Export 📅 October 22, 2026 ⏱ 13 min read

UHF RFID Reader Type Approval in Africa: South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana and Morocco

Table of UHF RFID reader band, power limit and type approval route for South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana and Morocco

An importer in Johannesburg, Lagos or Nairobi sizing a UHF reader order needs three answers first: which channel plan the reader ships with, how much power it may radiate, and whose name goes on the type approval certificate. Most band tables fill in Africa by assumption. This page answers all three for six markets from each regulator’s own documents, and where the published text is silent, gives the exact question to put to the regulator.

We design and build UHF readers in New Delhi and configure each for its destination market; this is the checklist we work through with a distributor first.

Six markets, four reader configurations

Read side by side, the six regulators’ texts reduce to four interrogator configurations, plus two markets where the UHF band itself is the open question.

Configuration	Channels and power	Market
A. ETSI four-channel plan	2 W e.r.p. on channels centred at 865.7, 866.3, 866.9 and 867.5 MHz	Egypt; South Africa lower band (865.6–867.6 MHz at 2 W e.r.p.)
B. South Africa upper band	Four channels in 916.1–920.1 MHz at 4 W e.r.p., or hopping across 915.4–919 MHz at 4 W e.r.p.	South Africa
C. Low-power ETSI band	865–868 MHz at 100 mW e.r.p.	Kenya
D. Single high-power channel	2 W e.r.p. only on the channel centred at 865.7 MHz; 500 mW e.r.p. in 867.6–868 MHz	Morocco (2020 decision)
Open	No UHF RFID row in the published spectrum text	Nigeria, Ghana

One ETSI-band reader serves A, C and D with different settings: C is A turned down 13 dB, and D trims the 2 W channel list to one entry. South Africa stands apart as the one market here that accepts an upper-band reader, under two regimes. Our FCC-band and ETSI-band variants are configured per order, so put the destination market and the antenna models on the purchase order; the approval file is built around both.

The master table

Every cell comes from the document named in its row; where that document is silent, the cell says verify with regulator. For bands outside Africa see RFID frequency bands by country and the RAIN regional settings table; for US and EU certificate sets see certification by market.

Radio rules

Market	UHF band and interrogator power	Licence status	Source (face date)	What to check
South Africa	865.6–867.6 MHz at 2 W e.r.p. (100 mW and 500 mW either side); 869.4–869.65 MHz at 500 mW e.r.p. (SANS 300 220); 4 W e.r.p. upper band; tags −10 dBm e.r.p.	Exempt from spectrum licence (Annexure B); type approval applies	Gazette 47792, 21 December 2022; Reasons Document, December 2021	Annexure B in force (Gazette 45690 and later); hop count in 915.4–919 MHz
Nigeria	Verify with regulator	SRD users need no licence; type approval required	SRD Guidelines (2018 issue); Business Rules, August 2024	The written question below
Kenya	865–868 MHz, three rows, 100 mW e.r.p. each	General class licence; vendor’s licence	SRD Guidelines, June 2022, Table 7	Exemption or full type approval
Egypt	Four channels, 2 W e.r.p.; ≤4 s on, ≥100 ms off	No licence; type approval and registration	SRD Guidelines 1.1, June 2021; 1.3, November 2024	None on the band
Ghana	Verify with regulator	Verify with regulator	Frequency table (2024 file); Type Approval Guidelines, May 2015	865–868 MHz status
Morocco	2 W e.r.p. on the channel centred at 865.7 MHz only (≤200 kHz); 500 mW e.r.p. in 867.6–868 MHz	Free use under the decision; prior agrément of equipment	Decision ANRT/DG/N°07/2020, 25 June 2020	Annex currently in force

Approval route

Market	Certificate holder	Clock	Validity	Fee
South Africa	South African registered company only	“Usually” 30 days	Verify with regulator	R5 109 per RF application in the 2020 schedule; confirm the current fee with ICASA; labels extra
Nigeria	Any Equipment Holder; local representative not mandatory	Decision within 30 days of receipt	Unlimited while unmodified	USD 50 + class fee + 5% admin + 7.5% VAT
Kenya	Kenyan licensee, with a manufacturer’s or distributor’s letter of agency	20 working days; deemed approval at 60 days	Once per type	Verify with regulator
Egypt	Manufacturer, representative, authorised local or overseas company, or importer	About 14 days from fee payment	“Always valid” while unchanged	Verify with regulator
Ghana	Manufacturer, through a local agent if non-resident	About 15 working days	Unlimited while unmodified	NCA Schedule of Fees
Morocco	Verify with regulator	Verify with regulator	Ten years on a published certificate	Verify with regulator

South Africa (ICASA)

Annexure B of South Africa’s Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations lists “Apparatus exempt from radio frequency spectrum licences”. ICASA reprinted the full annexure in Notice 1527 of 2022 (Government Gazette 47792, 21 December 2022), a notice of intention whose stated changes were the lower 6 GHz and 122–246 GHz bands; it names the 2021 amendment regulations in Gazette 45690 as the text being amended. The annexure’s preamble keeps the EMC and safety requirement for each application type mandatory, referenced to ICASA’s Official List of Regulated Standards.

