Out of the scope of EAC
Regarding GOST Certificates in general, we have already mentioned that the process of customs integration that culminated in 2014 with the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union has replaced most national GOST certificates with EAC certificates.
The principle is very simple: anything that does not fall within the scope of the CUTR Regulations remains within the scope of national regulations (of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, and Armenia) and involves, if necessary, applying for a mandatory GOST R, GOST K etc. certificate.
This is exactly what happened to the two client companies of Gost Standard Italia that we are going to discuss below.
Example #1: Two cables, two certificates
The Italian company A produces two types of cables – one high voltage and one low voltage – and its distributor in Russia has to be able to sell both types. The problem is that a different regulation applies to each type of cable: the Eurasec CUTR 04/2011 Regulation (Safety of low-voltage electrical elements up to 1000V) only determines the legal requirements for low-voltage cables. The high voltage ones are within the national legislation, which, in this case, is Russian.
In 2016, this company had to apply for its GOST R certificate, in order to sell the high voltage cables.
Example #2: Workbenches require GOST certificates
The Italian company B manufactures workbenches, i.e. this type of product:
There is no CUTR Regulation on workbenches, and so the company had to apply for its mandatory GOST R. In this case, it wasn’t a surprise for our client, as this requirement was clearly specified in the distributor’s contract:
В любом случае Поставщик предоставляет Покупателю:
– сертификат качества;
– сертификат соответствия ГОСТ Р;
– разрешение на применение;
– Cертификат происхождения.
Both situations occur on a frequent basis: it is necessary to get a mandatory GOST R certificate, and this requirement is indicated in business contracts with Russian partners.
Types of GOST R Certificate
Based on the duration of the certificate we can define three types:
- Mandatory Single Delivery GOST R Certificate, also called “single contract”
- Mandatory 1-year GOST R Certificate
- Mandatory 3-year GOST R Certificate
Let’s have a closer look at them:
Mandatory Single Delivery GOST R Certificate
Also called “Mandatory Single Contract GOST R”, this type of certificate is requested by companies that make occasional sales to Russia, with no provision for continuity. It ceases to be valid whenever all contractual conditions have been met. In order to be issued, it requires the following documentation:
- Purchase contract (original or copy) between the buyer (Russian) and the seller (our client)
- Copy of the sales invoice
- INN Russian customer (corresponding to our VAT number)
- OGRN Russian customer (corresponds to a Company Fiscal Number)
- OKPRO (the Russian company’s statistical code)
- Brochures and product specifications
- HS Product Code or European Combined Nomenclature
- Corresponding Russian Customs Code (Eurasec Code)
Important: In the case that the contract includes multiple shipments, the client will need to specify that clearly, in order to request an authorised duplicate of the Gost R Certificate for each shipment of the material.
Mandatory 1-year GOST R Certificate
This permits the selling of products to an indefinite number of Russian customers within a year from the date of issue, regardless of the contracts signed. It is not necessary to disclose the importer’s information, but it is very likely that laboratory tests will have to be carried out, as well as health certificates being issued.
The costs will vary depending on the type of product and the tests to be carried out.
Mandatory 3-year GOST R Certificate
This certificate shares all the aspects of the 1-year certificate, but its cost is much more competitive, and is, therefore, the certificate that most of our customers request.
An important point here is that, by guaranteeing, before the Russian authorities, that the quality and safety standards of the product will remain constant for three years, the client commits to receive (and pay for) an annual visit by Russian inspectors. Fortunately, these inspections are not carried out very often, but it should be noted that this is a real possibility.
Now that you have understood the main features of the mandatory Gost R certificate, you may be surprised to learn that only 10-20% of the GOST certificates we handle fall into this category. The vast majority are voluntary, and we’ll talk about them here.
GOST R Declaration
The GOST R Declaration of Conformity is a document faster and easier to obtain. In the past, it required an applicant role for a Russian legal subject, but this option is already very residual in a type of certification that is residual in itself.
The product categories that require a GOST Declaration of Conformity are determined by Federal Decree 982 of 12/01/2009. This is an exhaustive list that gathers, to a large extent, food-related products. For this type of imports, the Russian government defined a type of certificate with fewer requirements than the common GOST certificates. To compensate that, this document may require to indicate the holder of the import license.
The validity of the GOST R Declaration of Conformity is usually 5 years.
Mandatory GOST Marking
When a product is mandatorily subjected to GOST regulations, this condition must be clearly visible on the packaging, or in the plate or in the label.
In other words, GOST Marking is needed, so a CTP logo (in one of its 4 variants) must be added to the packaging, the plate or the label.
