How BCAs work with the new overseas products pathways

Last updated: 29 August 2025

Building consent officer on a building site in a hardhat using a laptop to check building work

How to process Building Product Specifications, Endorsed Standards and Approved Products Certified Overseas for a building consent.

Under the new pathways, building consent authorities (BCAs) must approve building work that:

uses certain overseas building products so long as they comply with the notice of recognition published by MBIE or the Building Product Specifications, and
is within the scope of the relevant compliance pathway.

BCAs still need to assess proposed building work to ensure products are being used for their stated purpose and that the building will comply with the Building Code.

Benefits of the new compliance pathways

Building Product Specifications benefits

So far, 130 building product standards and specifications, which were in acceptable solutions and verification methods, have been moved into the Building Product Specifications – a new regulatory instrument.
Having standards and specifications in one place will make it easier for BCAs to check whether an unfamiliar building product complies with the Building Code.
Product standards and specifications included in the Building Product Specifications can be referenced by builders and designers in a consent application.
A BCA must accept building work using a product cited in the Building Product Specifications as compliant with the Building Code, provided the work complies with the relevant acceptable solution or verification method.
The Building Product Specifications make it easier and faster to add, update and modify building product standards in the Building Code system.

Approved Products Certified Overseas benefits

Products recognised as Approved Products Certified Overseas are issued a recognition notice and published on our website's Approved Products Certified Overseas web page. The first of these recognised products and notices will be published in September 2025.

Recognised products will be deemed to comply with the Building Code and must be accepted for use by BCAs if they are:

used as intended (including any conditions or limitations of recognition), and
supported by the required technical information.

When an Approved Product Certified Overseas is specified in a consent application, BCAs will need to check:

the recognition notice and product certificate number stated on the recognition notice to ensure both are current, and
the product is being used as intended (which is similar to a CodeMark certificate), including any conditions or limitations of recognition.

This pathway has strict criteria set in regulations for approving specific overseas certified products and methods as deemed to comply with the Building Code.

Endorsed Standards benefits

Recognised groups of standards from trusted overseas standards organisations, and standards certification schemes will be published on our website's Endorsed Standards web page.
Endorsed Standards can be relied on as supporting evidence of compliance with the Building Code.
BCAs may consider an Endorsed Standard when establishing Code compliance but will still need to assess proposed building work to ensure it complies with the Building Code.

The first list of recognised groups of standards will be published in September 2025.

How to work with the compliance pathways

Working with the Building Product Specifications

When BCAs receive a consent application that cites an unfamiliar building product standard or specification as part of an acceptable solution or verification method, they check the Building Product Specifications to ensure the cited standard or specification is listed.

For example, Acceptable Solution E2/AS1 used to contain one product standard: AS/NZS 2908.2:2000. Now, the Building Product Specifications contains two additional product standards: ISO 8336:2017 and BS EN 12467:2012+A2:2018 that can be used with E2/AS1.

BCAs must accept a product as complying with the Building Code (no matter where it is from) if it:

complies with a cited standard in the Building Product Specifications for its specific purpose, and
is used in building work which complies with the relevant acceptable solution or verification method.

Working with Approved Products Certified Overseas

When BCAs receive a consent application that contains a recognition notice and overseas product certificate, that product is deemed to comply with the Building Code if:

the design incorporates the product according to its intended use, and
it is used within any conditions or limitations of the recognition.

BCAs will need to refer to our Approved Products Certified Overseas web page to ensure:

the recognition notice is valid
the product certificate is current, and
the specified product is being used as intended and according to any conditions or limitations of the recognition.

This is similar to the process of checking a CodeMark certified product.

If the product is not being used as intended, or within any conditions or limitations of recognition, it is not deemed to comply.

Working with the Endorsed Standards

When BCAs receive a consent application that uses a product that has been tested or manufactured according to an overseas standard, they:

check our Endorsed Standards web page to confirm that the standard for that product has been issued by a trustworthy standards organisation.

BCAs may consider the recognition of an overseas standard when assessing the application, but it is not a deemed to comply pathway.

BCAs will still need to assess the proposed building work to ensure:

the products are being used for their stated purpose, and
that the overall building work will comply with the Building Code.

More information

Find out more on each pathway's web page:

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