Your radio product needs EMC testing before it can carry a CE mark. EN 301 489 is the standard series that testing follows. In May 2025, the European Commission changed which versions of the series count under the law, and one of those versions will drop off the list on 15 November 2026. This guide shows you which part fits your product and what the listing still leaves on your desk.
- The EU law that puts EMC on your radio product
- The parts of EN 301 489 that count right now
- The two notices that limit every listing
- The test levels your hardware has to survive
- The inputs your lab needs before you book a chamber
Where the EMC Rule Comes From
The Radio Equipment Directive (RED) 2014/53/EU sets the rule. Article 3(1)(b) asks your product for “an adequate level of electromagnetic compatibility as set out in Directive 2014/30/EU.” You prove that through the RED. You do not file separately under the EMC Directive.
Two more articles shape how you plan the work. Article 17(2) lets you pick internal production control, so no notified body has to sign off your EMC. Article 16 gives you a presumption of conformity only when the standard you used appears in the Official Journal.
| Your Question | The Answer | Where It Says So |
| What requires EMC performance? | Article 3(1)(b) | Directive 2014/53/EU |
| Which route can I use for EMC? | Internal production control, Annex II | Article 17(2) |
| What earns a presumption of conformity? | A reference printed in the Official Journal | Article 16 |
| Where does that list live? | Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2191, amended six times since | OJ L 289, 10 November 2022 |
Which Parts Count Right Now
The Commission lists parts, not the series. It never lists EN 301 489-1 on its own. Each part refers to EN 301 489-1 V2.2.3, dated November 2019, for its test methods. That is why your quote lists a part number along with the common standard.
Five Parts Joined the List in May 2025
Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/893 of 14 May 2025 added five entries at once. Check your part number and version against this table before your lab writes the test plan.
| Part | Equipment It Covers | Listed Version | Added By |
| -3 | Short-range devices | V2.3.2 | 2025/893 |
| -12 | Very small aperture terminals | V3.2.1 | 2022/2191 |
| -17 | Broadband and wideband data systems: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz RLAN; 6 GHz WAS/RLAN; 60 GHz MGWS | V3.3.1 | 2025/893 |
| -19 | Receive-only mobile earth stations | V2.2.1 | 2025/893 |
| -20 | Mobile earth stations | V2.2.1 | 2022/2191 |
| -28 | Wireless digital video links | V2.1.1 | 2025/1741 |
| -52 | Cellular communication user equipment | V1.3.1 | 2025/893 |
| -54 | Ground-based aeronautical and meteorological radars | V1.1.1 | 2025/893 |
Cellular Files Face a 2026 Deadline
EN 301 489-52 V1.2.1 still sits on the list today. Point 2 of the 2025/893 annex deletes that row on 15 November 2026. If you sell cellular user equipment, test to V1.3.1 from November 2024 instead. You then keep a file that still works after the older row disappears.
What the Two Notices Take Away
Every EN 301 489 entry arrives with the same pair of restrictions. Read both before you treat a listing as a finished argument.
| Notice | What It Says | What You Do About It |
| Notice 1 | The standard “does not address emission requirements in frequency bands below 9 kHz and does not therefore confer a presumption of conformity as regards this parameter in this band.” | Cover emissions below 9 kHz another way when your product switches or clocks down there. |
| Notice 2 | The standard “does not confer a presumption of conformity to the essential requirement set out in Article 3(1), point (b)… if its clause 6 is applied.” | Clause 6 holds the performance criteria. Write your own pass/fail reasoning into the technical file rather than pointing to the listing. |
Notice 2 catches most engineering teams off guard. The Commission carved out the clause that decides whether your product passed. Your technical file has to carry that call.
The Levels EN 301 489-1 Sets
EN 301 489-1 V2.2.3 holds the test methods every part reuses. Radiated immunity is measured at 3 V/m from 80 MHz to 6 GHz, with 80% amplitude modulation at 1 kHz. Exclusion bands keep your own channel out of the sweep. For a channelized transmitter, that window reaches 250% of the channel width on each side of the center frequency.
| Phenomenon | Level | Applied To |
| Radiated RF field | 3 V/m, 80 MHz to 6 GHz | Enclosure |
| Conducted RF, common mode | 3 V rms, 150 kHz to 80 MHz | Wired ports |
| Electrostatic discharge | ±4 kV contact and ±8 kV air | Accessible surfaces |
| Electrical fast transient burst | 1 kV | AC mains ports |
| Electrical fast transient burst | 0.5 kV | DC power ports and signal ports |
| Surge | 2 kV line to ground; 1 kV line to line | AC mains ports |
| Surge | 0.5 kV line to ground or shield to ground (wired network ports connected to indoor cables) | Signal ports |
| Voltage dip | 0% residual voltage for 0.5 cycle 0% residual voltage for 1 cycle 70% residual voltage for 25 cycles (at 50 Hz) 0% residual voltage for 250 cycles (at 50 Hz) | AC mains ports |
Your part standard then sets the pass mark. EN 301 489-17 V3.3.1 holds equipment that reports errors to a packet or frame error rate of 10% or less while a continuous disturbance runs. A transient disturbance may knock out a function, as long as your product recovers on its own.
What Your Lab Needs From You
The lab tests your radio while it operates, so it tests the states you describe. Thin operating-state notes delay more projects than marginal hardware does. Send these five inputs with your request.
| Input You Provide | Why It Changes the Outcome |
| Every radio state, idle included | The lab drives an idle radio too, and background clocks can show up in emissions. |
| One performance signal to watch | Clause 6 needs a metric the operator can see, such as packet error rate or link status. |
| Channel plan with both band edges and a mid-band channel | Fixes the sweep points and lets the lab work out your exclusion bands. |
| Transmit duty cycle and timing | Matches dwell times to the way your product actually transmits. |
| Test firmware that matches production | A debug build can invalidate the report. |
Send those five, and a first-pass EN 301 489 campaign fits a predictable window. Hold them back, and the chamber waits on your engineers.
MiCOM Labs runs EN 301 489 emissions and immunity in its own chambers in Pleasanton, California. Our reports spell out the clause 6 reasoning your RED technical file needs. Talk to our EMC team about the parts that apply to your product.
Further Reading
- EMC testing services
- Wireless ETSI EMC compliance: emissions and immunity testing
- Radiated immunity testing
- ETSI EN 300 328 for 2.4 GHz devices
- EN 301 893 explained: 5 GHz Wi-Fi and DFS
- EN 300 220 explained: short range device requirements
- EN 18031 cybersecurity certification guide
Sources
- Directive 2014/53/EU, the Radio Equipment Directive
- Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2191 on harmonised standards for radio equipment
- Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/893 of 14 May 2025
- Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1741 of 13 August 2025
- Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/2499 of 9 December 2025
- ETSI EN 301 489-1 V2.2.3
- ETSI EN 301 489-17 V3.3.1
- European Commission list of harmonized standards for radio equipment