Product certification for Russia and CIS member states

On 15 February 2015, GOST (or GOST R to give its full name), was replaced by a series of documents including a Certificate of Conformity, a Declaration of Conformity, Technical Regulation of the Customs Union (CU TR) or simply Eurasian Conformity. The Eurasian Customs Union (EACU) is a customs union which consists of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). It came into existence on 1 January 2010 and its founding states were Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia with Armenia and Kyrgyzstan joining it later. If you obtain certification for one of the union members, it automatically applies to the remaining states as there are no customs duties within the Customs Union. The single economic space of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Russia is home to 180 million people and has an area of 20 million

Name of the product
Customs Product Code: this code is essential to determine in which commodity group the product belongs. This code will also be printed on the certificate: the code on the certificate must be the same on all documents for that product.
Brief description of the product: by “brief description” we really mean minimal.
Pictures or drawings of the product: this information is often unnecessary, but sometimes it is very useful for the application handlers to understand the exact function of the product and its appearance.
Later on, if you decide to proceed with certification, an ISO certificate of conformity, ISO or a CE Marking of your product may be required, but only in a few cases.

For your convenience, below we have listed some of the most frequently asked questions about certification.

1. Do I need to translate documents into Russian?

No. The documents can be supplied in English. The most important thing is the name of the product, which must remain consistent on all documents and which must necessarily be written in Russian letters. The translation into Russian may be done directly by us, provided however, that your documents maintain the same name from then on.

2. Is a separate certificate required for each model?

No. Products to be certified are grouped into categories and a single certificate can be obtained  not only for several models, but also several products, even if they are similar.

3. How much does certification cost?

Rather little, especially when compared to an ISO or CE. The price for certificates may vary depending on the type of production and the expiry date of the certificate. The price may increase when many products or models (more than ten) are covered by a single certificate.

4. How much time do you need to obtain a certificate?

This will depend on the product. Typically anything from two weeks and two months.

5. What types of certificates are there?

Below are most common types of certificates with an indication of average delivery times and costs provided by our team at Albion Overseas.

Certificate of Conformity for 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, single delivery

The Certificate of Conformity is a document required by the EEU member states from the moment the goods are produced in the EEU or from the moment of import (if the goods are imported through customs) and at all times during the commercial life cycle of trading on the EEU market. The procedure is very simple and follows the lines described above. The validity of the Certificate of Conformity can range from a single delivery up to three years. We always recommend longer intervals as the prices are not proportional (a certificate valid for three years costs considerably less than three annual certificates). As the name suggests, this certificate is required and if it is not presented to the authorities when requested, this may prevent the supplier from bringing the product into the EEU market altogether. The Certificate of Conformity may be required either by a foreign legal entity or by a EEU legal entity according to the preferences and the needs of the applicants. Often the Certificate of Conformity is combined, as appropriate, with other certificates that focus on particular features of products.

Declaration of Conformity

The Declaration of Conformity is very similar to the Certificate of Conformity and is distinguished by the mere fact that the Declaration, in accordance with the regulations, must be requested by a legal entity registered in EEU. In general, it should be the importer or a representative of the manufacturer, registered in EEU, who requests it. The difference between the two documents is detected in the format.

Technical Regulation of the Customs Union (CU TR)

The Technical Regulation for the applicant is practically indistinguishable from the Certificate of Conformity, apart from two main features – the colour of the document and the indication of a federal record of Technical Regulation certificates open for consultation. Also after 21 October 2011, if the product has been subject to the Technical Regulation, this overrides the need for permission to use Rostechnadzor. This procedural change creates a great cost-saving opportunity for suppliers. After the introductions of the EAC certificates and EAC declaration, the Technical Regulation normative is mainly focused on compliance with fire safety regulations.

Fire Safety Technical Regulation

In the event that the products you wish to import into EEU are intended to be used in situations in which they may be susceptible to accidents involving combustion, the EEU authorities require a mandatory Fire Safety Certificate confirming the safety of all materials used in the product.

The fields of application of the Fire Safety Certificate shall be as those listed below and they are described in detail in Decree No 320 of 8 July 2002 of the Government of the Russian Federation.

Flammable construction materials such as carpet, wallpaper, flooring, doors, etc.
Fire alarm and data transmission cables
Materials and refractory coating
Fire doors
Fire hose
Fire extinguishers
Fire air valves
220 V cables and above
Domestic refrigerators
Household appliances operated with LPG or CNG
Industrial products related to operating gas burners, heat generators and so on.

The Fire Safety Certificate will then be required to be presented at the customs upon entry in the country, and upon arrival in the country, at the installation site or the construction site. The Fire Safety Certificate does not replace the Certificate of Conformity but is adjoined to it in cases established by legislation. The Fire Safety Certificate for EEU is one of the documents issued in accordance with the EEU Technical Regulation as opposed to most of the documents issued in accordance with regulations TR CU Customs Union and marking EAC.

Weights and Measurement Certificate

The Weights and Measurement Certificate for Metrology for measuring instruments is, in cases established by the legislation, a certificate required for trading metrological instruments. Holding an equivalent certificate issued by institutions other than the Rosstandart does not exempt a supplier from obtaining this certificate.

Tests, audits and inspections are required to be carried out for the issuance of the Weights and Measurement Certificate. The Weights and Measurement Certificate, through the joint work of certification centres such as TechCert and research institutes, regulated by the federal agency Rosstandart, fulfils the need of guaranteeing certainty and reliability of measuring systems and measuring instruments. The technical organisations described so far, coordinated by our specialists, manage all the technical, legislative and administrative procedures involved. We provide qualified and accredited specialists, carry out all necessary inspections, tests and controls to issue the Weights and Measurement Certificate, audits and inspections, in order to prepare the necessary documentation for obtaining the Weights and Measurement Certificate, which are issued depending on the type of product, at an accredited laboratory located in EEU, at the facility of production or at an appointed laboratory, in the presence of local personnel.

The Weights and Measurement Certificate is regulated by the International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML). The possession of an equivalent certificate issued by a certifying institution of a country other than a EEU member state does not exempt the supplier from obtaining the Weights and Measurement Certificate. The certificate OIML does not replace the EAC certificate or EAC declaration, which, however, are also issued in cases where the goods fall within the regulated categories.

A few more examples below:

Letter of Exemption
Certification and Declaration in the field of communication
Environmental certificate issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources
Evidence of Government Registration, AKA Certificate of State Registration
Registration Certificate issued by Russian Federation Ministry of Health
Hygiene Certificate
Federal Security Service Registration (communication devices)

A full range of certificates is available from the official website of Rosstandart.

If you have any further questions, please call us at Albion Overseas on 01259 272 026 or fill out our online form and get certified!