October 1998

by Judith Robinson

Virtually all goods or equipment imported into Russia need a certificate of conformity (COC) to Russian quality and safety standards. The COC is an original document issued by an accredited body allowing imports to cross the border. Incorrectly-formatted COCs can result in expensive storage until a proper certificate is acquired and presented to Customs.

Quality and safety certification requirements for imports into Russia were introduced in the early 1990s to stem a tide of subquality products washing up onto Russian shores. The agency responsible for administering the certification system is Russia's Gosstandart (GOST), a formerly-independent federal agency currently scheduled to become part of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The Russian standards regime is that of GOST --very different from Western standards. Russia does not accept international standards but has included some of them in the GOST system. Russian industrial ministries, agencies, and inspectorates also have their own certification requirements. An item going to Russia may require not just the Gosstandart COC, but also industry-specific certificates. New or unknown technologies may also require "expert assessment," performed by various agencies and institutes.

Key Players
Besides the U.S. exporter and the Russian importer, the players in the certification game are:
Gosstandart-accredited laboratories and certification bodies that evaluate/test products against GOST standards.
Russian entities that issue industry-specific permits, either directly or through laboratories. One of the most common is the Ministry of Health's Sanepidemiological Service, issuer of the Hygiene Certificate.
Russian Customs, which interprets certification and permit requirements and has the power to refuse entry and consign goods to expensive storage facilities pending on-site certification.

Certification Checklist
A U.S. company will want to determine well in advance (1) from whom it will obtain a certificate and (2) what kind of certificate suits the business purpose. U.S. companies considering exporting to Russia should be sure that the time and dollar costs of certification are provided for in the contract or bill of sale. Further, the Russian partner should be involved in the certification process from the start as he/she also has a stake in keeping costs within the purchasing power of Russian consumers. Below is a checklist of possible preparatory actions for grappling with the certification issue:

1. Verify certification requirements. Check to see if your exports require certification to GOST standards they probably do. A new and lengthy list ("nomenclature") of items requiring certification has been published and goes into effect October 1, 1999. Other requirements e.g., obtaining a Gosgortekhnadzor license for oilfield equipment may also be in force. The GOST source list can help in interpreting the standards, although it is not guaranteed to demystify.

2. Consult with an experienced Russian agent, distributor, or partner. Request that they provide full information on:

- All certificates or permits needed besides the COC (hygiene, fire safety, etc.), including necessary document formats.

- When and where these certificates and permits are enforced, e.g., border, point of sale, start of usage (in factory, clinic, etc.).

- The terms and conditions of any required expert assessments, if they are relevant.

- What Russian certification bodies and testing labs deal with the particular goods to be imported, the costs (dollars and time) and procedures for obtaining each certificate from Russian in-country labs, and whether it would be advantageous for the U.S. company or its partners to negotiate costs and terms of certification directly with these competing entities.

Note: Interpretations often differ among various agencies and customs stations as to what certificates are needed and when. Companies should verify that the agent has checked with the customs station where the goods will be cleared and knows local procedures.

3. Contact North American, Gosstandart-accredited laboratories/certification centers.Ask them the same questions as indicated above. Ask about steps to take to ensure the goods will clear. A few things to keep in mind:

- There are many forms of certification: by shipment, system, product line, or manufacturing process.

- There are many different test/certification procedures, including full test, sampling, and engineering documentation review. The choice of procedure will be influenced to some extent by (1) where and by whom the testing is done, inside Russia or elsewhere, and (2) whether the item has already been tested and certified for other major markets. (Russian officials are familiar with some major certification programs.)

- The type of certificate and the procedure for obtaining it will affect the cost in dollars and time.

- Know the break-even point beyond which the price of your product starts to become noncompetitive on the Russian market.

4. The contract. It is customary when certification is to be performed in Russia to sign a contract with the certification center that details exact costs, times, and conditions for use of the issued certificates. Prior to signing the contract, the U.S. company should make sure, if possible, that the products have not been previously certified. Registers listing the products certified and certificates and/or marks of conformity granted are kept both locally and by Gosstandart.

For further information and certification updates, consult the Customs Corner at BISNIS OnLine (www.mac.doc.gov/bisnis) or the Standards Services Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Tel: (301) 975-4000.

Judith Robinson covers NIS certification issues for BISNIS.

This report is provided courtesy of the Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS)