Sanitary and Epidemiological Certificate

the Sanitary and Epidemiological Certificate issued by Rospotrebnadzor is a document that confirms whether a facility complies with all established sanitary standards or does not comply with them. Until 2010, it was issued in printed form on A4 paper. However, for the past ten years, it has been impossible to obtain it in this format.

The reason is the formation of the Customs Union, which led to changes in the safety standards and the system for issuing reporting documentation. The system has changed; instead of this document, a certificate of state registration for an expert opinion or for products is now issued. The issuance of sanitary and epidemiological certificates has been suspended since then.

What does a sanitary-epidemiological report certify?

These new types of sanitary-epidemiological reports do not differ in any significant way, except for the color of the form. All the information says the same thing—it confirms the safety of the product with regard to the environment and humans. This primarily concerns human safety; other documents are responsible for environmental safety.

Important to know! Instead of SES, either expert opinions or state registration are issued.

However, there is a significant difference between these two documents. State registration is a mandatory document that must be obtained for products if they are included in the unified list of goods subject to mandatory state registration.

This list is approved by the Customs Union Commission. It consists of several sections:

• The first part covers goods subject to customs control. These include products inspected by Rospotrebnadzor officials, who verify their safety and affix a stamp confirming that they have passed inspection;
• The second part is a list of products for which a certificate of state registration must be obtained.

The latter list includes HS codes and the names of products for which a certificate is mandatory. The validity period of the sanitary and epidemiological certificate ranges from 1 to 5 years.

This list is regularly revised and updated. It is directly influenced by the customs regulations of the Customs Union. Additions are issued to this list, meaning it is constantly changing. Most often, the list is shortened.

In which cases and what should be obtained?

If a product is subject to state registration, you must obtain this document. When importing products across the border, if they are included in the unified list in Section 2, this document is required.

The same applies to products manufactured in Russia, provided they are included in the specified list. State registration is mandatory.

Expert opinions can be issued for virtually any product, but they are typically issued for products that do not require state registration. The need for this document may be dictated by the terms of cooperation with contractors when they request additional confirmation of safety for humans. This document can serve as such proof. It can be issued for virtually any product.

For your information! All issued certificates of state registration are entered into the register of sanitary and epidemiological conclusions.

And while previously, for all these purposes, it was required to obtain a sanitary and epidemiological conclusion , now a business entity is required to obtain:

• An expert opinion—if the product is not included in the list, but the counterparties require official confirmation of its safety for humans;
• A certificate of state registration—if the product being manufactured or imported into the Russian Federation is included in the specified list.

If an entity does not use specialized software that continuously updates all regulatory documents, orders, and letters, it risks making an erroneous decision.

Lists of products subject to state registration downloaded from the Internet and available for free may be out of date. To avoid mistakes, it is recommended to contact a specialized company in such situations.