|                                                                                                                                                             |  | MOLDOVA  PRODUCT  CERTIFICATION                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
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|**BISNISHome PageSearchBISNISEmbassyReportsCountryReportsIndustryReportsPublicationsSourcesof FinanceLeadsand EventsExchangeRatesState ExportsOtherSources** |  | October 1997by Helen MidoriU.S. companies which want to export to Moldova must be sure that Moldovan certification
requirements are met before shipping goods to this Western NIS country.  Under Moldovan law,
a wide range of goods and services--including all kind of food and food byproducts,
food-processing and packaging equipment and materials, alcoholic and other beverages, tobacco,
wood
products, and various types of clothing--must be certified before they can be imported into
Moldova.  The Moldovan Department of Standards and Technical Supervision
(MoldStandart) issues certificates of conformity to Moldovan standards using procedures
recommended by the International Certification Organization.Obtaining certification before shipping goods to Moldova is strongly recommended, as it obviates
the need for the importer to pay deposit fees to the Moldovan customs office if a certificate of
conformity is lacking.  Without a certificate, these goods cannot enter the country.  If goods do
arrive without a certificate, the certification process must begin while the imported products are
held at a Moldovan customs warehouse, where they must remain until a certificate of conformity
is presented to customs officials.  Storage is expensive and requires additional documentation,
such as a security certificate.Easier with International Certification
If a product already has international product certification, the certification process in Moldova
starts with submission of an official application form along with a questionnaire and other
documentation regarding the product's international certification.  These forms are provided upon
request by MoldStandart's certification division.  The questionnaire states what kind of
information an international certificate must provide.  The following documents should be
submitted along with the application form:-- a notarized copy of the foreign certificate;
-- legal documentation relating to certification;
-- if relevant, a copy of the record of a previously performed certification examination; and
-- if relevant, a graphic illustration of the product's certification sticker.Documents required for certification should be prepared in Moldovan.  English-language
documents should have a notarized translation into Moldovan.No later than one month from the time of initial application, a foreign company applying for
Moldovan product certification should receive a response on the validity of its product's
international certification in Moldova.  If the certification for the product in question is valid in
Moldova, a certificate of conformity is issued.  If not, the product must undergo full certification
in Moldova, a complex administrative process.Moldovan Certification
If an international certificate is not available or valid in Moldova, the certification process is
initiated by submission of an application to MoldStandart for a certificate of conformity. 
MoldStandart supervises several certification agencies that conduct certification analyses on a
fee-for-service basis.  Required application forms are provided by the certification entity that will
ultimately issue the certificate.  After the fee has been paid, the certification body provides the
company with all forms necessary for the certification process.When a certificate of conformity is issued, the certification agency marks the product with the
standard mark of conformity to Moldovan standards.  Arrangements and costs for marking are
covered in a special contract concluded between the certification body and the applicant
company.Certificate of Hygiene
In the case of food and a variety of other products, products must undergo a hygienic examination
before a certificate of conformity can be issued.  A certificate of hygiene is obligatory for
foodstuffs and related raw materials, various products for children, water-supply equipment and
materials, and other products.  A certificate of hygiene must be issued by the State Sanitary
Inspectorate before the product is imported into Moldova, which can be granted either on the
basis of an international certificate of hygiene already issued or on the results of local examination. 
The certificate will be issued 15 days from the date the relevant information is submitted or in
case of complicated laboratory examinations, issuance should occur after no more than a month. 
For more information on doing business in Moldova, visit BISNIS Online at www.mac.
doc.gov/bisnis/country/wstnis.htm#Moldova.Helen Midori represents BISNIS in Chisinau.This report is provided courtesy of the Business Information Service for the Newly
Independent States (BISNIS)