On July 18, 2026, Vietnam introduced clear changes to the market access requirements for imported photovoltaic O&M cleaning equipment. According to the relevant notices that have taken effect, such equipment must complete MEPS energy-efficiency certification and display the V-label energy-efficiency mark before entering the local market. Otherwise, it may be rejected by customs, and the procedures cannot be completed retroactively after entry. For exporters, purchasers, certification partners, and delivery arrangements, this is no longer merely a product sales issue, but a practical change directly related to customs clearance timelines, compliance readiness, and model eligibility for market entry.

Confirmed Details of the New Market Access Requirements

The confirmed information indicates that Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) officially brought Notice No. 32/2026/TT-BCT into effect on July 18, 2026. It applies to imported photovoltaic O&M cleaning equipment, including fully automatic rail-based systems, intelligent spray systems, steam cleaning machines, and other types.

Under these requirements, the above-mentioned equipment must pass certification under Vietnam’s energy-efficiency labeling program (MEPS) and display the V-label energy-efficiency mark. Products without certification will be rejected by customs, and subsequent certification will not be accepted.

The information provided also indicates that this change will directly affect customs clearance timelines and compliance costs for Chinese exporters. For mid- and low-end models without CE certification or IEC 62930-compatible designs, the market access pressure will be even more significant.

The Impact Will First Be Felt in Trade and Delivery Chains

Exporters Need to Complete Certification Before Shipment

From an industry perspective, equipment exporters shipping to the Vietnamese market will be affected most directly. The reason is that the regulatory change has made MEPS certification and the V-label mark preconditions for import, rather than supplementary procedures that can be completed after arrival. In business operations, the main areas affected will include pre-shipment document preparation, model compliance verification, pre-declaration confirmation, and delivery scheduling.

The most important point is that companies can no longer defer certification issues until the customs clearance stage. For equipment models intended for the Vietnamese market, certification status, labeling requirements, and the completeness of technical documents must be checked in advance; otherwise, the delivery schedule may be directly disrupted.

Purchasers and Project Operators Need to Recheck Model Eligibility

For purchasers and project operators, this regulatory change affects more than price comparisons. It also concerns whether the equipment actually meets the conditions for import. When procuring imported photovoltaic cleaning equipment, model selection will no longer focus solely on functions and cost; it must also include a review of whether the equipment meets MEPS certification and V-label marking requirements.

In practice, this will affect procurement plans, supplier selection, and delivery-time assessments. If the relevant requirements are not incorporated into procurement documents, bid comparison criteria, or supplier qualification reviews, subsequent adjustments may be required at the delivery stage.

The Importance of Certification and Testing Support Is Increasing

For service providers responsible for certification preparation, document organization, and testing coordination, this new regulation means that compliance work is moving significantly earlier in the transaction process. Although more detailed implementation rules have not yet been provided, it is clear that certification results are now directly linked to whether products can enter the customs process.

Accordingly, partners handling technical documents, labeling information, model consistency statements, and related tasks need to pay greater attention to whether the documentation can support import compliance, rather than merely meeting general sales presentation or tender-submission requirements.

Mid- and Low-End Models Face More Practical Market Access Pressure

The information provided specifically points out that mid- and low-end models without CE certification or IEC 62930-compatible designs will face higher market access barriers. For manufacturers, distributors, and traders of these products, the impact will mainly be reflected in the range of products available for sale, their suitability for target markets, and their ability to secure subsequent orders.

This does not automatically mean that all relevant models will exit the market. However, it does indicate that products lacking a foundation for compatibility will face stricter compliance thresholds when entering the Vietnamese market.

Practical Changes Companies Should Focus on Now

First Confirm Whether the Model Is Eligible for Declaration

For companies preparing to export or negotiating orders, the priority is not to increase shipments, but to verify whether each specific equipment model already meets the MEPS certification and V-label marking requirements. Since uncertified products will be rejected by customs and cannot be certified retroactively, companies need to complete model reviews before contract execution and shipping arrangements.

Technical Documents and Compliance Files Must Progress Alongside the Order

Analysis suggests that future problems may not necessarily arise from the products themselves, but from documentation preparation falling behind the commercial schedule. For certification, labeling, technical documentation, and related explanatory materials, companies should coordinate document preparation with order review, production scheduling, and customs arrangements to avoid situations in which the equipment is ready for shipment but the compliance documentation is incomplete.

Procurement and Tender Documents Need Timely Requirement Updates

Purchasers, integrated project operators, and distributors should currently check whether their procurement conditions reflect the new import requirements. If procurement documents, technical specifications, or supplier eligibility criteria continue to use outdated requirements, there may be a risk at the delivery stage that the model cannot enter the country and that the project schedule will be delayed.

Delivery Commitments Should Allow Time for Compliance Reviews

At a stage when the rules have only recently been clarified and taken effect, companies need to be more cautious when committing to delivery dates, customs clearance timelines, and after-sales service start dates. Particularly in business involving the Vietnamese market, commercial quotations, shipping plans, and customer communications should fully account for certification and labeling requirements as preconditions, rather than treating them as issues that can be resolved through later coordination.

This Appears to Signal That the Implementation Path Has Been Put into Practice

From an industry perspective, this information is better understood as an implemented market access change rather than merely a statement of principle. The reason is that the known information specifies not only the applicable product categories and certification requirements, but also that uncertified products will be rejected by customs and cannot be certified afterward. This indicates that implementation has been directly linked to the import process.

At the same time, the areas that still require continued observation are also clear: how the specific certification process, documentation requirements, tender document adjustments, and market feedback will develop. In the short term, the industry should focus more on how the rules are refined in actual business operations rather than rushing to draw conclusions about their long-term market impact.

For Market Participants, the Priority Is to Reorganize the Compliance Sequence

Overall, the core significance of this change is not the addition of an abstract requirement, but the reordering of the compliance sequence for photovoltaic cleaning equipment entering the Vietnamese market to “certify first, clear customs next, deliver afterward.” For exporters, purchasers, and supply-chain partners, this places practical limitations on the previous practice of submitting documents later or processing documentation while customs clearance is underway.

Therefore, this information is more appropriately understood as a clear implementation signal: the relevant business has entered a stage in which certification and labeling requirements must be checked in advance. The actual impact on different models and products at different price points will still need to be monitored continuously in light of detailed policies, implementation procedures, and market feedback.

Information Sources and Areas for Further Verification

This article was generated based on the information title, event date, and event summary provided by the user. The confirmed facts used are limited to the following: Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) officially brought Notice No. 32/2026/TT-BCT into effect on July 18, 2026, requiring imported photovoltaic O&M cleaning equipment to pass MEPS certification and display the V-label energy-efficiency mark. Uncertified products will be rejected by customs and cannot be certified afterward. The change will affect customs clearance timelines and compliance costs for Chinese exporters, as well as the market access of certain mid- and low-end models.

For events of this type, subsequent verification should generally continue to refer to official notices, publications by regulatory authorities, information from customs or trade authorities, industry association materials, standards organization documents, and reports from authoritative media. Since no specific official source link was provided in the input, the relevant original document links and detailed implementation instructions still require further verification. Areas requiring ongoing attention include whether the policy rules will be clarified further, whether certification procedures will become stricter or more detailed, whether tender and procurement documents will be updated accordingly, and how industry feedback and companies’ actual implementation will evolve.