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
The most frequent mistake in the documents for electronics is to close one regulation and consider the set ready. In practice, most products need at least two documents.
Three regulations that appear together
| Regulation | What it is about | What is checked |
|---|---|---|
| TR CU 004/2011 | Safety of low-voltage equipment | Protection against electric shock, heating, insulation, strength of the design |
| TR CU 020/2011 | Electromagnetic compatibility | The level of interference and the resistance to external interference |
| TR EAEU 037/2016 | Restriction of hazardous substances | The content of lead, mercury, cadmium and other substances |
What it looks like in practice An LED lamp powered from the 220 V mains: TR CU 004/2011 and TR CU 020/2011 are mandatory, and TR EAEU 037/2016 applies according to the list of products. There are three regulations, but the tests are partly carried out in one laboratory and in one cycle.
How to understand what applies
A check by the parameters of the product
01Power supplyVoltage and method of connection: mains, adapter or battery
02Electronics insideThe presence of boards and of units that generate interference
03Category of the productWhether the item is in the list of TR EAEU 037/2016
04The setOne, two or three documents
The exact answer is given by the list of products in the regulation itself: it is linked to HS codes (TN VED) and names.
What affects the time
Tests under TR CU 004
5–10 days
Tests under TR CU 020
4–8 days
Assessment under TR EAEU 037
3–7 days
What to check before you apply
- All applicable regulations are determined, and not only the obvious first one
- The modifications of the product are listed in the document, if they are sold separately
- The laboratory’s scope of accreditation covers each regulation
- The scheme is chosen to fit the delivery format: series or batch
How to choose a scheme and how 1d differs from 3d is explained in a separate analysis. What to do if some regulations were missed is explained in the article on mistakes in documents.
What exactly is tested
Three regulations give three independent blocks of tests, and understanding their content helps you estimate the time and the budget in advance.
| Block | What is checked |
|---|---|
| Electrical safety | Protection against electric shock, insulation resistance, insulation strength, heating of parts, mechanical strength of the housing |
| Fire safety | Resistance of materials to heat and burning, behaviour in case of a fault |
| Electromagnetic compatibility | The level of interference created and the resistance to external interference, including electrostatic discharges and voltage dips |
| Restriction of harmful substances | The content of lead, mercury, cadmium and other restricted substances in the materials |
Electromagnetic compatibility is most often a surprise: the device is safe and works, but it creates interference above the limit. The fix is a change to the circuit or the shielding, which means a return to the design and not to the papers.
A power supply unit is a separate product An external power adapter falls under the requirements itself. If it is supplied in the set, the question of its conformity is closed together with the device. If it is sold separately, it needs its own document. Replacing the adapter with another one during the deliveries is a reason to review the documents.
What to request from the manufacturer
For importing electronics, the set of technical documentation settles half of the task. You must request it before the contract: after payment the supplier’s interest in correspondence falls sharply.
- The circuit diagram and the list of components
- The specification of the housing and insulation materials
- The power parameters: voltage, frequency, power consumption, protection class
- The factory test reports, if there are any
- The list of the standards applied; whether the evidence can be reused depends on it
- The operating manual in the original language, for translation
- Data for the marking: model, serial number, year, manufacturer
A separate point: foreign test reports under international standards do not replace the tests here, but they shorten them noticeably if the standards are harmonized. To ignore them completely is to overpay.
Marking and operating documents
For equipment, the requirements for accompanying information are stricter than for most goods, and they are checked without a laboratory.
- The nameplate on the product. The name and model, the manufacturer, the power parameters, the year of manufacture and the EAC mark. It must remain for the whole service life; a paper sticker is not suitable.
- The operating manual in Russian. It is mandatory, and it includes safety measures and actions in case of a fault. A machine translation is a typical claim.
- Information on the service life and the warranty, if they are set.
- The protection class and the conditions of use, especially for devices that work in damp rooms.
Frequent reasons for failing the tests
| Reason | What to do about it |
|---|---|
| The interference level is exceeded | A change to the circuit, filters, shielding: a design task |
| Heating above the permitted level | A change of layout or materials |
| Insufficient insulation clearances | A redesign of the board or the housing |
| The housing materials fail in flammability | Replacing the plastic with one of the right class |
| The content of restricted substances is exceeded | Replacing components or solder |
| The marking on the nameplate does not match | It is corrected quickly, but the nameplates must be reissued |
Five of the six rows are a return to production and not a re-issue of papers. This is why, for a new model, it is sensible to test one sample before the mass order: the cost of preliminary tests cannot be compared with the cost of a batch that cannot be imported.
Check your product Describe the product in ordinary words. The system will show the expected HS code (TN VED), the applicable regulations and the set of documents. Start the check.
