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 permit document is issued by an accredited person, and that person's status is the only thing that makes the document valid. The check takes a few minutes, while the results of skipping it take months to fix.
What we check
Three fields that decide everything
01Certificate numberFormat RA.RU.XXXXXX — compare it with the contractor's document
02StatusValid, suspended, terminated
03Scope of accreditationWhether it covers your product and the required regulation
The third item is the one most often forgotten: the certificate is valid, but for other products.
What the statuses mean
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Valid | The organization may do work within its scope of accreditation | Compare the scope with your product |
| Suspended | Work is temporarily prohibited, documents of this period are invalid | Look for another contractor |
| Terminated | The accreditation has ended | Check the documents you received earlier |
| Reduced scope | Some products have been removed from the scope | Make sure your case is still inside it |
Important about the scope The scope of accreditation is described by product codes and by references to technical regulations and standards. It decides whether the laboratory may test your goods under the required regulation.
Order of the check
- Get the certificate number and the full name of the organization from the contractor
- Find the entry in the Rosaccreditation register of accredited persons
- Check the status on today's date, not on the date of the contract
- Open the scope of accreditation and find your product and regulation
- Save a screenshot or an extract — it will help in disputes with marketplaces and counterparties
Signs that you should be careful
Warning signs
- They promise a document "in one day without tests"
- They do not give the certificate number before payment
- The price is much lower than the market price for all items
- They ask you to sign a contract with an intermediary, not with the laboratory
Normal signs
- The terms match the scheme and the type of tests
- The certificate number is in the contract and on the letterhead
- The scope of accreditation matches your product
- The contract is signed with the accredited person
How it works on the platform
Contractors are connected only after their certificate is compared with the register, and when the status is suspended, the profile is hidden from the results automatically. An application is shown only to those whose scope of accreditation covers your regulation. More details are in the section for contractors.
What else is checked before an application is sent — in the review of typical errors.
What the scope of accreditation means in practice
The scope is the list of objects and methods that the organization may work with. It is described through products, designations of standards and references to technical regulations. This is why "we have a certificate" means nothing until you get an answer to the question "does your scope cover my regulation?".
- Products. Groups of goods with codes — look for your item.
- Documents. The standards and test methods for which the laboratory is accredited.
- Parameters. Specific characteristics: electrical safety, migration of substances, hygroscopicity.
What a normal work process looks like
From application to test report
01ApplicationDescription of the product and the purpose of the tests
02ContractWith an accredited person, with the certificate number
03SamplingWith a record and the batch indicated
04TestsBy the methods from the scope of accreditation
05Test reportWith the details of the laboratory and the results
If someone offers to skip any step "for speed", that is the main risk.
A laboratory and a certification body are not the same
This is the difference that is confused most often, and it decides who issues what to you.
| Testing laboratory | Certification body | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Performs tests and measures parameters | Decides on issuing the certificate |
| What it issues | Test report | Certificate of conformity |
| Scope of accreditation | Test methods and types of products | Regulations and types of products |
| Role in declaration | Provides the test report — the evidence | Does not take part: the declaration is adopted by the applicant |
This leads to a typical error: the applicant receives a "certificate" from an organization that is accredited only as a laboratory. Such a document has no force as a certificate — a laboratory has no right to issue one.
What the scope of accreditation means in detail
The scope is not the general phrase "product testing". It is a specific list: which types of products, by which parameters and by which methods the organization may test. You must check that all three match at the same time.
- Your type of product is in the scope — not a "similar" one, but exactly yours
- The required parameters are in the list: a laboratory may measure composition but have no right to do microbiology
- The test methods applicable to your product are specified
- The scope has not been narrowed by changes: check the data in the current version, not in an old copy
A test report issued outside the scope of accreditation is invalid, even if the laboratory itself is valid. This is the most treacherous situation: the organization is real and its status is active, but the document is unusable.
Subcontracting in tests A laboratory may pass part of the tests to another accredited laboratory, but this must be shown in the test report. If the document lists parameters that are not in the scope of accreditation and gives no information about subcontracting, the question is about the test report, not about interpretation.
How to read a test report
The test report is the main document of the evidence, and it should be read in full, not just the final line "conforms".
- Who is the customer. If it is not you or your supplier, you will have to explain how the test report relates to your product.
- Identification of the sample. The name, article number and manufacturer must match the product for which the document is issued.
- Date of sampling and date of tests. A very long gap is a reason for questions, especially for food products.
- Who took the sample. Sampling by a representative of the laboratory and sampling by the applicant themselves are different schemes with different evidential strength.
- List of parameters. Compare it with what the regulation requires for your product: an incomplete list leaves a gap.
- Regulatory documents for the methods. They must be current.
How to take samples so that the test report relates to your batch, we explained in a separate article.
What to do if the accreditation is suspended after the test report is issued
The situation is unpleasant, but not hopeless. The key question is what was valid at the time of the tests.
- Tests were done while the accreditation was valid. The test report, as a rule, remains valid: it shows the state on the date of the work.
- Tests fell into the suspension period. The test report can be challenged, and the document based on it can be declared invalid.
- Accreditation is terminated. New tests at this organization are not possible; to reissue the document you will need another laboratory.
Practical conclusion: record the date when you checked the status. A screenshot of the register entry on the date of signing the contract takes a second and one day saves you from a long dispute. What to do if the conformity document itself is affected — in the article about suspension.
Check your product Describe the 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.
