What it is, which are EAC certification countries, how to obtain it, which regulations have to be applied, what costs are involved? In a nutshell, everything you should know to export compliant products to Russia and the Eurasian area.
What the EAC certification is and in which countries it is required
The EAC certification countries are basically the member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The EAC certification countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. The EAEU has introduced several regulations that discipline the EAC certification process for industrial and consumer products. The EAC mark must be affixed on any product in order for it to be distributed within the EAEU area. If you are a manufacturer willing to start a business in Russia or other neighboring countries, you shall request the EAC certificate of conformity.
The EAC mark is therefore a mandatory requirement – that is often included in the specifications of many supply contracts – to export products to Russia and other EAEU countries.
The EAC certification is also mandatory to export to the CSI countries (Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Moldavia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan).
The EAC mark is applied to products that passed all conformity tests in compliance with technical requirements that are mandatory for EAEU countries. Product conformity can be formalized either with a serial/batch certification or declaration.
The EAC certification process is quite complex and shall be therefore managed in the Russian language.
The EAC mark has the same function as the CE mark, even though there are substantial differences in the certification process.
The EAEU Technical Regulations partly draw inspiration from the European legislation, however, there are substantial differences related to the field of application, technical documentation and conformity assessment procedures.
Even custom inspection procedures are much more severe than those applied in the European Community; the same is true for procedures applied by Certification Bodies and laboratories in the issuing of certificates and registration of declarations of conformity.
Technical regulations are based on GOST standards and are intended to harmonize conformity requirements to European and international standards. EAC regulations replace and update the national laws of each member country while managing the Eurasian area at the community level.
EAC regulations and certification process
The most relevant EAC regulations for industrial products are listed below:
- CUTR 001/2011 on the safety of railway rolling stock
- CUTR 002/2011 on the safety of high-speed rail transport
- CUTR 003/2011 on the safety of the railway transport infrastructure
- CUTR 004/2011 on the safety of low voltage equipment
- CUTR 010/2011 on the safety of machinery and equipment
- CUTR 012/2011 on the safety of equipment for work in explosive atmospheres
- CUTR 016/2011 on the safety of vehicles running on gaseous fuel
- CUTR 017/2011 on the safety of light industrial products
- CUTR 019/2011 on the safety of personal protective equipment
- CUTR 020/2011 on the electromagnetic compatibility of technical means
- CUTR 032/2013 on the safety of equipment operating at excessive pressure
- CUTR 037/2016 on the restriction of the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products
- CUTR 041/2017 on the safety of chemical products
- CUTR 043/2017 on requirements for fire safety and fire-fighting equipment
The EAC certification for Russia (or CIS and Eurasian countries) is a process that involves several steps:
- Identification of the regulations and technical standards applicable to the product according to customs codes by analyzing the field of application of a certain regulation
- Choice of the certification scheme and evaluation of products to be certified by means of batches or serial production and in compliance with relevant requirements
- Identification and appointment of the authorized representative required by law, which officially represents the manufacturer within the Eurasian territory and can be a company branch in the territory or a third company with a specific agreement.
- Choice of the Certification Body. This is a key step to be dealt with with accuracy: it is essential to verify the competencies of the certification center and whether it is flexible and reliable.
- Conformity assessment, safety analysis, and drafting of the Justification of Safety – i.e. product safety report in accordance with GOST 33855-2016 – which includes all relevant information on product safety and compliance
- Issuing of operating instructions, i.e. the manual (in Russian) in accordance with the requirements of the GOST 2610 standards and applicable technical regulations. Please note that certification centers carry out thorough checks in this regard.
- Preparation of the technical passport, i.e. a specific document required by the regulations related to the product and its design and testing.
- Creation of the technical dossier to be shared with the Certification Body, which includes all documentation related to the product. It must be redacted in Russian.
- Sharing the documentation with the Certification Body, and joint review. It is recommended to review all documents with the help of an expert in order to solve any problems and manage additional requests from the Certification Center.
- Conducting audits and/or tests – if requested by the Certification Center – that are defined by the technical regulations in order to validate the product according to the type of certification requested (either serial or batch).
If the outcome of the verification is positive, the Certification Body shall ensure the registration of the declarations or certificates of conformity in the official registers. Otherwise, it will be still possible to repeat the conformity tests in order to obtain the EAC certification for Russia.
Who issues the EAC Certification and what costs are involved
CUTR certificates are issued by certification centers or national authorities (where required). Timing for obtaining the EAC certification can vary depending on the complexity of the product or any potential changes to be made to the product design. Costs also vary according to the complexity of the product.
What some of our customers say
“We hereby certify that H-ON Consulting has been a supplier for our company proving support for EAC Certification of windshields, according to CU TR 001/2001. The supplier has been distinguished by the professionalism of the management …” – Saint Gobain – Download file
“With this letter, we confirm that H-ON Consulting has been consulting our company in the field of O&G with the aim to obtain EAC and UL certifications. We have found their level of technical know-how, proactivity, and availability unmatched. ” – CCS a Frigel Group Company – Download file
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