Mandatory certification of products - GBSI - Global Business Service Information
Mandatory certification of products is anestablished and operating certification system, which verifies the products conformity to the mandatory safety legislative requirements in the field of technical regulation.
Mandatory obtainment of a certificate or another quality confirmation document for certain types of products is now an integral part of technical regulation of the Russian consumer market. It is established and governed by the current legislation, individual provisions and resolutions of regulatory authorities as well as the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union, of which the Russian Federation is a member.
Mandatory certification is required by law, and, therefore, absence of a certificate for a certain product will be a violation. Mandatory certification shall be completed prior to the direct delivery of products to end consumer. This allows checking whether the products being sold are in compliance with the current state standards, technical regulations, safety standards, sanitary and construction guidelines or any other applicable regulations.
The Russian system of mandatory quality verification and conformity applies both to domestic and imported goods and products.
PURPOSES, OBJECTS AND FORMS OF MANDATORY CERTIFICATION
The objects of mandatory certification comprise products, services and processes, including:
- consumer goods and services;
- products and equipment for industrial and technical purposes;
- construction products, services or work;
- technological processes;
- quality systems.
The general list of mandatory certification objects is established by the Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and regularly reviewed, adjusted and updated with new products.
Purposes of mandatory certification procedure:
- monitoring and improving the quality and safety of products supplied to the country’s consumer market;
- verifying the quality indicators and properties of the products declared by the manufacturer;
- protecting consumers from unfair manufacturers (producers, contractors, sellers);
- assisting consumers in the competent choice of goods;
- creating optimal conditions for entrepreneurs on the domestic and international commodity markets.
Advantages of mandatory certification or declaration procedure:
- legalized product circulation;
- increased consumer confidence in the products produced;
- marketing promotion of goods.
Today, there are two main options for confirmation of conformity: certification and declaration, which provide basis for issuing certificates or declarations of conformity that have equal legal force.
MANDATORY CERTIFICATION PROCEDURE
The procedure of mandatory certification applies to products that in any way may affect the health or safety of people or damage the environment. This procedure allows applying different schemes for issuance of certificates and declarations.
Mandatory certification is based on a typical sequence of actions:
- Filing an application – the product manufacturer or seller submits a standard form of application to the regional certification center, with the following attachments:
- contracts or agreements for the supply of goods;
- copies of own registration, incorporation and constitutive documents;
- technical product descriptions;
- expert opinions with product sample test results;
- Conformity assessment – includes sampling and testing.
- Analysis of practical results of the completed tests.
- Certification decision – the certification authority’s approval or denial of certificate issuance.
- Entry of the received document into the unified register.
- Inspection check-up (if necessary).
The Russian law establishes criminal (restraint of liberty) and administrative (imposition of fines) liability for violation of or gross non-compliance with the requirements of mandatory certification. Circulation of products in violation of the established mandatory certification requirements will incur withdrawal of these products and prohibition of their production.
Certification is a mandatory step to be taken by every seller of any goods that are imported into the country. It is required to confirm their quality compliance and determine a specific group of objects which the goods refer to. In cases where sellers neglect this requirement, they often have disagreements with customers. That is why completing the certification path is worth your while and it is best done with the help of a professional company.