Commercial Information Circulars
24-hour hotline : 23 922 922
e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk
Ref : EIC 415/2
7 January 2016
Dear Sirs,
Commercial Information Circular No. 38/2016
Colombia : Modifications of Conformity Assessment Requirements for Toys
The Colombian government issued Resolution No. 3117/2015 on 25 August 2015 to modify the conformity assessment requirements for certain toys, accessories and components classified under Colombian Harmonised Tariff Schedule (HTSCO) codes 9503.00.1000, 9503.00.2920, 9503.00.2990, 9503.00.3000, 9503.00.4000, 9503.00.9100, 9503.00.9200, 9503.00.9300, 9503.00.9400, 9503.00.9500, 9503.00.9600, 9503.00.9900, 9503.00.9910, 9503.00.9990 and 9505.90.0000, which are stipulated in Resolution No. 3388/2008.
2.Modifications to Resolution No. 3388/2008 allow the Colombian importers to use the following conformity certificates to fulfill the assessment requirements:
- A certificate of conformity issued by a certification body duly accredited by the National Colombia Accreditation Organisation ("Organismo Nacional de Acreditación de Colombia" in Spanish/ ONAC) given that the required tests are performed in an accredited laboratory according to the technical requirements set out in Resolution No. 3388/2008.
- A certificate of conformity issued by a certification body duly accredited by ONAC given that the required tests are performed by the laboratory accredited by a member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation ("Cooperacion Internacional de Acreditacion de Laboratorios" in Spanish/ ILAC) according to the equivalent standards for toys, accessories and components in a foreign country. The importers are not required to carry out the tests in a Colombian laboratory accredited by ONAC, unless the conformity assessment results are considered to be incomplete, non-compliance or unreliable.
- A certificate of conformity issued by a certification body accredited by an entity that participates in a multilateral recognition agreement of which ONAC is a party; or the certificate is issued in accordance with any mutual recognition provisions included in free trade agreements, memorandums of understanding, or other arrangements between the issuing country and Colombia.
3.In addition, certificates for toys, accessories and components must be written in or translated to Spanish and issued in accordance with one of the three schemes outlined in NTC-ISO/IEC 17067. Laboratories must also perform the conformity assessment in accordance with Colombian standards NTC EN 71-2, NTC 4894 Part 1, NTC EN 71-3 or equivalent standards, such as U.S. standard ASTM F963-11 and European standards EN 71-1, EN 71-2 and EN 71-3.
4.For details, traders are advised to consult their importers in Colombia and/or the above Colombian Resolution (in Spanish) at: https://www.minsalud.gov.co/Normatividad_Nuevo/Resoluci%C3%B3n%203117%20de%202015.pdf
ENQUIRIES
5.For enquiries about the content of this circular, please contact Mr Lewis LAU at telephone number 2398 5405.
Yours faithfully,
(Ms Lydia CHAN)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry