Is a Declaration of Conformity the same as Certification?

No. A Declaration of Conformity differs from a Certificate of Conformity in the degree and placement of liability. A manufacturer cannot apply for a Declaration because it must be backed by an Importer of Record, a locally registered entity. There are significant differences in the method of obtaining the certificate, and the documents needed. But you don’t need to worry about that; that’s our job!

It may be that your company requires an audit of the goods before issuing of Declarations. This cost is the sole responsibility of the applicant. Once the issuing authority has approved your goods meet the Technical Regulations, your documents will be notarised and issued. This means that the exporter (via your Russian or Kazakhstan entity), is declaring that the products being sent adhere to the MSDS (Manufacturers Safety Data Sheet) submitted with the application.

Certificates of Conformity can be made in the name of the foreign manufacturer or supplier. They can be issued with a validity of one, three or five years, where previously they were for a single shipment, or for one or two years. These are valid throughout all member states.