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 preliminary decision is the official answer of a customs authority to the question “what is the code of this product”, given before the declaration is filed. It removes the risk of a classification dispute at import.
When it is justified
Worth getting
- Regular deliveries of one item in large batches
- The difference in rates between neighbouring codes is significant
- The product is complex: multi-component, combined, with a non-standard purpose
- Questions on the classification of this item have already arisen before
Usually not needed
- A one-time small delivery
- An unambiguous heading with no alternatives
- The delivery time is shorter than the time for reviewing the application
How the procedure goes
Order of obtaining
01ApplicationA description of the product and information that allows it to be classified
02CheckThe customs authority has the right to request specimens, samples, documentation
03DecisionThe code is fixed and is mandatory for application
The procedure is set by chapter 3 of the EAEU Customs Code and by national legislation.
What to take into account
The decision is issued for a specific product with specific characteristics. If the composition, the design or the purpose has changed, the decision does not apply to the new version of the product.
What to prepare
- A detailed description of the product: purpose, composition, materials, principle of operation
- The manufacturer's technical documentation, passport, specification
- Photographs of the product and the packaging and, if necessary, samples
- Information on the classification options that you considered
While there is no decision
Until the decision is received, the code is selected by the rules of interpretation — how to do this is explained in the basic article on the HS code (TN VED). The automatic selection on the platform gives a version of the code with reasoning, so that you can assess whether there is a disputable fork at all and whether the official procedure is needed.
How much time it takes
Guide to terms
Preparing the description and documents
3–10 days
Review of the application
up to 90 days
Request for additional information
suspends the term
A one-time delivery usually does not survive such a term — the mechanism is for regular flows.
What to do if the decision is not in your favour
The decision can be appealed to a higher customs authority or to a court. But more often it is more profitable to accept the classification and recalculate the economics: payments under the new code, the need for other permit documents, a change of the conformity assessment scheme. Sometimes it is enough to adjust the composition of the delivery so that the product clearly falls into the right heading.
How a preliminary decision differs from a consultation
The market offers different papers “on classification”, and they are fundamentally unequal.
| Document | Who issues it | Whether it is mandatory for customs |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary classification decision | An authorized customs authority | Yes, when declaring |
| Opinion of an expert organization | A commercial organization | No, it is an argument, not an obligation |
| Clarification from a broker | A customs representative | No |
| Classification decision for a specific delivery | The customs authority in the course of control | Yes, but it is adopted already against you |
The difference is seen at the moment of a dispute: you present an expert opinion as an argument, and a preliminary decision as a document that is mandatory for application.
The decision is tied to the product, not to the company
It describes a specific product with specific characteristics. If the composition, the design or the set of parts has changed, the decision no longer relates to what you import. This is worth remembering when updating the model range: the product looks the same, but the decision is already about a different one.
How to describe the product in the application
The quality of the description determines both the review time and the result. A vague wording leads either to a request for additional information, or to a decision not in your favour.
- The purpose of the product in one phrase, without marketing definitions
- The principle of operation and the main functions; if there are several functions — which one is the main one
- The materials and composition with shares, if the classification depends on them
- The design: what it consists of, what is removable, what is in the set
- The technical characteristics that affect the heading
- The way of delivery: assembled, disassembled, as a set
- Photographs, drawings, the manufacturer's instruction
Separately about multifunctional products: they give the most refusals and unexpected decisions. If a product combines functions, think in advance about which of them is the main one and why — otherwise the choice will be made for you.
When the decision stops being valid
- The validity period has expired
- The commodity nomenclature has changed in a part that affects your code
- Classification decisions have been adopted that change the approach to this category
- It turned out that the information in the application was inaccurate — then the decision is revoked, and the payments are recalculated
- The product has changed
The last item is the most frequent in practice and the least noticeable: the supplier changed the material of the housing or added a function, and the decision stayed the same. Formally you declare under a decision that no longer relates to the product.
Whether to get a decision for every product
No, and an attempt to do so paralyzes the work. A reasonable selection looks like this.
| Situation | Whether a decision is needed |
|---|---|
| Regular deliveries in large batches | Yes — the price of a mistake is multiplied by the volume |
| The duty rates of neighbouring codes differ greatly | Yes |
| The product is multifunctional or new on the market | Yes |
| The need for permit documents depends on the code | Yes |
| A one-time small batch of an unambiguous product | No, careful classification is enough |
| There has already been a dispute with customs on this item | Yes, definitely |
How to approach classification yourself and what to look at in the explanatory notes — in the article on the HS code (TN VED).
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.
