Russian labelling and product marking for Indian exporters
More Indian consignments are stopped over labelling than over any other single issue. It is entirely preventable, and it is almost always discovered too late.
Russian-language labelling is mandatory
Consumer-facing goods entering the Russian market must carry information in Russian. This is not a translation exercise applied to an English label — the required fields, their format and their placement are specified, and an English label with Russian text added rarely satisfies them.
What generally has to appear
- Product name and description
- Composition or ingredients, in the required order and format
- Net quantity
- Manufacturer name and address
- Importer details for the Russian market
- Date of manufacture and shelf life or expiry, where applicable
- Storage conditions
- Country of origin
- Conformity marking where the product category requires it
Food products carry additional requirements around nutrition declaration and allergens. The exact set depends on the product category and the applicable technical regulation, which is another reason classification comes first.
Serialised digital marking
A widening list of consumer product categories requires serialised digital marking — each individual item carrying a unique code that is registered and tracked. Categories have been added progressively, so a product outside the scheme when you last checked may be inside it now.
This matters operationally more than most exporters expect. It affects your packing line, your label design and your data systems. It cannot be retrofitted at the border, and a consignment arriving unmarked in a marked category cannot be sold.
The importer detail problem
The label must carry the Russian importer’s details. That means the label cannot be finalised until the importer is known — which is why labelling artwork should be prepared in parallel with buyer negotiation rather than after it, with the importer field left to be populated.
Get artwork checked by someone in Russia
Not translated in India and assumed correct. The failure mode is subtle: a technically accurate translation that does not match the expected regulatory format, or a field in the wrong place. Somebody who deals with Russian retail labelling should approve the artwork before it goes to print.
Common questions
+–Why do Indian consignments get stopped at the Russian border?
+–What is serialised product marking?
+–Can the label be prepared before we have a buyer?
More guides
Certification for the Russian market: what Indian exporters need
Conformity documentation, state registration, veterinary and phytosanitary permits — which applies to your product, and in what order to approach it.
Choosing an Indian distributor: what a Russian exporter should check
India's distributor market is large and uneven. The criteria that actually predict whether a distributor will sell your product, and the ones that do not.
How to find a Russian buyer you can actually trust
Trade-data sites sell scraped importer lists that answer none of the questions that matter. What real counterparty verification involves.
How to export from India to Russia: the complete process
Every stage of exporting from India to Russia, in order — from classification and certification through buyer verification, labelling, payment and clearance.