E-Cert

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Manufacturers of motor vehicles and engines must show compliance with California emission requirements before their products are legal for sale, use, or registration in the State. To show compliance, manufacturers must apply to CARB for certification of their vehicles and engines. Traditionally, manufacturers have submitted these applications in paper format. They are reviewed by certification staff and stored at CARB. To improve the process for certification, CARB has introduced E-Cert, an electronic application submittal system. E-Cert loads files and allows for staff review of an application. Manufacturers receive an electronic notification when their application has been loaded into E-Cert.

Usage of E-Cert is required for all manufacturers seeking certification of new motor vehicles and engines that are passenger cars, light-duty trucks, medium-duty vehicles, on-road and off-road motorcycles, and all terrain vehicles.

Heavy-Duty

Please be advised that the Heavy-Duty Electronic Certification (HD E-Cert) system is no longer required for certification.

After CARB received several concerns with regards to resource constraints manufactures are facing, CARB is no longer requiring submission of certification data through HD E-Cert.  Combined with resource constraints CARB faces, the Compression-Ignition and Heavy-Duty Certification (CIHD) and Heavy-Duty Greenhouse Gas Certification (HDGHG) sections will continue to operate, business as usual, using their already established systems. CARB will reexamine other database options in the future and will coordinate with the industry. 

This decision does not impact the Light-Duty E-Cert system.

For questions, please contact your certification engineer or email us at the CIHD email.

Light-Duty

CARB has developed a website for manufacturers to submit XML formatted certification applications directly to E-Cert. The certification applications should be formatted using the Light-Duty Vehicle XML Schema.

The Light-Duty Vehicle (LDV) module of the E-Cert system has been updated to accommodate the new requirements for Advanced Clean Cars II, as well as add new data fields critical to the current program. As a result, CARB has made updates to the data requirements, InfoPath Form, and XML schema. 

  • Light-Duty Vehicle InfoPath Form (January 18, 2024) To download and save the file for use, right‑click and choose “Save Link As” (for use after September 1, 2024, tentatively)
    • Based on the comments that CARB received during the workshop held on January 23, 2008, CARB created a user-friendly form for manufacturers to enter data. The form, which was created with Microsoft InfoPath 2003, will provide manufacturers with a means of entering and saving data as an XML file. The only requirement to use this form is that you must have Microsoft InfoPath 2003 or greater, which is part of Microsoft Office Professional Edition.
  • Light-Duty Vehicle Data Requirements (January 18, 2024)
    • Database field details and information pertaining to a field names, descriptions, sizes, and domains.
  • Light-Duty Vehicle XML Schema (January 18, 2024)
    • The XML schema is a guideline for describing how to form a valid XML document. Formatting the applications based on the schema will ensure that the applications will be processed by E-Cert. Applications not formatted correctly, will not be loaded into E-Cert.
  • E-Cert Business Rules (January 18, 2024)
    • Rules regarding manufacturer and user registration, XML file submissions, and the E-Cert Application Loader.​​​​​
  • Past Forms, Documentation, and Workshops

Submitting Applications

Manufacturers that want to submit applications for the Motorcycle and All-Terrain Vehicle (MC/ATV) category must first register with CARB and then submit XML files to E-Cert using the U.S. EPA's Verify system. If you do not have an account and are interested in submitting an application for certification of MC/ATV by CARB then contact U.S. EPA and request a CDX account.

Manufacturers who want to submit applications for the Light-Duty (LDV) category must first register with CARB. After registration, manufacturers will be able to submit XML files to E-Cert through the E-Cert Application Loader.

  • Note: Please use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome with the E-Cert Application Loader.
  • E-Cert Application Loader User Guide: Instructions for uploading applications (XML files) into the E-Cert system using the E-Cert Application Loader.

Registering with CARB

It is important to register prior to submitting an application. Failure to do so will result in a delay in processing your application. Registration serves two purposes: first, it provides a way our certification staff can contact you regarding the application, and second it ensures that the Executive Order is sent to the correct person. If you receive an email indicating that you need to register in E-Cert before your application can be accepted, please contact your certification representative below for assistance.

E-Cert Application Loader Computer Requirements

  • Google Chrome
  • Microsoft Edge

Acceptable Document Formats

  • XML

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