Two different methods of ensuring RoHS compliance have been written into the various legislations.
The first method, which is embodied in the EU RoHS legislation, is self certification supported by a due-diligence approach. In this approach, each manufacturer establishes a program to ensure that their products are produced free of the restricted elements and have an ongoing program to ensure the continued manufacture of RoHS compliant products. The manufacturer then certifies the product is RoHS compliant by placing it in the market in any EU country.
The second method of proving compliance, which is embodied in the China RoHS regulation, is third party certification. In this case it is necessary to submit the product to an independent test laboratory which will test the product and issue a certificate which indicates the product meets the requirements of the legislation. In the case of China RoHS this certification is expected to become part of the CCC certification. When third party certification is required, in house screening of the units being sent for the certification testing is advised to prevent any surprise in the certification testing.