Tajikistan Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in tajikistan, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Standards for Trade
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Overview

Tajikistan has been a member of the WTO since 2 March 2013. More information can be found here. 

As the Government transitions its standards regime away from those inherited from the Soviet era, it is in the process of harmonizing its formal standards to international norms.

U.S. companies should be aware that, on paper, Tajikistan has a comprehensive system of mandatory standards but, in practice, cannot properly administer the complex and demanding standards system. The absence of well-equipped laboratories, qualified staff, and effective enforcement represent significant obstacles. 

In principle, Tajikistan accepts the conformity certificates issued by its major trading partners; however, anecdotal evidence from some importers indicates that this is not always the case. 

Standards

The Law on Certification of Products and Services and other acts regulate certification procedures in Tajikistan. All commodities imported to Tajikistan are required to meet technical, pharmacological, sanitary, veterinary, phytosanitary, and environmental standards and requirements. All services and processes are subject to certification, the procedure for which is in theory the same for all products. 

Tajikistan’s Agency on Standardization, Metrology, Certification, and Trade Inspection (TajikStandard – English, Russian, and Tajik options) carries out mandatory certification duties. Other entities involved in mandatory certification are authorized state certification entities, testing laboratories/centers, and manufacturers (sellers and contractors) as well as central bodies of certification systems, as defined in particular cases, for coordination of activities for similar products. TajikStandard’s information on certification (Russian) is here.

Tajik laws and standards apply mandatory requirements for certification of safety, consumer health, protection of the environment, and reduction of the potential for consumer property damage to certain products and services. Products requiring such certification include:

  • Children’s products

  • Food products, processed agricultural products, and feed

  • Pharmaceuticals and herbs

  • Consumer goods that have contact with skin, food products, or drinking water

  • Fuel

  • Chemicals intended for non-specialist consumer use

  • Perfumery and cosmetics

  • Poisonous chemicals and mineral fertilizers

  • Agricultural machinery, equipment for household purposes

  • Agricultural equipment

  • Personal defense products

  • Electronic and radio devices (for testing on electric and magnetic compatibility and safety)

  • Construction materials

  • Communication products

  • Products with materials subject to fire and explosion

  • Explosive materials and devices for explosive works, storage under pressure, and weightlifting machinery

  • Oil, oil products, gas, electric energy, and heat energy 

Testing, Inspection and Certification

All imported goods must be certified by TajikStandard or other TajikStandard-approved agencies. Even if goods were certified within an international system, it is still necessary to seek TajikStandard’s confirmation that the international standards comply with Tajik law.

For perishable goods (produce with up to a one-month shelf-life), produced in countries that are signatories to the WTO’s Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement, clearance is based on certification of the manufacturer/ producer and its quality-control process.  For imported perishable goods from countries outside of the TBT Agreement, the importer should submit proof of product safety, which must include information on product testing, including qualitative and quantitative indicators.

Accreditation and supervision of laboratories is the responsibility of TajikStandard, but may involve other certification bodies, consumer unions, and manufacturers’ representatives. If, for safety purposes, goods require special handling in storage, shipment, or utilization, the manufacturer (or contractor) must indicate these rules in shipping documents and/or product markings, or in other ways, and the seller must make sure that consumers are aware of these rules. 

Publication of Technical Regulations

Technical regulations are available in the TajikStandard library upon official request but are not generally published. 

Members of the WTO are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to notify to the WTO proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures that could affect trade.  

Contact Information

  • TajikStandard (Agency for Standardization, Metrology, Certification and Trade Inspection) 
    42/2 Negmat Karabaeva Street 
    Dushanbe, Tajikistan 734018 
    Tel: +992 (37) 233-6869 
    Fax: +992 (37) 233-1933 
    http://www.standard.tj/ 
     
  • National Health Certification Center, Ministry of Health 
    5/5 Alisher Navoi Street 
    Dushanbe, Tajikistan 734025 
    Tel: +992 (37) 221-1945 
    Fax: +992 (37) 221-0895 
    Communications Service 
    57 Rudaki Avenue, 3rd floor, Office 312 
    Dushanbe, Tajikistan 734025 
    Tel: +992 (37) 221-7183 
     
  • Veterinary and Phytosanitary 
    Ministry of Agriculture 
    44 Rudaki Avenue 
    Dushanbe, Tajikistan 734025 
    Tel: +992 (37) 221-1596
     
  • Food Safety Committee
    21 Tehron Street
    Dushanbe, Tajikistan 734025
    Tel: +992 (37) 227-9502 
     

Use ePing to review proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures. 

The ePing SPS&TBT platform (https://epingalert.org/), or “ePing”, provides access to notifications made by Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) under the Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), distributed by the WTO from January 16, 1995, to present. ePing is available to all stakeholders free of charge and is a versatile tool that can be used to: 

  • Follow and review current and past notifications concerning regulatory actions on products, packaging, labeling, food safety and animal and plant health measures in markets of interest, ·
  • Receive customized e-mail alerts when new notifications are distributed, ·
  • Find information on trade concerns discussed in the WTO SPS and TBT Committees.

Per obligation under the TBT Agreement, each WTO Member operates an Enquiry Point. National TBT Enquiry Points are authorized to accept comments and official communications from other national TBT Enquiry Points, which are NOT part of the WTO or the WTO Secretariat. All comment submissions from U.S. stakeholders, including businesses, trade associations, U.S domiciled standards development organizations and conformity assessment bodies, consumers, or U.S. government agencies on notifications to the WTO TBT Committee should be sent directly to the USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point. Refer to the comment guidance at https://www.nist.gov/notifyus/commenting for further information. This guidance is provided to assist U.S. stakeholders in the preparation and submission of comments in response to notifications of proposed foreign technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures.

For EU CCG: Include reference to article with a video on CE Mark: https://www.trade.gov/ce-marking.

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