1. What is quality infrastructure?
2. What is the role of the State Service for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control in this field?
3. What is state regulation in the field of ensuring the unity of measurements, and which institution provides it?
4. In what cases should one apply to the State Service? What documents should be submitted within the application?

1. What is quality infrastructure?

Quality infrastructure is a system of public and private organizations, including a legal and regulatory framework and procedures, aimed at supporting and enhancing the quality and safety of goods, works, services, and related processes. This system is based on technical regulation, metrology, standardization, accreditation, conformity assessment, and market control (in regulated areas).

Within this framework, specialists and institutions work to protect human health and the environment.

A developed quality infrastructure system supports industrial development, improves market access, enhances trade competitiveness in global markets, and ensures the efficient use of natural and human resources. It also serves to protect state and public interests and contribute to public policy goals, including environmental and climate change initiatives.

2. What is the role of the State Service for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control in this field?

• Approves standards of state measurement units and organizes their acquisition, preservation, and dissemination;
• Approves standard samples or types of measuring instruments, issues certificates, and maintains the register of measuring instruments based on positive test results;
• Conducts state metrological control, including control over the calibration of measuring instruments;
• Provides calibration services for measuring instruments under contract, issues calibration certificates, and grants the right to affix calibration marks;
• Maintains a unified state register of normative documents in the standardization system and ensures its publication in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Standardization";
• Organizes the preparation, adoption, and application of standards and provides related services;
• In accordance with the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Accreditation in the Field of Conformity Assessment," oversees the principles and rules of accreditation, conducts accreditation in the field of conformity assessment, and maintains a unified state register of conformity assessment institutions;
• Classifies goods (works, services) into high, medium, and low-risk categories based on their potential threat to life, health, the environment, property, and state interests;
• Maintains a register of conformity certificates and declarations of conformity, publishes the list of referenced standards to ensure the basic requirements defined in technical regulations;
• Implements control measures for goods that do not comply with technical regulations in consumer markets and ensures the removal of non-compliant goods to protect consumers' safety;
• Maintains a register of documents recognizing foreign-origin conformity documents;
• Participates in forming the legislative framework for relevant activities, analyzing legal regulations, and preparing proposals;
• Makes suggestions for applying scientific and technical achievements in relevant fields, considering international best practices;
• Conducts examinations to determine the country of origin of goods and issues certificates confirming the country of origin based on examination results.

3. What is state regulation in the field of ensuring the unity of measurements, and which institution provides it?

The purpose of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Ensuring the Unity of Measurements" is to meet the needs of society and the state for objective, reliable, and comparable measurement results. These results are essential for protecting human life and health, the environment, flora, and fauna, as well as ensuring state security and avoiding the negative consequences of inaccurate measurements.

For this purpose, eighteen fields of application have been identified where measurement requirements are mandatory, including healthcare, veterinary medicine, utilities (water, gas, electricity, and heat energy), environmental protection, provision of paid services, trade operations, measurement, and packaging of goods.

The measuring instruments used in these fields are subject to mandatory checks, as defined in the "List of Measuring Instruments Checked by Accredited Bodies in the Field of Ensuring the Uniformity of Measurements." This list was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan on December 16, 2014, under Decision No. 393.

4. In what cases should one apply to the State Service? What documents should be submitted within the application?

Individuals or legal entities may apply to the State Service for the following documents or services related to quality infrastructure:

Documents submitted by the State Service in the field of quality infrastructure:

• Certificate of approval for standard samples or measuring instruments

Required documents:

• Name, symbol, and main metrological characteristics of the standard sample or measuring instrument;
• Passport of the standard sample or measuring instrument, operating documents, and the set of documents from the manufacturing enterprise;
• Type approval certificate for the standard sample or measuring instrument issued by the manufacturer or the government agency of another foreign country (if any);
• Verification methodology of the standard sample or measuring instrument;
• Granting the right to perform calibration, issue a calibration certificate, or affix a calibration mark;
•  Information about the personnel conducting the calibration activity (education, work experience);
•  Information about the laboratory where the calibration activity will take place;
• Information on measurement tools and standards used.

Document submitted by the State Service regarding the origin of goods:

• Certificate confirming the country of origin of goods

Required documents:

• Customer's application (written or electronic form);
• For legal entities: a copy of the state registration certificate and an extract from the state register of legal entities; for individuals engaged in entrepreneurial activities without creating a legal entity: a copy of the tax registration certificate;
• Copy of the contract between the customer and the buyer (if available);
• Copy of the invoice;
• Copy of the contract or other confirming documents for the purchase of raw materials, semi-finished products, or other materials used in producing the exported goods;
• If raw materials or components are sourced from foreign countries, a document showing the value-added percentage (if the ad valorem share rule is applied) or a change in the product classification based on the FEACN code.

Services provided by the Azerbaijan Institute of Metrology for legal entities and individuals engaged in entrepreneurial activities:

• Checking and calibrating measuring instruments;
• Metrological certification of test equipment;
• Spectrometric analysis to determine radionuclide content in construction materials, food, and non-food products;
• Professional development courses in the field of metrology.

Services provided by the Azerbaijan Standardization Institute for legal entities and individuals engaged in entrepreneurial activities:

• Certification of goods and services;
• Certification of management systems;
• Personnel certification;
• Registration of technical specifications for goods (works, services), related processes;
• Laboratory-testing services;
• Training on management systems based on international standards;
• Provision of official publications of standards.

Legal entities may apply for accreditation of the following institutions to Azerbaijan Accreditation Center:

• Testing laboratories;
• Certification bodies for goods (services, works);
• Certification bodies for management systems;
• Personnel certification bodies;
• Inspection bodies;
• Standard material producers;
• Institutions requiring accreditation to perform work and provide services related to ensuring the uniformity of measurements.