The Russian Federation adopted an ordinance in February of 2010 that determines which products are subject to mandatory certification, and which products require only a declaration. The products that need only a declaration may be certified on a voluntary basis. The certificate obtained is a full confirmation of compliance for specific products to the standards of quality and safety specified by current regulations.
SERCONS is a certification body, which has the required accreditation from the Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology System (Rostechregulation), and the authority to issue GOST R and technical regulations certificates of conformity.
A valid certificate represents product reliability and has shown to increase consumer demand. Many business leaders certify their products for compliance with technical regulations or GOST R aimed to increase sales levels, even when certification is solely voluntary.