Annexure B carries RFID rows in three UHF ranges: 865–868 MHz, 869.4–869.65 MHz and 915–921 MHz. The gazette prints the test standard and the reference document in separate columns, reproduced here as printed:

Band	Use	Power	Standard	Reference
865–865.6 MHz	RFID applications	100 mW e.r.p.	SANS 302 208	CEPT/ERC/REC 70-03
865.6–867.6 MHz	RFID applications	2 W e.r.p.	SANS 302 208	CEPT/ERC/REC 70-03
867.6–868 MHz	RFID applications	500 mW e.r.p.	SANS 302 208	CEPT/ERC/REC 70-03
869.4–869.65 MHz	RFID applications	500 mW e.r.p.	SANS 300 220	(none printed)
915.3–920.9 MHz	Tag transmit	−10 dBm e.r.p.	SANS 302 208	ECC Report 200
916.1–916.5, 917.3–917.7, 918.5–918.9, 919.7–920.1 MHz	Interrogator transmit	4 W e.r.p.	SANS 302 208	ECC Report 200
915.4–919 MHz	Modulating RFID systems (FHSS)	4 W e.r.p.	FCC CFR 47 Part 15.247	(none printed)

Two practical readings. First, the 869.4–869.65 MHz row is tied to SANS 300 220, the standard the same annexure uses for its non-specific SRD rows in 863–870 MHz, while the 865–868 MHz and 916–920 MHz interrogator rows name SANS 302 208; an EN 302 208-style interrogator’s approval file is built on those rows. Second, because the four upper-band interrogator rows and the tag row also name SANS 302 208 as their standard, the RF test report for a four-channel upper-band reader is planned against SANS 302 208 as well, with ECC Report 200 as the reference.

ICASA’s Reasons Document (December 2021, section 6.11) explains the FHSS row. Submitters asked for the FCC-based 915.4–919.2 MHz range to be grandfathered for 12 months; ICASA declined, and instead accepts both FCC and ETSI regimes in their respective bands. It kept ECC Report 200 because ERC Recommendation 70-03’s 915–921 MHz allocation overlaps part of the licensed IMT band. Configure to the gazette’s upper edge, 919 MHz, not 919.2 MHz.

Two checks for the hopping route. Power: 47 CFR 15.247 allows 1 W conducted (with 50 or more hopping channels) into antennas up to 6 dBi, which is 36 dBm EIRP or 33.85 dBm e.r.p., about 2.4 W e.r.p., inside South Africa’s 4 W e.r.p. Hop count: 15.247(a)(1)(i) wants at least 50 hopping frequencies under 250 kHz bandwidth or 25 at 250 kHz and above, and 3.6 MHz holds neither 25 channels of 250 kHz (6.25 MHz) nor 50 without spacing them 72 kHz apart. Ask ICASA which hop rules it applies inside the sub-band. The four-channel route avoids the question; our ETSI upper band guide covers it.

Route. The certificate “will only be issued to South African registered companies”; the Schedule 2.3 form takes that company’s registration and VAT numbers, names the original manufacturer separately, and is signed before a Commissioner of Oaths. Schemes are Standard (new equipment), Simplified (identical to a registered type, no test reports), Provisional (up to 6 months) and Exempt (special events). ICASA accepts reports from an accredited test facility (“ATL”), approval “usually takes 30 days”, and the 2020 schedule lists R5 109 for RF equipment and R2 555 for an untested variant, non-refundable, with the ICASA sticker on equipment and packaging. ICASA’s own pages carry more than one RF fee figure, so confirm the current fee with ICASA before budgeting.

