The Russian consumer associates the quality certificate with a document designed in accordance with the GOST R system which confirms the safety and quality of products. But other approvals such as the Technical Regulations of the Russian Federation or the Customs Union or TU can also be used for the same purpose. The applicable certification procedures are defined in the Federal Law No. 184-FZ of December 27, 2002 on Technical Regulation.
Registration of the quality certificate
A certificate of quality is required for the release and sale of products that do not involve normative production. In addition, this approval document is issued for goods, the use of which involves a certain risk for the consumer. In this case, too, the safety of the product is assessed with regard to human health and the environment.
In order to find out whether a quality certificate is compulsory or not, you need to refer to section one of the German Uniform Technical Regulation Lists. As the list of products on this list is constantly updated, you should periodically refer to this document.
For the identification of products, the HS or OKP codes are used.
Certification procedure
The certification procedure depends on the scheme that is used. The main relevant factors are:
The type of product to be assessed;
How the products are identified;
The legal status of the applicant;
Type of production;
Size of batches and frequency of supply.
The applicant will not be able to choose the optimal scheme without specific knowledge and experience, so he/she should contact a specialist from the certification centre Rostest Ural, who will suggest the most advantageous and simple option.
Certification schemes
Scheme "1" is used for products with complex configuration and assumes laboratory tests (scheme "1A" implies a visit of an expert to the production site).
Schemes "4" and "4A" are used to certify serial products. In this case, samples are taken from both the manufacturer and the retailer.
Schemes "5" and "6" apply to non-standard cases involving special test conditions and requirements.
Schemes '7' and '8' are used for certification of single items.
Schemes '9' and '9A' are chosen by local manufacturers and foreign companies supplying small batches of high quality products that do not require testing. Schemes "10" and "10A" are used for small, but regular, batches.
Voluntary quality certificate
If a product is not subject to mandatory certification requirements, the applicant should obtain a rejection letter that confirms this fact. But if it has a voluntary quality certificate, it will considerably strengthen its position in the market.
The procedure for issuing a voluntary certificate is similar to compulsory certification. However, in this case, the applicant himself determines the evaluation parameters of his products, which allows him to focus the consumer's attention on their competitive advantages.
The applicant can also issue a declaration in accordance with GOST R and TU or obtain an international certificate. This approval document is issued on an official letterhead with four degrees of protection.
The mandatory certificate is printed on yellow letterhead and the voluntary certificate is printed on blue letterhead. The period of validity of a document is 1-3 years. The certification centre is responsible for the correctness of the information on the voluntary quality certificate.
What documents are required to obtain a voluntary quality certificate?
The applicant should submit the following document package to the specialist: certificate of state registration, certificate of tax registration, permission to use, EPB conclusion, fire safety declaration, QMS certification. In addition, it is worth attaching the licences if they have been issued by the company in the past. It is also necessary to collect a package of technical documentation for the certified products. If it is not available, our specialist will help you in this matter.
When cooperating with foreign partners, it is necessary to prepare copies of the contract and the shipping document.