Sri Lanka : New product import and certification regulation

 

Sri Lanka has published a new regulation on the importation of products and their certification: Imports (Standardization and Quality Control) Regulations 2024.

Under the Compulsory Import Inspection Scheme of Sri Lanka operated by Sri Lanka Standards Institution, importers are not permitted to import the specified items to Sri Lanka unless they conform to the relevant Sri Lanka Standards.

The list of items specified under this scheme have been revised and the Gazette Extraordinary of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka No. 2384/35 dated 17 May 2024 has been published indicating a total of 161 items.

Conformity to the ‘Sri Lanka Standards’ shall be proved either by documents mentioned in the article No.5 or results of assessment done by the director General of Sri Lanka Standards institution in term of article No.6.

The documents from article 5 are:

1. An acceptable Product Conformity Certificate, conforming to the ‘Sri Lanka Standards’ stipulated for respective goods, which is issued by an independent accredited laboratory in the exporting country, issued subsequent to the analysis of samples drawn by said laboratory or an independent agency, or;
2. An acceptable Product Conformity Certificate, which is issued by the National Standards Body or Competent Standard Authority of the exporting country, or;
3. An acceptable Product Conformity Certificate, which is issued by the overseas manufacturer, whose manufacturing plant is registered under the Sri Lanka Standards institution for relevant goods or:
4. The certificate / permit issued for “SLS Mark” or any other “Product Certificate Mark” by the National Standards Body of any country, where the Standards used for said certification is compatible with the corresponding Sri Lanka Standard Specifications.

Every importer of goods specified in the regulation is required to submit all relevant documentation pertaining to the importing goods to both the director General of Sri Lanka Customs and the director General of Sri Lanka Standards institution prior to Customs clearance of said goods by Sri Lanka Customs. Samples shall be tested as necessary in accordance with the applicable ‘Sri Lanka Standards’.

Among the regulated products on the list there are e.g.:

• Various food products
• Motor cycle and scooter tyres
• Bicycle Tyres
• Various titles
• Leaf springs for automobile suspensions
• Electric Fans and regulators
• Primary Cells and Batteries
• Lead Acid Starter Batteries
• Some household equipment
• Cables for Motor Vehicles
• Toys

To find out more about product compliance in Sri Lanka and the regulated products, please contact the Product Compliance Institute directly.