Nigeria (NCC)

Nigeria has the clearest paperwork route and the least clear UHF band. Two NCC documents:

Guidelines on the Use of Short Range Devices (2018 issue). The First Schedule jumps from 864.8–865 MHz to 868–868.7 MHz; its RFID row is 2446–2454 MHz. Clause 4.3: users need no licence, devices need type approval. Clauses 4.6 and 4.9: no antenna swaps; dedicated or integral antennas.
Type Approval Business Rules (August 2024), Table 16, Licence-Exempt Equipment. Lists ETSI EN 302 208-2, RFID “operating in the band 865 MHz to 868 MHz with power levels up [to] 2 W”, with no edition stated.

Put this to NCC in writing: “Is a UHF RFID interrogator at up to 2 W e.r.p. on the channels centred at 865.7, 866.3, 866.9 and 867.5 MHz licence-exempt in Nigeria, given that Table 16 of the Business Rules lists EN 302 208-2 while the SRD Guidelines’ First Schedule has no 865–868 MHz RFID row? If so, which power and duty limits apply?”

Route. The Nigerian Communications (Type Approval) Regulations, 2024 (S.I. No. 23 of 2024, Official Gazette No. 128, Vol. 111, 29 July 2024) define the Equipment Holder as a provider of communications services, or a supplier or manufacturer of communications equipment, and state that the Equipment Holder need not be the applicant (Regulation 4(2)). NCC’s FAQ: “Local representative is not mandatory”, nor is an in-country lab, though tests must be accredited; Regulation 17(2) lets NCC’s lab list include foreign test laboratories accredited under an International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation Mutual Recognition Agreement. The DoC follows ISO/IEC 17050-1:2004. NCC communicates its decision within 30 days of receiving the application (Regulation 10(2)); approval is unlimited while unmodified (Rule 8(1)); samples are retained (Rule 14); and Rule 15 asks suppliers to register every type-approved device on NCC-DMS, the Commission’s IMEI-based device register, for a separate fee.

Fee build-up. NCC assigns the billing class at review and lists no RFID line. If a reader were billed in the USD 1,800 class shared by IoT sensors and WLAN modules:

Line	Basis	USD
Application	Flat	50.00
Type approval	Billing class	1,800.00
Admin	5% of type approval fee	90.00
VAT	7.5% of type approval fee	135.00
First model		2,075.00
Each variant	20% of family fee	360.00 before admin and VAT

A device spanning categories takes the higher class, and “Integrated System” is USD 3,500, so ask about a reader combining Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular. Naira payments use the Central Bank rate on the invoice day.

Kenya (CA): the 100 mW e.r.p. cap

Table 7 of the Communications Authority’s SRD Guidelines (June 2022) lists 865–865.6, 865.6–867.6 and 867.6–868 MHz, each at 100 mW e.r.p., ≤200 kHz, standard EN 302 208. Vendors register and hold a vendor’s licence; use falls under a general class licence. Clause 3.4.4 allows only antennas approved by the manufacturer.

Worked power setting. 100 mW e.r.p. is 20 dBm; 2 W e.r.p. is 33 dBm. Conducted setting = e.r.p. limit − antenna gain in dBd + cable loss:

Input	Kenya	Egypt
e.r.p. limit	20 dBm	33 dBm
Antenna, 8.15 dBi (6 dBd)	−6 dB	−6 dB
Cable loss	+1.5 dB	+1.5 dB
Reader port	15.5 dBm (35 mW)	28.5 dBm (708 mW)

For a forward-link-limited passive tag, free-space range scales with the square root of radiated power, so 13 dB cuts the range ceiling by 10^13/20 ≈ 4.5. A portal designed at 2 W e.r.p. needs re-surveying, and usually more antennas, in Kenya. The power budget guide and read range calculation carry this through.

Route. The 2010 Importation, Type Approval and Distribution Regulations allow type acceptance of equipment approved by a recognised foreign regulator, on samples, test results and the foreign certificate (Regulation 6). The Authority decides within sixty days or the application is deemed approved (Regulation 5); approval is once per type (Regulation 3). The June 2025 form (CA/F/SRM/TA 1.5) lists RFID under Short Range Radio Devices and asks for a manufacturer’s or distributor’s letter of agency naming other countries of approval, a sample it need not return, English manuals, a DoC, and RF, EMC and safety reports from an ISO/IEC 17025 lab accredited by an ILAC signatory; processing is 20 working days.

The guidelines’ clause 4 exempts compliant SRDs from type approval, while the form lists RFID as a category. Email [email protected] with the model, the Table 7 row and the 100 mW setting, and ask which path and fee line apply.

