
  2. Safety and reliability requirements the product should meet, which includes items such as biocompatibility, software validation, electrical safety, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), performance evidence, technical performance evidence, and pre-clinical and clinical evidence.

How to Get CE Mark of a Medical Device

Medical Device

In order to get CE mark, you need to comply with one or more of the following requirements:

  • Establish and maintain a Medical Quality Management System (QMS)
  • Test your product in order to demonstrate compliance with applicable standards
  • Prepare a Technical File / Design Dossier for each family of products that you wish to obtain CE mark for.
  • Contract a European Authorized Representative.
  • Contract a Notified Body who will audit your Quality Management System and Technical Files / Design Dossiers.
  • Register your company and list your product with at least one European Competent Authority.
The actual requirements for your family of products are subjected to the classification of your devices. This classification is based on the level of risk your device contains.

Here are some examples of devices relating to product classification:

  • Class I:

    EEG and EMG Electrodes, non-invasive. Scalpels. Dental Drills. Wound Management systems. Hearing Aid Tester.Corrective glasses. Examination gloves. Hospital beds.Scalpels. Stethoscopes for diagnosis. Stomach pumping tubes. Stretchers. Syringes without needles. Wheelchairs.

  • Class IIa:

    All patient monitoring equipment, Syringes. Needles, for syringes. Blood oxygen analyzers. Contact lenses. Crowns. Extracorporeal Circulation Devices. Infusion cannula. Muscle stimulators. Sterilizers for medical devices. Nebulizers. Ultrasound diagnostic equipment. External ECGs.

  • Class IIb:

    Lasers Devices for application. Internal ECGs. RF Generators. Non-energized implants. Brachytherapy devices. Condoms. Defibrillators, external. Hemodyalizers. Incubators for babies. Infusion pumps. Lenses, intra-ocular. Lithotriptors. Lung ventilators. Anesthesia machines.

  • Class III:

    Energized implants All Intracardiac applications. Bone cements, with antibiotic. Catheters, angioplasty balloon. Catheters, with radioisotopes. Collagen implants. Contraceptive intrauterine devices (IUDs). Electrodes, neurocortical. Prosthetic heart valves. Shunts, carotid artery. Sutures, absorbable . Vascular stents. Bioactive implantable devices.

Example of compliance routes:

  • Class I


  • Hold a Technical file
  • Self-Declaration of Conformity according to Annex VII.
  • Contract an Authorized Regulatory Representative based in the European Community
  • Observe provisions of the procedures referred to in Annex IV, V or VI of 93/42/EEC for "sterile" or "Measuring" function devices.
  • Apply for CE mark.

  • Class IIa & IIb


  • Hold a Technical file, implement ISO 13485 standard to demonstrate conformity with Annex II requirements
  • Contract an Authorized Regulatory Representative based in the European Community
  • Audit by notified body according to Annex II. Apply CE mark.

  • Class III


  • Hold a Technical file, implement ISO 13485 standard to demonstrate conformity with Annex II requirements
  • Contract an Authorized Regulatory Representative based in the European Community
  • Audit by notified body according to Annex II.
  • Product Dossier Exam by notified body according to Annex II. Apply CE mark.

How to Get CE Mark of an IVD Device

In Vitro Diagnostic

In order to get CE mark, you need to comply with the same generic requirements mentionned earlier for Medical Devices. The actual requirements for you family of products are subjected to the classification of your devices. This classification is based on the level of risk your device contains. Here are some examples of devices relating to product classification.

  • General:

    Automated Tissue Resistance Measuring System, Automatic Cell Counter, Centrifugues, Chromatograph, Gas blood Analyzer, Haematology Analizar, Ion Blood Analyzer, Osmometer, pH-meter, Vis / UV-Vis Spectrophotometer

  • Self Diagnostic:

    Cholesterol Test, Male Fertility Test, Menopause Test, Ovulation Predictor Test, Pregnancy Test, Urine Qualitative Dipstick Bilirubin, Urine Qualitative Dipstick pH, Vaginal Acidity Test

  • List A:

    Reagents and reagent products, including related calibrators and control materials, for determining the following blood groups: ABO system, rhesus (C, c, D, E, e) anti-Kell,

  • List B:

    Reagents and reagent products, including related calibrators and control materials, for determining irregular anti-erythrocytic antibodies.

How we can help:

Kobridge will assist in preparing and the technical file or Product Dossier to obtain your CE Certification. We can parallel process the implementation of a quality management system in compliance with the ISO 13485 and ISO 14971.

More info:

You can find more information on this page
If your product falls into such category and you wish to sell in Europe you can contact usfor a preliminary discussion