Which goods require certificates and permits?

The declaration is correct, the invoice and the transport document are in place, but the goods are not released: a permit from another authority is required, and it had to be obtained before dispatch.

The two layers of import documents

The first layer is the ordinary customs paperwork — contract, invoice, transport document and declaration. The second layer is certificates and permits.

the State Customs Committee does not issue certificates — it checks that they exist
the document comes from the relevant agency, ministry or accredited body

Certificate or declaration of conformity?

Under the technical regulation rules goods fall into three risk groups, and this determines the type of document.

high-risk goods require mandatory certification, which results in a certificate of conformity
for medium- and low-risk goods the business draws up the declaration of conformity itself; at medium risk a document from an accredited body is added

The risk-group criteria are approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, while the group of a given product is set by the competent body under the relevant technical regulation. So the requirement is checked by commodity code, not by the name of the goods.

Which document is needed for which goods

food, animal feed and materials in contact with food — an import health certificate from the Food Safety Agency
plants and plant products — imported once the Agency permit and the phytosanitary certificate of the exporting country are in place
animals and products of animal origin — an Agency import permit and veterinary control; the veterinary certificate comes from the country of dispatch, and high-risk goods need prior approval of the exporter
medicines and medical devices — the Ministry of Health: a registration certificate and a check by the Analytical Expertise Centre
radio and communication equipment — a special permit from the state authority for communications

For ethyl alcohol, alcoholic drinks and tobacco products the conformity document is not the end of it — excise marking applies too.

What happens when a document is missing

The goods are not released, they stay in temporary storage and the cost falls on the cargo owner. The “single window” principle means a document already obtained electronically is not asked for twice, but the obligation remains.

We determine the commodity code and the risk group, establish which authority issues which document, and arrange the preparation of import and export documents. Send us a description of the goods and we will prepare the list of permits and certificates you need.