For importers · February 16, 2026
Certificate or declaration: how to understand what your product needs
How the forms of conformity confirmation differ, and who chooses the right one.
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8 min
A marketplace is not a certification body. It checks that a document exists, its status in the register and that the information matches the card. That is why most blocks are caused not by a missing document but by discrepancies in the data.
What exactly the platforms require
The set of documents for the product category
Goods under a regulation
- A certificate or declaration of conformity
- A test report — on request
- The EAC mark on the packaging and in the card
- For some categories — Chestny ZNAK labelling codes
Goods outside regulations
- A refusal letter from a certification body
- Documents on composition or materials — on request for the category
- Permission from the rights holder, if you sell someone else’s brand
The exact set depends on the category: for children’s goods, cosmetics and electronics the requirements are stricter.
Three reasons for blocking a card
- The name does not match. The declaration says “desktop LED lamp”, the card says “LED reading lamp Aurora”. For the check these are different goods.
- The document is not valid. It has expired, the document has been suspended, or the accreditation certificate of the laboratory that issued the test report has been revoked.
- The seller is not linked to the document. The document was issued to the supplier, and there is no permission to use it.
In practice
Create the card under the name given in the permit document, and put the marketing name in the description. This way the card passes moderation, and the buyer still sees the text you want.
How long preparation takes
Typical time before the card goes live
Selection of the code and regulations
1 day
Collecting documents for the product
2–5 days
Testing in the laboratory
5–14 days
Registration of the document
1–3 days
The time is approximate: it depends on the product, the assessment scheme and the laboratory workload.
Checklist before publication
- The document is valid and found in the FGIS Rosaccreditation register
- The name in the card matches the name in the document
- The correct HS code (TN VED) is stated and it is consistent with the document
- The EAC mark is applied to the packaging, if the regulation requires it
- There is permission to use the document, if it was issued to someone else
If you are not sure which regulation your product falls under, start with the review of the forms of conformity confirmation — it also describes when a refusal letter is enough.
Categories with increased requirements
The platforms set up moderation by category: where the risk to the buyer is higher, the check of the set of documents is stricter.
| Category | What is usually required in addition |
|---|---|
| Children’s goods and toys | A certificate, age marking, sometimes a certificate of state registration |
| Cosmetics and perfumery | A declaration under TR CU 009/2011, composition, shelf life on the label |
| Electronics | Documents under two or three regulations at once, a manual in Russian |
| Food products | A declaration, information on production, labelling under TR CU 022/2011 |
| Dietary supplements | A certificate of state registration |
What to do when a card is blocked
- Open the reason in the seller account and record the wording
- Check the status of the document in the register — how to do it
- Compare the name in the card with the name in the document character by character
- Attach the permission of the holder of the document, if it was issued to someone else
- If the document is suspended — do not argue, but issue a new one
About timing
Unblocking after correct documents are provided takes from one to several days. All this time the card does not appear in search results and loses its positions — it is cheaper to check the set of documents before sales start.
What different categories need
Platform requirements by type of product
| Category | Conformity document | Labelling | Additionally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clothing, second layer | declaration | no | composition and care on the label |
| Children’s clothing | certificate | yes | age group |
| Electronics | two regulations | no | manual in Russian |
| Cosmetics | declaration | yes | shelf life, composition |
| Stationery | not required | no | refusal letter |
The lists of labelled categories are being extended — current dates are in the calendar for 2026.
Who is responsible: the seller, the manufacturer or the platform
A common misconception is to think that if goods are sold through a platform, the platform is responsible for the documents. Responsibility for the goods being put into circulation lawfully lies with the one who puts them into circulation: the manufacturer, the importer or the seller. The platform checks documents, but does not replace their existence.
From this follows a practical division of roles.
| You | What you are responsible for |
|---|---|
| You produce the goods yourself | Fully: the documents are issued to you, you are the manufacturer |
| You import from abroad | Fully: the importer is equated to the manufacturer in terms of obligations |
| You resell goods bought in Russia | For selling goods that were lawfully put into circulation, and for being able to confirm this |
| You work under your own brand at a contract manufacturer | It depends on the contract: you need to record who the applicant is |
The right to sell is a separate document
If a certificate or declaration was issued to another company, attaching it to your card is not enough. The platform will ask for confirmation that you have the right to sell these products: a supply contract, a dealer agreement or a letter from the holder of the document. It should be prepared together with the purchase, not after a block.
Trademark and rights to the brand
The second most frequent reason for blocking after conformity documents is claims about the brand. It is important to distinguish two situations here.
- You sell someone else’s brand. You need documents confirming that the goods were lawfully put into circulation: a contract with the rights holder or its distributor, and for parallel import — an understanding of whether the brand is on the permitted list.
- You sell your own brand. It is useful to register a trademark: without registration you cannot file a complaint about copies of your card, but a complaint can be filed against you.
A separate trap is using other people’s images and texts in a card. Photographs from the manufacturer’s website without permission are a basis for a claim, regardless of whether the goods themselves are lawful. For more on the documentary side of importing other people’s brands, see the article on parallel import.
Chestny ZNAK labelling and the product card
For categories that fall under mandatory labelling, the platform checks not only the conformity documents but also the labelling codes. These are two independent systems, and having one does not cancel the other.
- The category is subject to labelling — the codes are applied before shipment to the platform warehouse
- A sale through a marketplace is processed as withdrawal from circulation; the platform does this under the contract
- A discrepancy between what was labelled and what was shipped leads to refusal of acceptance
- Unlabelled remainder cannot be “sent later” — the batch is accepted as a whole
The calendar by product group and the procedure for joining are in the article on labelling.
What changes in 2026
The rules of the platforms stop being an internal matter of the platforms themselves: the law on the platform economy introduces uniform requirements for contracts, blocks and disclosure of information about the seller. For the seller this means two things.
First: the set of information in the card becomes mandatory, not recommended. Second: the platform gets formalised grounds for blocking and a procedure for appealing it — that is, a block stops being a decision that cannot be challenged. What exactly changes and by which dates is in a separate review.
How to organise work so that you are not blocked
One-off checks do not work: the range changes, documents expire, suppliers change factories. A simple discipline helps.
- Keep a register of goods with document numbers, validity periods and holders
- Set a reminder two months before expiry — reissuing is not instant
- Check the document in the register at every new purchase, not only at the first one
- Require the supplier to notify you of a change of factory or composition
- Compare the name in the document with the name of the card when creating the product
- Store the confirmation of the right to sell together with the documents
- Keep the archive at hand: when a card is blocked, an answer is needed the same day
The typical discrepancies because of which documents are not accepted are collected in the article on errors in documents.
Check your product
Describe your product in plain words — the system will show the expected HS code (TN VED), the applicable regulations and the set of documents. Start the check.
