The power bank was seized at the airport, claiming it didn’t have a 3C logo! Recently, many netizens have been joking on social media platforms that their portable power banks have been banned from boarding planes because they do not comply with the new regulations.

Starting from June 28, 2025, according to an emergency notice issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China: Passengers are prohibited from carrying power banks without 3C marks, with unclear 3C marks, or those of recalled models or batches on domestic flights.

Half a month after the new regulations were implemented, chaos broke out at airports across the country – some people had no choice but to discard things on the spot. Some airports offer humanized services, allowing power banks to be temporarily stored for seven days. Some people complain, “I didn’t pay attention to these at all when I bought it.” Some people have found that the ban has been extended to areas such as camera batteries.

On the other side of consumers’ travel being blocked, the power bank industry is undergoing the strictest regulatory reshuffle period. At 6 a.m. on July 6th, half a month after announcing the recall of three models of power banks totaling 491,700 units, the well-known domestic power bank brand Romex suddenly issued a notice of suspension of work and production, with a suspension period of six months.

Since the Civil Aviation Administration of China issued an emergency notice on June 28, 2025, a large number of power banks have been stopped at security checkpoints at airports across the country. These power banks are mostly unable to be taken on board due to the lack of 3C labels, unclear 3C labels, or belonging to recalled models or batches.

Many passengers, without knowing it, carried power banks that did not meet the regulations to the airport, which led to their inability to board the plane smoothly and caused a lot of inconvenience to their travel. Some passengers had no choice but to discard or temporarily store the power banks at the airport.

Mr. Sun took a flight from Chongqing to Shanghai for a trip on July 4th. His power bank was stopped by security check because it didn’t have a 3C mark. He told Caijing that the airport offers a free storage service within seven days, which is quite considerate. However, since the return and outbound flights are not in the same terminal and are quite far apart, he had no choice but to give up.

Ms. Zhang was also quite troubled. On July 2nd, she flew abroad from Shanghai for a trip. The night before leaving, when she checked her luggage, she found that the power bank she had been using for several years did not have a 3C logo. Ms. Zhang told Caijing that it was too late to buy one at the last minute. Since she couldn’t do without a power bank when traveling abroad, she had no choice but to borrow one from a friend urgently to make the trip go smoothly.

What exactly is the 3C certification that has trapped many power banks?

According to the explanation released by the China Technical Trade Measures Network, 3C Certification (China Compulsory Certification, China Compulsory Product Certification) is a compulsory market access system implemented by China in accordance with the law to protect consumers’ personal safety, national security and the environment.

The product has the 3C mark, indicating that it has passed the China Compulsory Product Certification, which means that it has met the national standards in terms of electrical safety, battery safety and environmental protection.

Starting from August 1, 2023, China has begun to implement 3C certification management for lithium-ion batteries and battery packs as well as power banks. After a one-year transition period, starting from August 1, 2024, products that have not obtained the 3C certification certificate and the certification mark shall not be manufactured, sold, imported or used in other business activities.

Legal expert Yue 屾 shan said, “Starting from August 1, 2024, if merchants sell power banks without 3C certification, they will violate national laws and regulations such as the Product Quality Law.” For consumers, theoretically, power banks that have not been recalled can still be used. However, when taking public transportation, one should abide by the relevant regulations.

In addition to the 3C mark or unclear 3C mark, the recalled models or batches of power banks are also prohibited by the new regulations.