Chestny Znak labeling on marketplaces: categories, process, cost per unit

Chestny Znak is the state product labeling system in Russia. Every unit of a product gets a unique code (Data Matrix) that is scanned at every stage from production to the customer. The goal is to fight counterfeits and gray imports.

Sellers ask: "do I really have to deal with this?". The answer: if your product falls into one of the mandatory categories, yes, with no alternative. Without labeling the product cannot be sold on marketplaces at all.

This Support material covers the categories, the seller's obligations, and the step-by-step process of working with labeling.

Context is in the parent materials:

• Pillar "What documents you need to sell on a marketplace" — labeling within the overall map of product documents.
• Support "Marketplace certification" — certification and labeling as adjacent requirements.
• Support "Shipping and labeling" — box labels vs Chestny Znak labeling.
• Pillar "Marketplace promotion" — the overall MPO methodology.

As of 2026, mandatory labeling applies to:

• Clothing and footwear (a large share of the category, expanding in stages).
• Perfume.
• Medicines.
• Dairy products.
• Bottled water.
• Tobacco products.
• Tires.
• Cameras and flash lamps.
• Bicycles.
• Wheelchairs.
• Non-alcoholic beer.
• Toys (some categories, in stages).
• Cosmetics (some categories, in stages).
• Household chemicals (some categories, in stages).

The list is extended every year. The current one is on chestnyznak.ru in the "Categories" section.

Step 0. Register in the Chestny Znak system.

• Register on chestnyznak.ru.
• Set up a qualified electronic signature (KEP); you can get one from the Federal Tax Service certification authority for around 3,000 ₽.
• Enable your labeling category (clothing, footwear and so on).

Step 1. Get labeling codes for a batch of goods.

• If the goods are imported, the importer gets the codes and applies them before the goods enter Russia.
• If the goods are made in Russia, the manufacturer gets the codes and applies them at the factory.
• If you resell without producing anything, the codes come from the supplier who imports or manufactures.

Step 2. Attach the codes to the goods.

• Each code is attached to one specific unit (a sticker or a tag).
• The code must be readable by a scanner.

Step 3. Report the movement of goods to the system.

• On receipt from the supplier — an inbound entry (via a UPD universal transfer document through EDI).
• On dispatch to the customer or to the marketplace — an outbound entry (via a UPD through EDI).
• On sale — retirement of the code from circulation.

Wildberries:

• When creating an FBO supply, the seller passes the codes through a UPD in EDI.
• WB handles the goods receipt itself and, on the sale to a customer, retires the code from circulation.
• The seller must upload correct codes, otherwise the supply is not accepted.

Ozon:

• Same as WB — the seller passes the codes through a UPD with the supply.
• Ozon handles receipt and retirement from circulation automatically.

FBS on both marketplaces:

• The seller processes the order themselves, applies the code, and on dispatch passes the code to the customer through EDI (via the marketplace).

Seller costs:

• KEP (qualified electronic signature): about 3,000 ₽ (free for sole proprietors through the Federal Tax Service certification authority, paid through commercial ones).
• EDI: 0–3,000 ₽ a month depending on document volume.
• Labeling codes: about 0.5 ₽ (50 kopecks) per code for most categories.
• Scanner and label printer: a one-off purchase of 5,000 – 30,000 ₽ (if you label in-house).
• Tags and stickers: 0.5 – 3 ₽ each.

Per unit of goods: usually 1–5 ₽ depending on volume and how you organize the work.

At a turnover of 10,000 units a month, labeling costs 10,000 – 50,000 ₽ a month.

Mistake 1. Buying unlabeled goods from a supplier and trying to sell them without labels. It does not work — the marketplace will not label them for you. If the supplier does not provide codes, the goods cannot be sold on a marketplace.

Mistake 2. Relabeling with somebody else's codes. Prohibited by law. Every code is tied to a specific batch and a specific supplier. A seller cannot "buy codes separately and stick them on their own goods".

Mistake 3. Skipping retirement from circulation. If a code is not retired at the point of sale, it stays "active" in the system, which can lead to penalties at a later inspection.

Mistake 4. Not keeping up with changes. Categories are added every year. If your product falls into a new category this year, you have to connect to Chestny Znak before the requirement takes effect.

For small volumes (up to 5,000 units a month):

• Work with a supplier who provides the codes themselves (you only pass them on through EDI).
• Use the marketplaces' built-in integrations (WB and Ozon both have their own).

For medium volumes (5,000 – 50,000 units a month):

• Connect a labeling automation service (Kontur.Market, Evotor, Kristall and similar).
• Agree turnkey labeling with the supplier — they handle every stage for you.

For large volumes (50,000+ units a month):

• Your own integration with the Chestny Znak system through its API.
• Your own team handling labeling.
• Printing codes directly on the production line (for own brands).

• Support "Marketplace certification" — certification and labeling as adjacent requirements.
• Support "Shipping and labeling" — box labels plus Chestny Znak.
• Support "SKU unit economics" — labeling costs inside the economics.
• Pillar "Marketplace promotion" — the overall MPO methodology.

Check on chestnyznak.ru whether your category is on the mandatory labeling list. If it is, register in the system and enable the category before your next supply goes out. If you are already trading in the category and have not connected, time is running out — the marketplace will send a notice suspending your sales.

In a standard Trusty MPO project the "legal" layer checks the labeling status for every category and warns about new requirements.