GOST-R
Why is GOST certification necessary?
Usually Certificate is necessary for two cases:
· Customs house
· Realization of products at Russian market
The Law on Certification of Products and Services stipulates two types of certification - mandatory and voluntary certification. The Law on Protection of Rights of Consumers and the Law on Standardization regulate mandatory certification process and identify products that are subject to this type of certification.
According to the order of the State Customs Committee of Russia from 01.10.2000, production of foreign manufacturers imported in the country should respond the national quality standards, therefore is the subject to certification.
Certification GOST may be carried out concerning the goods or industrial activity of the firm. The goods, past process of certification and received certificate of conformity GOST by results of expertise, do not meet any difficulties at registration of customs documents.
That is why Russian export companies and organizations cannot work with non-certified products.
Is it necessary Russian Certification for my products?
Russia is a unique country and has unique requirements to safety. If you plan to trade with Russia, you should know and understand the Russian requirements for certification.
Your product should conform to the Russian standards which are different and mostly not harmonized with the European or International standards. CE self-declaration is not recognized in Russia and cannot replace the Russian Certificate of Conformity.
Basically, almost all consumer products require the mandatory certification; it includes all food products, products for children, perfume and cosmetics, tableware and kitchenware, packaging materials, household and industrial equipment, etc.
Depending on the nature of the goods you are planning to ship to Russia or to another CIS country, you may need to comply with one or more certification requirements. There are 19 mandatory certification systems regulated by Laws of the Russian Federation (“GOST R”, “Elektrosvyaz”, “Fire Safety” etc) and over 300 voluntary ones.
Today, GOST R Certificate of Conformity is the most common permissive document in Russia testifying that your product meets necessary safety standards. In 1993, SGS was accredited by Gosstandart of Russia (former name for the Federal Agency on the Technical Regulation and Metrology) to provide GOST R certification services.
Legal framework: mandatory vs voluntary certification
Since 1993, the Russian Government enacted legislation obliging to certify a number of products and introduced the GOST-R system of mandatory certification with the intention of protecting health and safety of Russia's population.
Original or certified copy of Certificate of Conformity is required for customs clearance at the Russian border as well as for sale and / or marketing within the country.
The certified product should be marked by the registered GOST R sign (so called Mark of Conformity), which clearly demonstrates product compliance to the applicable Russian standards. The Mark consists of a sign standing for the GOST R certification system combined with the Certification Body registration number.
For products not subject to mandatory certification according to the Russian law, voluntary certification scheme may be applied. Exporters or importers initiate voluntary certification with the aim to formally prove the conformity of their products to the applicable Russian standards, technical norms or recipes. In other words, GOST-R Certificate of Conformity is a powerful marketing tool to capture Russian customer.
Required Russian certificates prior to GOST R prior to the issuance of GOST-R Certificate of Conformity for some products, exporters may need to obtain some additional documentation, certificates and licenses, namely:
- Sanitary-Epidemiological Conclusion Certificate for products in contact with human body;
- State Registration at Minzdravsotsrazvitiya for new products such as baby food, drugs, medical tools etc;
- GOST R Pattern Approval Certificate for measuring instruments;
- Fire Safety Certificate for flammable or fire extinguishing products.
- Rostechnadzor-allowance or passport for exploitation for equipments with possible human or environmental risks
- Gosstroy – certificate required for equipments, used with construction and civil works purposes, for approving their assessment to the required standards and criterias of the related Russian Federation Laws
- Ex-Proof Certificate for explosion-proof equipment and materials;
- Telecom Type Approval for telecommunication equipment and devices; etc.
Single shipment certificates GOST-R
This kind of certificate is for companies who export their goods only occasionally. The single shipment certificate is valid for one delivery only. But, there is a possibility of few deliveries using this one shipment certificate. In the certificate is written the amount of goods which are going to be exported to Russia. So this amount can be divided in few deliveries.
The Consignment Certificate of Conformity is a trade document valid for one consignment only, i.e. for a certain quantity and type of product. This kind of certificate is advisable if you export to Russia sporadically. It can be issued only if you are able to prove who will be your customer/importer in Russia by means of a contract or an invoice.
The one shipment certificate is only for those company who can prove (by a contract with the Russian receiver or by an invoice) their customer in Russia.
There are the following documents needed to make the Single shipment certificates:
1. The full name of the company with address info
2. The exact name of the product with the names of models and types
3. The technical documentation or operating documentation with descriptions
4. The invoice in Russian language
5. The customs tariff code
6. The contract and the enclosure with all technical descriptions.
OBLIGATORY CERTIFICATE for serial production of 1 and 3 years
Certifies quality of actually supplied goods and their compliance with contractual terms. A quality certificate contains a profile of goods or confirms their compliance with certain standards or specifications of a delivery order. A certificate of compliance is intended for certification of goods produced by Russian companies or shipped to Russia by an importer-company. A certificate of compliance can be issued for a batch of goods and on a series production. In the former case a certificate is legalized for a company engaged in supplying goods to the Russian market. Its validity varies with terms of a sale contract. In the latter case a foreign manufacturer of supplied goods is both an applicant and a recipient of a certificate. This type of a certificate is valid for a period identified in a certification document. Certification is carried out by our specialists on production premises of a company seeking certification of goods it manufactures. On the basis of results obtained during testing samples of goods in a laboratory an appropriate certificate of series production compliance is issued.
