Russia Decree 2425: Mandatory GOST Certification List for Exporters

For decades, exporters approaching the Russian market learned a simple rule: GOST certification was, in most cases, voluntary. Products that did not fall under a specific technical regulation could either obtain a GOST R certificate as a commercial differentiator or skip it entirely. The system was permissive by design, and the paperwork was manageable.

Russia’s Government Decree No. 2425, signed on 23 December 2021 and in force since 1 September 2022, closes that door. The decree establishes a single, exhaustive list of products subject to mandatory national certification in Russia, backed by physical testing in accredited Russian laboratories. For every product on that list, the certificate is compulsory, the testing cannot be waived, and no equivalent foreign document substitutes for it.

A protectionist shift disguised as technical regulation

The official rationale for Decree 2425 is product safety and quality control. The timing tells a more complete story.

The decree was signed in December 2021, two months before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It entered into force in September 2022, as Western sanctions and export restrictions were reshaping the country’s supply chains. The practical effect of the regulation is to create a layer of national control that the Eurasian Economic Union’s harmonised framework deliberately avoided: a Russia-specific approval requirement that applies even to products already certified under EAEU technical regulations. Whether by design or by consequence, the regulation gives Russian customs and market surveillance authorities a tool to screen imported goods at the national level, independently of any regional certification the exporter may already hold.

Two separate requirements: EAC marking and Decree 2425 certification

Exporters familiar with the EAEU system sometimes assume that EAC marking covers all Russian compliance requirements. For products on the Decree 2425 list, it does not.

The EAC certificate or declaration covers the Eurasian Customs Union as a whole: Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. The Decree 2425 certificate is issued under Russian national law and applies exclusively within Russia. The two documents answer different regulatory questions and neither replaces the other. A shipment entering Russia that carries a valid EAC certificate but lacks the required Decree 2425 certificate will be stopped at customs.

Obtaining the Decree 2425 certificate requires physical testing of product samples in an accredited Russian laboratory, along with an audit of manufacturing or import conditions. Sending samples to Russia for this purpose requires a dedicated import procedure: the samples must enter the country under a GTD customs declaration issued specifically for that purpose.

Which products now require mandatory GOST certification

Annex 1 of Decree 2425 covers 26 product categories. A 27th category, general-purpose industrial electric motors from 1 to 400 kW (HS 8501), was added by Government Decree No. 455 of 23 April 2026, with mandatory certification required from 1 September 2026.

Category 4 (natural gas, condensate and helium) was removed from the list by a subsequent amendment.

Products subject to mandatory declaration of conformity

Annex 2 covers a broader set of products under a lighter procedure: a declaration of conformity rather than a full certification scheme. The declaration still requires compliance with applicable GOST standards, but does not involve third-party laboratory testing in all cases.

The most commercially significant categories for European exporters include: power transformers (single-phase above 4 kVA and three-phase from 6.3 kVA), complete transformer substations, high-voltage switchgear, acid and alkaline batteries and accumulators, galvanic cells, fixed-installation power cables above 1 kV, thermoplastic drainage pipes, steel pipes and fittings, aluminium construction profiles and structures, thermal insulation materials, paints and varnishes, mineral fertilisers and plant protection products, joinery products, plywood and boards, food and beverage products across several industrial categories, and nicotine products.

Exporters whose products fall under Annex 2 must obtain the declaration before Russian customs clearance, separately from any EAC documentation.

What happens at Russian customs without a valid certificate

Goods subject to Decree 2425 that arrive at a Russian border crossing without the corresponding certificate or declaration are blocked. The Russian customs service treats the absence of the document as a hard barrier: the shipment cannot be cleared, cannot be released on a temporary basis, and cannot proceed under the EAC documentation alone.

The transition provisions that had allowed goods certified under the previous 2009 regime to continue circulating expired on 1 September 2025. From that date, only certificates and declarations issued under Decree 2425 are valid for products on the list. The consequences of non-compliance include administrative fines of up to one million roubles, temporary closure of business operations, and seizure of goods.

The customs risk for exporters extends beyond missing documentation. As recent enforcement of Decree No. 87 against EAC certificates issued outside Russia has shown, compounded compliance exposure is a real operational risk for shipments that have not been prepared with both layers of documentation in place.

Verifying whether a product falls under Annex 1 or Annex 2 of Decree 2425 is the first step before any shipment to Russia. The list is not static: the addition of industrial electric motors in April 2026 confirms that the Russian government continues to expand its scope, and further amendments are possible. If your product may be affected, contact us to assess your certification requirements.