Permit for using european standard electrinics in the US

[Ottili]

Hi, I would like to know if you have a european electronic and want to use it in the US do you neep a permit, or license? I am not talking about radio and stuff.
I would like to use a wellness type machine here in the US and it is coming from Hungary.This would be a new business , or something.
Do I need a permit or to make any changes in the machine to be able to us it here legally?

[Tomi Engdahl]

The electronics used in USA must meet the requirements of the electrical devices in USA.
Most typically this is proven on the devices by having an UL or some other suitable laboratory test the device and put their stamp that the device meets the requirements. UL is the trusted source across the globe for compliance in USA.
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products and writing Standards for Safety for over a century. If the device is UL cerified then it is trusted that it meets the regulations and there should not be problems related to insurance companies if some accident happens involving that device.

To my understanding it is also possible to use also non UL approved devices in USA if they meet the essential safety regulations related to electrical devices. When using or installing such device, then it would be a very good to have the needed documentation to prove that those devices are safe to use where they use in case you need to prove it (for example some accident happens and somebody sues you etc..). Using non UL approved devices could cause you liability challenges and possibly affect the insurance policies (insurance companies trust UL because they founded it). Anyway those are my thoughts what would be the case... anyway maybe it is best to contact some expert on those issues in USA to make sure how things really are. Better be safe than sorry.

If you are planning to import those devices to USA then maybe it is best to contact some suitable laboratory and/or consulting company in fiel to test the safety of those devices you have and designs the needed modifications if any is needed. They can tell the the device is safe or not as it is, give you documentation that tells how things are. If you are starting to import and sell those devices in USA, then the best bet would be to get the needed approvals from the different certification laboaratories in USA and get proper stamps for them. Basically for electrical devices you would generally need to consider UL for electrical safety and FCC regulations for radio frequency interference (and maybe some other I don't know about). If your "wellness type machine" could be considered to be a medical device, then there could be also some other special medical device regulations.