EAC certification for Chinese industrial equipment: what is actually required
Documents needed to import Chinese industrial equipment into Russia: certificate or declaration under TR CU / TR EAEU, certification schemes, who can file, and the most common reasons for refusal.
Certificate or declaration?
This is the first question on any import. The difference is fundamental: a certificate of conformity is issued by an accredited certification body, while a declaration of conformity is drawn up by the applicant (the manufacturer or its authorised representative) on the basis of its own evidence and testing.
The product lists are set out in the appendices to the technical regulations. If your instrument appears in the appendix, a certificate is required; if not, a declaration is enough.
| Document | Issued by | Applies when |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of conformity | Accredited certification centre | Product listed in the appendix to TR CU / TR EAEU |
| Declaration of conformity | Applicant (manufacturer / authorised representative) | Product not covered by an appendix |
| Batch declaration | Applicant | Homogeneous series differing only in version |
| TR CU 004/2011 certificate (low-voltage equipment) | Certification centre | Electrical equipment 50–1000 V |
| TR CU 020/2011 declaration (EMC) | Applicant or certification centre | Electronic and radio-electronic devices |
Who can be the applicant
Only an EAEU resident can be the applicant — a Russian legal or physical person. A Chinese manufacturer cannot file a Russian declaration; it needs a Russian authorised representative (AR) who takes on the obligations of placing goods on the EAEU market.
In practice you either become the AR yourself under a contract with the factory, or engage a ready-made AR. The service costs money and normally covers the technical file, testing and registration.
Typical reasons for refusal
In our experience applications are rejected for a few stable reasons:
- Incomplete technical file: no user manual in Russian
- No contract with the manufacturer authorising the AR to act on its behalf
- Model and designation mismatches between documents and the actual device
- Missing test protocols under current methods
- Outdated GOST and SNiP references not on the list of applicable standards
Practical sequence
If you buy from a Chinese supplier, this order works best:
- Before ordering: request batch documents (CoC, data sheet, manual)
- Before shipment: determine whether certification is needed and which document applies
- Before import: obtain the declaration or certificate for the batch
- During import: HS codes, product conformity certificate, contract and payment documents
- After import: EAC marking and registration in the FGIS registry