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F.A.Q. - Frequently Asked Questions about Russian certification:
What if my product is not certified?
Do I know whether my product has to be certified or not?
I already have ISO, TÜV (EU, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc) certificate. Why won't my certificates suffice?
We are already selling to Zimbabwe, Poland, USA, Dominican Republic. Why do we need to get certified in Russia?
How long will it take?
How much will it cost?
Who else, besides you, can help me certify my products?
Who issues the certificates? Who is in charge of certification?
For how long is a certificate valid?
Can certificates be renewed?
What international standards are the equivalent of Russian standards?
Can importer obtain certification instead of exporter (manufacturer)?
Will this nonsense ever end? Will Russia always have its own separate certification requirements?
Can I just sell to a Russian importer without obtaining certification?
Isn't this just an unfair trade barrier? A measure to protect Russian manufacturers from foreign competition?
Is there a way to circumvent certification requirements?
What if my product is not certified?
If your product (mechanical vending machines for example) does not require certification, you do not need to worry about it although you may have to prove that your product does not require certification (see list of products requiring certification). However, if your product must be certified (these are most consumer goods, all food products, beverages, products for children, cosmetics, packaging materials, household and industrial equipment, construction supplies, transportation equipment, see incomplete list of products requiring mandatory certification), then you would not be able to transport your product across the border or even to give it away for free to anyone in Russia.
Do I know whether my product has to be certified or not?
Use this list to check if your product is on it. Otherwise send us an email.
I already have ISO, TÜV (EU, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc) certificate. Why won't my certificates suffice?
Absolutely, not. We know it may sound bizarre but Russia, being to a great degree the heir to the Soviet Union in its institutions, government and structure of public administration, does not accept EU or ISO certification as proof of anything and Russian (read Soviet) norms are not harmonized with the rest of Europe or in fact the rest of the world. This means that your ISO or EU certification means nothing and that its' possession is irrelevant for Russian customs and trade regulatory authorities. There is one great benefit in having an ISO or TÜV certification before hand, it would be easier to obtain Russian certificate (to get certified in Russia) if you already have ISO or TÜV or other EU certification. Also if your equipment was tested by
We are already selling to Zimbabwe, Poland, USA, Dominican Republic. Why do we need to get certified in Russia?
The fact that you have EU or international certification is often irrelevant. The fact that other nations do not require separate certifications or gladly accept reputable international certification is of no relevance to doing business in Russia which has the largest, most incomprehensible and to the outsider the most pointless. In rare cases Russian norms are more stringent than their international equivalents. Electrical equipment such as power transformers are tested at -40 degrees Centigrade, no other certification system subjects equipment to such tests. In most cases certification is devoid of meaning. One should view the certification process as a small tax levied on your business in Russia.
How long will it take?
This depends on the nature of the product, its complexity and number of tests required. Certification process may take from a several hours to several months. For example, we will get most basic toiletry products (soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoos) certified within two weeks. Each of those products require that three to four tests are conducted which are followed by issuance of two certificates (Certificate of Conformity and Hygienic Certificate).
How much will it cost?
From a three hundred euros for a simple item to perhaps to, in abstract theory, tens of thousands for complicated and expensive machinery line. You may also refer to the Costs, fees and prices. The final cost of certification depends on a variety of factors. We can give you both soft and exact quote upon a request. As an indicated, a fast certification of a toiletry product (shampoo, soap, toothpaste) would cost approximately 1500 euros not including the cost of the samples used for testing and courier or delivery charges.
Who else, besides you, can help me certify my products?
Shop around. As a rule we would advise against contracting companies that are based outside of Russia for the reason that the certification may only be done in Russia. Russian companies with offices or representatives outside of Russia (such as we) are a different manner. Large multinational agencies like the SGS also provide assistance with obtaining Russian certification albeit at a high cost. SGS claims on its website that its high prices on assistance with Russian certification are warranted because according to a Russian saying “«Cheap cheese is only available in a mouse trap». The problem with this statement is that there is no such Russian, because according to the actual Russian proverb mousetrap is the only place where one can find free cheese. The saying itself has a parallel in English (there is no such thing as free lunch). There is vast difference between cheese that is free (something to be beware of) and cheese that is cheap (nothing is wrong with free cheese though SGS cheese is apparently not cheap). One has to keep in mind that when a company that claims to be an expert misunderstands local saying and does not have command of the local language, this is an indicator that it also lacks expertise, a case with numerous unwieldy multinationals, and anyway relies on local intermediaries to get things done.
Who issues the certificates? Who is in charge of certification?
The Russian state. About 800 entities in Russia, from institutes to labs, all under state management and charter, conduct tests and certify products. Choice of testing facility depends on the type of product and other factors. We do all our testing and certification in St. Petersburg, which happens to be more efficient and less expensive than Moscow.
For how long is a certificate valid?
From one shipment with certificate covering a fixed numerical quantity of certified product to three years of unlimited shipments.
Can certificates be renewed?
Russian certification cannot be renewed or prolonged. The process of certification has to be completed over again after initial certification is expired. Manufacturers and exporters are advised to certify their products in advance of their certification's expiration.
What international standards are the equivalent of Russian standards?
Russian standards and Russian foreign trade classification (which is complex, still Soviet and over 35000 entry classifications) is not harmonized with any other European or other international norms.
Can importer obtain certification instead of exporter (manufacturer)?
In theory yes, but we advise against this for several reasons. First the certificate is limited to the quantity of product written in the contract between you and the importer. Secondly it's easier to import goods which are manufacturer-certified from customs' brokerage standpoint. Thirdly, because certification is in effect linked to the contract between your company and the importer, in effect the importer becomes exclusives distributor of your product in Russia for the duration of the certificate's validity and you cede much of control over your product to the importer.
Will Russia always have its own separate certification requirements?
Russia was more or less a normal European state, no worse or better than let's say Spain, before 1917, with most of its norms and regulations in tune with the rest of Europe (on the other hand not 1914, 1917 or even 1980 were rules, regulations and technical norms so homogenized in the rest of Europe as they are today). Russia was isolated from the Europe for two thirds of the century and emerged as the Russian Federation, legally just one republic of the USSR, with enormous loss of territory and people, in the wake of the Soviet Union's self-induced collapse but with Soviet structures of power intact and alive. The current Russian system of certification is a Soviet leftover although the requirement to certify almost every imaginable product was added in 1993 as a way to create a new source of revenue and to expand bureaucracy in which the shaky state of 1993 recognized then as it sees now the main pillar of its support . Even the very name GOST is Soviet although a letter R has been added in certain cases at the end (as in GOST R). Were Russian system of governance change in the future or were the country to integrate with the rest of Europe, the extremely arduous and often nonsensical system of own certification will most certainly be eliminated. At the present time the product certification is just a fact of life. A tax of sorts levied in money and time that one has to pay to do business in the Russian Federation. Also certification requirements exclude those exporters who are unwilling to make a commitment to the market.
Can I just sell to a Russian importer without certifying anything.
Regrettably, not. To sell in Russia you must establish physical presence in the country, either through your own subsidiary or through a legally appointed agent, and you must certify your products, in case they require certification, before you are allowed to export anything.
Isn't this just an unfair trade barrier? A measure to protect Russian manufacturers from foreign competition?
Actually not. Russian manufacturers must obtain exactly the same certificates for the products they make for the Russian market. Product certification requirements are identical. In certain aspects, for example when it comes to labeling of food products, requirements for foreign producers are less stringent than those imposed on Russian manufacturers.
Is there a way to circumvent certification requirements?
Unfortunately, none that we know of.
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