Egypt (NTRA) in brief

NTRA’s SRD Guidelines, Table 11: 865–868 MHz at 2 W e.r.p., ≤200 kHz, EN 302 208. Note 8 restricts 2 W interrogators to the channels centred at 865.7, 866.3, 866.9 and 867.5 MHz, with tags at −20 dBm e.r.p.; Note 9 caps continuous transmission at 4 s with ≥100 ms gaps. The rows read the same in release 1.1 (June 2021) and 1.3 (November 2024). Use needs no licence (section 5.1), but equipment types are registered with NTRA before import (section 6).

The limit is e.r.p.: a tender that rewrites it as “2 W EIRP” sets the reader 2.15 dB below what Egypt permits.

Applicants: equipment manufacturers, their representatives, authorised local or overseas companies and local importers (FAQ, March 2024); since 1 January 2026 all apply through the digital portal.
Scheme: Light, Intermediate or Tight, by NTRA’s scheme determination chart; the 5 March 2024 update added the manufacturer’s ISO certificate to the file.
Clock and validity: about 14 days from the fee payment date, once documents and any sample tests have passed; “always valid” provided no changes are made to the approved product.
Shipping: the certificate is a compliance certificate, and importation needs its own permit from NTRA’s importation services department. Since 24 March 2025, labels must be indelible and invoice model names must match the approved model exactly. Per the FAQ, type approval does not apply to passive antennas, and is optional for active antennas for the time being.

Ghana (NCA) and Morocco (ANRT)

Ghana

NCA’s National Frequency Allocations Table allocates 862–890 MHz to Fixed and Mobile with 870–880 MHz used for IMT, and 890–960 MHz to IMT, with no SRD or RFID designation; the Type Approval Guidelines list RFID at 13.553–13.567 MHz and 2446–2454 MHz. Ask NCA: “Is a UHF RFID interrogator at up to 2 W e.r.p. on the four ETSI channels in 865–868 MHz licence-exempt in Ghana, and under which instrument?”

The Guidelines (May 2015) set the route: a manufacturer not present in Ghana applies through authorised local agents (clause 8.3) under a Power of Attorney (clause 8.2); the certificate carries the manufacturer’s name unless the Power of Attorney says otherwise (8.5); any eligible importer may then import the type (8.6). The sample is retained (9.11), a complete file takes about fifteen working days (9.14), and approval is unlimited while unmodified (13.1).

Morocco

Decision ANRT/DG/N°07/2020 of 03 Kaada 1441 (25 June 2020) sets the technical conditions for free use of low-power, short-range devices (A2FP); it replaced Decision ANRT/DG/N°08/13 of 20 June 2013. Section XII of its annex, radio-frequency identification devices, lists 865.6–865.8 MHz at 2 W p.a.r. (e.r.p.), with 2 W interrogators allowed only in the channel whose centre carrier is 865.7 MHz and a maximum bandwidth of 200 kHz, and 867.6–868 MHz at 500 mW p.a.r., 200 kHz.

No row of the annex covers the channels centred at 866.3, 866.9 and 867.5 MHz, so a reader shipped to Morocco runs a channel table trimmed to 865.7 MHz at 2 W e.r.p.; Article 10 reserves any other operating conditions to ANRT’s prior agreement. Article 6 bars power-amplification devices; Article 7 requires integrated antennas (no external antenna port) or dedicated antennas approved with the equipment, anything else needing ANRT’s prior agreement; Article 9 makes every A2FP subject to prior agrément under articles 15 and 16 of Law 24-96; Article 13 has resellers keep a register of each customer. The annex states that ANRT updates it regularly, so confirm the version in force on anrt.ma.

Agrément runs under Decisions ANRT/DG/N°12/04 (29 December 2004) and N°04/14 (17 February 2014). A published certificate (MR00027187ANRT2021) runs from 26 January 2021 to 26 January 2031, ten years, and requires a new agrément after technical modification. Confirm with ANRT whether a foreign manufacturer may hold the certificate directly.

Who files what: manufacturer pack vs distributor filing

The technical evidence barely changes between the six; the name on the certificate does.

Distributor holds it: South Africa (registered company) and Kenya (licensee, with the manufacturer’s letter of agency).
Local agent files for the manufacturer: Ghana, under Power of Attorney.
Manufacturer may file directly: Nigeria and Egypt.
Confirm first: Morocco.

The manufacturer’s pack, kept current per model:

Declaration of Conformity naming the standards and report numbers (ISO/IEC 17050-1:2004 format for Nigeria).
RF, EMC and safety reports from an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited lab, run on the shipping configuration; for South Africa, against the SANS standard named in the Annexure B row the reader uses.
Schematic, PCB layout, parts list, internal and external photos.
English technical and user manuals, functional description, label artwork.
Samples set to the destination channel plan and power; Ghana and Nigeria retain them.