There are cases where GOST certificate is issued when documents like: a hygienic report, a veterinary certificate, fire safety certificate, etc. are available. These all mean that we must receive all these documents for you before.
The Serial Production Certificate of Conformity is a trade document whose validity can vary from 12 months to 3 years depending on the nature of the products. Such a document enables you to export unlimited times and quantities of heterogeneous goods produced during the certificate validity period. This type of GOST-R certificate is especially suitable for a company with regular export activities and a wide product range. To ensure the compliance of products to Russian standards after the certificate has been issued, an annual inspection by accredited Certification Body is necessary.
VOLUNTARY CERTIFICATE
For products not subjected mandatory certification according to the Russian law, voluntary certification scheme may be applied. Exporters or importers initiate voluntary certification with the aim to formally prove the conformity of their products to the applicable Russian standards, technical norms or recipes. In other words, GOST Certificate of Conformity is a powerful marketing tool to capture Russian customer.
UKR SEPRO
What is UkrSEPRO Certificate of Conformity?
The UkrSEPRO system was introduced by Ukraine Government in 1993, obliging to certify a number of products.
Product conformity assessment is one of the Ukrainian State Technical Policy elements and aims at providing human, animal and privacy safety as well as environmental protection.
The UkrSEPRO system is regulated by the Law of Ukraine “On conformity assessment” and guarantees that product conforms to the safety requirements established by national law.
Original or certified copy of Certificate of Conformity is required for customs clearance at the Ukrainian border as well as for sale and / or marketing within the country.
For products not subject to mandatory certification according to the Ukrainian law, voluntary certification scheme or exemption letter ’may be applied.
Exporters or importers initiate voluntary certification with the aim to formally prove the conformity of their products to the applicable Ukrainian standards, technical norms or recipes. In other words, UkrSEPRO Certificate of Conformity is a powerful marketing tool to capture Ukrainian customer.
The UkrSEPRO sign
The certified product should be marked by the registered UkrSEPRO sign or Mark of Conformity, which demonstrates product compliance to the applicable Ukrainian standards. Usage of UkrSEPRO sign was defined in Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine “On approval of description and rules for National conformity mark usage”.
The UkrSEPRO mark consists of a sign standing for the UkrSEPRO certification system combined with the Certification Body registration number under it.
Application Scope
The UkrSEPRO certification system concerns the majority of products sold or/and used in Ukraine:
 consumer products such as foodstuff, textiles, cosmetics and toys
mechanical and electrical goods
industrial equipment for food, chemical, oil & gas, construction industries
telecom equipment
vehicles
other industries
UkrSEPRO covers a wider range of products compared to GOST R system. For example, telecom products are included to UkrSEPRO whereas in Russia, they fall under Telecom Type Approval, which is separate from GOST R.
Procedure
The UkrSEPRO system is monitored jointly by the State Committee on Technical Regulation and Consumer Policy or Derzhspozhyvstandard and the Federal Customs Service of Ukraine.
UkrSEPRO Certificates of Conformity are issued by Certification Bodies accredited by Derzhspozhyvstandard to act on its behalf.
The issuance of UkrSEPRO Certificates of Conformity is implemented following technical evaluation of the goods that may include the following:
evaluation of technical documents
surveillance visits
sampling, analysis, type testing in accredited laboratories
factory audits
in some cases certification of quality management system
The presence of mandatory information and correct translation can be checked by Certification Body who may also give advice concerning technical translation and labelling information for the items to be imported.
UkrSEPRO Certification schemes: single shipment vs. serial production
- Single Shipment Certificates - The Consignment Certificate of Conformity is a trade document valid for 1 year and for one consignment only, i.e. for a certain quantity and type of product.
This kind of certificate is advisable if you export to Ukraine sporadically. A proof of who your customer in Ukraine is necessary by means of contract or invoice.
- Certificates for Serial Production – The Serial Production Certificate of Conformity’s validity can vary from 12 months to 5 years. It all depends on the nature of the product and certification scheme chosen.
- For certificates with 1 year validity, sample testing is needed. Audit of the manufacturing facilities is no longer required. However, this is not applicable to some goods (e.g. food, telecom, etc.)
- For certificates with 2-3 year validity, sample testing is needed. Quality Assessment of the production line is also necessary.
- For certificates with 5-year validity, quality management system has to be certified. Sample testing might also be conducted.
Serial Production Certificate of Conformity is suitable for companies with regular export activities and a wide product range because this document enables them to export unlimited number of times and quantities of goods produced during the certificate’s validity period.
The Certificate for Serial Production can be issued to a manufacturer only |
