Sending Clothing Samples for EAC Testing: Three Rules
Three things decide whether clothing samples reach the laboratory: an invoice with the right fields and a total under 200 EUR, a label in the Union's working language on every item, and a courier able to supply the customs declaration you will need to register the approval document.
1. Prepare a correct invoice
It should contain:
- The list of products
- The HS code
- The total sum
- The name and address of the recipient
- The size and weight of the delivery
On the total: it should not exceed 200 EUR, to avoid customs taxes, and it should not be undervalued either. Both errors cause problems, in opposite directions.
2. Label every single item, in the Union’s working language
The label is the identification sign for each item, carrying the main information about the product.
When samples arrive for testing, the laboratory checks each item and its label against the applications it has received. Samples sent without labels cannot go to the laboratory at all, there is no information about composition, size or anything else needed to match sample to application.
The label must show:
- Product description (name)
- Country of origin
- Manufacturer information, name and address
- Size
- Composition
- Trademark, if any
- Date of manufacture
- Serial number, if any
- Care instructions and requirements
3. Use a courier that can produce the customs declaration
To register EAC declarations and certificates you need a customs declaration, the document from customs confirming the products were legally imported into the Union.
Not every courier or logistics company can provide it. A shipment that arrives perfectly and cheaply through a courier that cannot supply this document has created a problem that only appears at registration, when the samples have already been tested.
Which document the samples are being tested for follows from the product layer, see TR CU 017 layers.
What single step prevents most of this?
Send the proforma invoice for review before shipping. An invoice checked in advance against what customs and the laboratory will need is the cheapest correction available, far cheaper than resolving it while the samples sit at the border.
Sources
- TR CU 017/2011, On the safety of light industry products, Eurasian Economic Commission
- Eurasian Economic Union customs regulations on the import of samples
Frequently asked questions
What must the invoice contain?
The list of products, the HS code, the total sum, the name and address of the recipient, and the size and weight of the delivery. The total should not exceed 200 EUR to avoid customs taxes, and should not be undervalued either, since an artificially low figure creates its own problems.
Why does every item need a label?
Because the label is the identification for that item. Samples arriving without labels cannot be sent to the laboratory: there is no information about composition, size or anything else needed to match the sample to the application submitted.
Why does the choice of courier matter?
Because registering an EAC declaration or certificate requires a customs declaration, the document from customs confirming the products were legally imported into the Union. Not every courier or logistics company can supply one, and finding that out at registration is too late.
Not sure which of these applies to your product? Send it and we will tell you
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