File the antennas with the reader. Nigeria (clause 4.9), Kenya (3.4.4) and Morocco (Article 7) tie lawful use to integral or dedicated antennas, so list every model the distributor will sell from our antenna range. For four- and eight-port fixed UHF readers, that list decides whether the certificate covers the installation or only the reader. Ask any supplier for this pack per model and per market before the first shipment; our manufacturer and exporter page sets out the OEM and ODM route.

Frequently asked questions

What is the UHF RFID frequency in South Africa?

Annexure B, as printed in Government Gazette 47792 of 21 December 2022, carries RFID rows in three UHF ranges. In 865–868 MHz: 865–865.6 MHz at 100 mW e.r.p., 865.6–867.6 MHz at 2 W e.r.p. and 867.6–868 MHz at 500 mW e.r.p., all under SANS 302 208. In 869.4–869.65 MHz: RFID applications at 500 mW e.r.p. under SANS 300 220. In 915–921 MHz: interrogators on four channels (916.1–916.5, 917.3–917.7, 918.5–918.9 and 919.7–920.1 MHz) at 4 W e.r.p. and tags at −10 dBm e.r.p. across 915.3–920.9 MHz, under SANS 302 208 with ECC Report 200 as reference, plus frequency-hopping systems in 915.4–919 MHz at 4 W e.r.p. under FCC CFR 47 Part 15.247.

Can I use a 915 MHz RFID reader in South Africa?

Yes, within limits. ICASA’s Reasons Document of December 2021 records its decision to accept both FCC and ETSI regimes in their respective bands. A US-style hopping reader keeps its hop table inside 915.4–919 MHz at no more than 4 W e.r.p.; a reader hopping the full 902–928 MHz band is outside Annexure B. Ask ICASA which hop count it applies inside that 3.6 MHz sub-band. The type approval certificate is issued only to a South African registered company.

Does Nigeria require a local representative for type approval?

No. NCC’s type approval FAQ states that a local representative is not mandatory and that an in-country test laboratory is not mandatory, provided tests come from accredited laboratories. Under the Type Approval Regulations 2024 (S.I. No. 23, 29 July 2024), the Equipment Holder (a service provider, supplier or manufacturer) need not be the applicant, and NCC communicates its decision within 30 days of receiving the application. The open question in Nigeria is the UHF band itself, which should be confirmed with NCC in writing.

What transmit power is allowed for UHF RFID in Kenya?

100 mW e.r.p. (20 dBm e.r.p.) in each of 865–865.6, 865.6–867.6 and 867.6–868 MHz, with occupied bandwidth up to 200 kHz, under Table 7 of the Communications Authority’s SRD Guidelines of June 2022. With an antenna of 6 dBd and 1.5 dB of cable loss, that is a conducted setting of about 15.5 dBm at the reader port. The 13 dB gap from 2 W e.r.p. lowers the free-space range ceiling by roughly 4.5 times.

Is UHF RFID at 865-868 MHz allowed in Egypt?

Yes. NTRA’s SRD Guidelines, Table 11, allow 2 W e.r.p. in 865–868 MHz on the four channels centred at 865.7, 866.3, 866.9 and 867.5 MHz, with continuous transmission on a channel capped at 4 s and at least 100 ms between transmissions; tags respond at −20 dBm e.r.p. The rows are the same in release 1.1 (June 2021) and release 1.3 (November 2024). Use needs no licence, but the reader needs NTRA type approval and registration before import.

Do I need a local agent for type approval in Ghana?

Yes, for a manufacturer without a presence in Ghana. Clause 8.3 of NCA’s Type Approval Guidelines (May 2015) requires such manufacturers to apply through authorised local agents or contacts, supported by a Power of Attorney. A complete application is normally processed within fifteen working days, the sample is retained, and approval is unlimited in time while the equipment is unmodified. Confirm the UHF band with NCA, because the national allocation table carries no RFID designation in 862–960 MHz.

How long is an ANRT type approval valid in Morocco?

A published ANRT certificate of agrément (MR00027187ANRT2021) shows an approval date of 26 January 2021 and an expiry date of 26 January 2031, ten years. Its conditions require a new agrément if the equipment’s technical characteristics are modified. Check the term printed on your own certificate, and confirm the current RFID annex of Decision ANRT/DG/N°07/2020 of 25 June 2020, which allows 2 W e.r.p. interrogators only in the channel centred at 865.7 MHz and 500 mW e.r.p. in 867.6–868 MHz.