How much document issuing costs and what the price consists of

There is no honest answer to the question "how much does certification cost" without a description of the product. But the structure of costs is clear — if you know it, you can tell a reasonable offer from one with no work behind it. Let us look at what the sum consists of, what moves it, and which figures should make you careful.

Why the price cannot be named at once

The cost is set not by the type of document but by the amount of work behind it. Two products that look similar may differ several times.

So the question "how much does a declaration cost" sounds like "how much does a repair cost": until you say what kind of apartment it is, the answer will be either meaningless or untrue.

What the sum consists of

The structure is almost always the same, only the shares change.

• Laboratory tests. As a rule, the main part of the budget. It depends on the number of parameters and the complexity of the methods.
• Work of the certification body. If the form is certification: review of the application, analysis of the documents, the decision.
• Analysis of the state of production. For some schemes; for a foreign site, the travel and accommodation of the experts are added.
• Development of a regulatory document. Technical specifications, if you do not work under an existing standard.
• State fee. For state registration.
• Translations and legalization of the documents of a foreign manufacturer.
• Samples. Their cost and delivery — especially noticeable for large products.
• Inspection control. Appears after a certificate for a series is issued, every year.
• Reserve for rework. The line that is crossed out first and regretted later.

What really makes it more expensive

• Products for children — the requirements are stricter, there are more tests, and the form is more often certification
• Food with a long shelf life — storage studies take time, and time is money
• Equipment — proof of safety needs engineering work, not just filling in forms
• Multifunctional products — several regulations and overlapping sets of tests
• A wide range of models that cannot be combined into one homogeneous group
• Declared special properties: hypoallergenic, protection from specific substances, sun protection factor
• No documentation from the manufacturer — everything has to be determined again

What makes it cheaper — legally

You can save, and there are more ways than it seems. All of them are about preparation, not about avoiding the requirements.

• A serial scheme for regular deliveries. It costs more at the start, but it is not repeated with each batch. It usually pays for itself in two or three deliveries.
• A competent grouping of the range. Homogeneous products are combined into one document — but you must understand the limits of the combination, otherwise some items will stay uncovered.
• Manufacturer's documents. Test reports under harmonized standards reduce the amount of tests here.
• Working under an existing standard instead of developing your own technical specifications.
• Remove unnecessary claims from the packaging. Each promise needs confirmation; some of them are not needed for sales.
• Preliminary tests of one sample before a mass order — cheaper than a batch that cannot be imported.
• Order of actions. Printing the packaging after the issuing, not before, saves the cost of the print run.

Red flags in offers

In this niche there are many offers with no work behind them. The signs are easy to recognize.

An important point about liability: the applicant, that is you, is responsible for the truthfulness of the data in the declaration. Not the one who issued it and not the one who took the money. A cheap document without tests is not money saved but a risk taken on. How to check a contractor — in the article about the accreditation register.

How to compare offers correctly

• The list of regulations covered by the document — is it the same for all offers
• The scheme: a series or a batch, and what will happen with the next delivery
• The list of models and article numbers in the document
• The set of tests and in which laboratory
• Whether the development of a regulatory document is included
• Whether translations and preparation of the marking layout are included
• Whether inspection control is counted for the whole validity period
• What happens if the product does not pass a parameter

The last item is asked least often, but it shows more than the others: a good contractor will answer about rework and repeat tests, and a seller of papers will say "this does not happen".

How to plan the budget

1. Define the form of conformity assessment and the list of regulations — without this, any estimate is fiction.
2. Clarify the set of tests based on the parameters, not on the type of product.
3. Decide on a series or a batch, counting a year of deliveries, not the first one.
4. Include the samples and their delivery.
5. Add a reserve for repeat tests — products do not always pass the first time.
6. For a certificate for a series, include inspection control for the whole period.
7. Marking as a separate line: the layout, the print run, possible reprinting.

How to choose between a certificate and a declaration — in a separate article, and how the scheme affects the amount of work — in the review of conformity assessment schemes.