When exporting measuring instruments to Russia, the GOST R Metrology Certificate (also known as Pattern Approval) is mandatory, but it is not enough.
What is the GOST R Metrology Certificate?
The GOST R Metrology Certificate (Метрологический Сертификат, officialy known as Свидетельство об утверждении типа средств измерений) is the official approval issued by Rosstandart that confirms the correct functioning and accuracy of measuring or weighing instruments. Once granted, the instrument is registered in the National Register of Measuring Equipment and can legally be placed on the Russian market.
Depending on the source and translation, this certificate may also be referred to as:
- Pattern Approval Certificate of Measuring Instruments
- Metrological Certificate
- Certificate of Measuring Instruments
- GOST R Approval Standard for Legal Metrology
The scope of this certificate is very broad, covering instruments used in medicine, environmental protection, hazardous industries, trade and packaging of goods, utilities, defence, geodesy, meteorology, and even sports competitions.
What is the Poverka?
For exporters, it is essential to distinguish between the certificate and the Poverka (Поверка).
The certificate is the document that approves an instrument model for Russia and registers it in Rosstandart’s database.
The Poverka is the calibration procedure that must be carried out on the individual instruments being shipped. It confirms that each device is within the accuracy and error limits defined in the certificate.
In practice, this means that even if an exporting company delivers, for example, flow meters from international manufacturers already holding a valid Russian certificate, it will most likely still need to arrange the Poverka.
How is the Metrology Certificate obtained?
The procedure is complex and always goes through Rosstandart.
Once issued, the certificate includes:
- An approval and registration number in the National Register.
- An annex with scope of use, technical and metrological characteristics, error margins, calibration intervals, and the legal references applied during testing.
The certificate can be issued for:
- A single contract, or
- Up to 5 years (the most common format, allowing unlimited export quantities).
Are the Metrology Certificate and the Poverka accepted outside Russia?
The answer is no. Metrology is an area where there is no flexibility: each country has its own procedures and metrological bodies.
Take Uzbekistan, for example. With many large-scale projects currently underway, it is common to require local metrology certifications. In these cases, Russian documentation can help — mainly because of the linguistic and technical similarities — but it cannot replace the mandatory Uzbek certification.
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