Gost R certification for Russia

Before starting to list the characteristics of GOST Russia certification, before speaking about the laws of the Russian Federation governing Certificates, before writing about how essential is the GOST Russia Certificate for virtually types of goods and about how the Gost Standard has evolved over time, before indeed describing the function of TechSert and the excellent service it is able to offer, we think it is wise to be practical and answer some important questions:

What documents are needed to estimate cost and terms for a Gost Russia certification?

The first step on the way to GOST R certification is to understand exactly how Russian law or the EAC regulation classifies production, which is why there are four items of information needed:

• Name of the product.
• Customs Product Code: this code is essential to determine in which commodity group the product belongs. This code will also be printed on the certificate: the code on the GOST Russia certificate must be the same on all documents for that product.
• Brief description of the product: by “brief description” we really mean minimal, such as that you would use in a product brochure. For rare cases in which the information given is not enough, probably because of the exceptional complexity of the product or of potential confusion with other similar products, we will ask specifically for the information needed.
• Pictures or drawings of product: this information is often unnecessary, but sometimes it is very useful to understand the exact function of the product and its appearance.
• Later on, if you decide to proceed with GOST certification, an ISO certificate of conformity ISO or a CE Marking of your product may be required, but only in a few rare cases.

Do I need to translate documents into Russian?

No; for the documents we ask it is sufficient to provide the English versions. The most important thing is the name of the product, which must remain consistent on all documents and which must necessarily be written in Russian letters. The translation into Russian may be done directly by us, provided however, that your documents maintain the same denomination from then on.

Is a separate Gost Russia certificate required for each model?

No; products to be certified are grouped into categories and a single certificate can contain not just several models, but also several different similar products.

How much does a Gost R certification cost?

Rather little, especially when compared to an ISO or CE. Prices vary depending on type of production and on duration of validity. The price for GOST R certificates may range between 200 and 1000 euros depending on the duration. The price may increase when many products or models (more than 10) are covered by a single certificate.

How much time do you need to produce a GOST certificate?

A few hours are sufficient for a GOST Russia certificate: most of this is taken up with processing contracts and choosing the right translation of the name of the product.

What is the difference between GOST and GOST R?

There are no differences, they are only two names developed over several years and during the transition process from USSR to Russian Federation. It is however very important to note that when the initials TR appear on a GOST certificate has, these identify it as a Gost issued according to Technical Regulation which is a parallel institution, about which you can read more on this site.

The voluntary Gost R certificate, differ very little from the mandatory Gost R certificate. Firstly as the name imply it is not necessarily required for all products placed on the market. A manufacturer, an importer or a distributor, in this case is able to choose whether to subject the product to the certification process. The voluntary GOST R certificate is usually recommended: firstly, because it guarantees the quality of the product to customers, who is then led to prefer it; and secondly, because an extensive number of big corporation required it for the participation to tenders . In case instead, where the regulation in force is not very clear on the needs to attain a certification, the Gost R letter of exemption is to be preferred.

The mandatory GOST R certificate is the a document required by the Russian Federation from the time of commercialization (in case of production on the territory of the Russian Federation) or from the moment of import (in the case where, the products are imported through customs) and at all times during the commercial life-period of trading on the Russian market. The procedure is very simple and follows the lines described above. The mandatory Gost R certificate validity can range from a single delivery up three years. We always recommend longer intervals as the prices are not proportional (a certificate valid for three years costs considerably less than three annual certificates). As the name suggests this certificate is required and its absence, when detected by the authorities, precludes the entry of a product into the Russian market. The mandatory certificate Gost R may be required either by a foreign legal entity or by a Russian legal entity according to the preferences and the necessities of the applicants. Often the mandatory Gost R is combined, as appropriate, with other certificates that focus on particular features of products. The mandatory certificate of conformity Gost R has a limited publicity, this means that despite the clear indication of the presence of the brand Gost on the label, few subjects are entitled to verify the authenticity of the certificate by comparing it with the state database, among them Russian customs officers.

The Gost Declaration of conformity is very similar to the Gost R certificate of conformity and is distinguished by the mere fact that the Declaration, in accordance with the regulations, must be requested by a legal entity registered in the Russian Federation. In general it should be the importer or a representative of the manufacturer, registered in Russia, who requests it. The difference between the two documents is easily visible due to format.

The Gost Technical Regulation for the applicant is practically indistinguishable from the certificate of conformity GOST R, apart from two main features the color of the document and  the availability of a federal record of Gost TR certificates open for consultation . Also after the date 21/10/2011, if the product has been subject to the Gost R Technical Regulations, this overrides the need for permission to use Rostechnadzor. This procedural change creates a great advantage for customers, enabling them to save considerable amounts of money. After the introductions of the EAC certificates and EAC declaration, the Gost TR normative is mainly focused on the conformity to fire safety regulations.

The Act N 2300-1 of February 7, 1992 sets out the presence of two bodies: Rosstandart (the regulatory and certification body of the Russian Federation) and the National Customs Committee (GTK), with the task of drawing up and regularly updating a list of products requiring the Gost Standard approval.

The Federal Law N 104 from the end of 2002, and subsequent amendments, define the framework of the Gost Standard law , which has a detailed and precise regulation in the constantly updated technical regulations, issued by the federal body that issues the Gost R certificate.

The procedure for the award of the GOST R certifcation is divided into several phases:

• Customs classification of goods under the customs nomenclature or via the HS Russian system
• Identification of the types of goods
• Investigation of GOST R legislation
• Medical Examination, Metric examination, or whatever else the legislation requires
• Successful completion of tests and protocols provided by Statement of GOST Standard Release Certification GOST R where required by law.

All of these elements are covered by our service and our clients need have no worries about any of them.

In addition to what is commonly called GOST R, there is now the recent Technical Regulation (GOST TR) that combines the characteristics of GOST R with greater publicity.

Mostly of the Gost R regulation has been since 2011 overruled by the EAC regulation for the Eurasian Custom Union