The USB-IF offers a Qualification by Similarity program to member companies that have USB-IF certified products. The QbS program enables a new USB product to be certified based on its similarity to a fully tested and certified USB product. The purpose of the QbS program is to speed time-to-market and to minimize certification costs. It is not intended to eliminate the requirement that a product actually pass USB-IF compliance tests. For more information regarding the USB-IF Qualification by Similarity program, please see the QbS Introduction webpage.
The USB-IF Certification Program only tests and certifies a specific name, model and revision number of a USB product. A product with a slightly different name, model number or revision number is not considered certified. In addition, the USB-IF does not allow the use of variables in the product's name, model number or revision number in order to define a family of products. Please use the Qualification by Similarity program to obtain certification for closely related products.
The USB-IF accepts Qualification by Similarity requests via online forms. The forms should work using modern Internet Explorer or Firefox browsers. The online forms have been updated to allow multiple similar products to be declared in a single submission. Be aware your USB member login credentials are required to access the forms.
If your organization is a member of USB-IF and you do not have login credentials, you can register for a usernmame and password.
If your organization is not a member of USB-IF and you do not have login credentials, please contact the USB-IF Administration at Admin@usb.org.
For convenience, there is a QbS Home Page where you can monitor and manage your QbS Requests. Please know only QbS Requests submitted after October 2019 will appear on the QbS Home Page.
Currently, there are Qualification by Similarity Request Forms for the following product categories. Please select the most appropriate form for the kind of product:
Please allow up to 14 business days for processing. For more information please see the Form Help Page.