The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on Oct. 14 that it will recruit small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in the third round of the 2025 Overseas Certification Acquisition Support Program starting Oct. 15.
The Overseas Certification Acquisition Support Program subsidizes part of the expenditure for certification, testing, consulting, and more that small and medium-sized enterprises incur to obtain the standard certifications required by export destination countries in the process of entering overseas markets.
This recruitment of participating corporations will be the last of the year following Feb., May, and Aug., and a total of 280 corporations will be selected and supported, divided into the general track and a separate fast track for swift certification acquisition through a simplified review.
Eligible certifications include 546 items for the general track, such as the EU's CE (Conformité Européenne), the United States' NRTL (including UL certification), and China's NMPA (approval by the National Medical Products Administration), and 8 items for the fast track, such as the EU's CPNP (cosmetics) and international HALAL (food, cosmetics).
For selected corporations, 50–70% of the total required expense will be supported within a maximum limit of 100 million won, depending on the previous year's sales. Each corporation can apply for up to four cases per year; however, if the total annual application amount is less than 35 million won (small-amount certification), support is available without a limit on the number of applications.
Lee Sun-bae, director-general for Global Growth Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "This year in particular, as the number of small and medium-sized enterprises hoping to diversify export markets increases due to the United States' tariff policy, it is a more important time than ever for active government support," adding, "The government will further expand its role so that corporations can respond quickly to various global export regulations, including certification requirements."
Recruitment of participating corporations runs through Nov. 14, and details such as how to apply can be found on the website of the Overseas Certification Acquisition Support Center.