Verification certificate

The previous certified product declaration was replaced by a verification certificate starting from 1 July 2013, when the Act on the Type Approval of Certain Construction Products (Laki eräiden rakennustuotteiden tuotehyväksynnästä 954/2012) entered into force.

The verification certificate is a voluntary approval procedure in use in Finland for construction products. If it is not possible to show that the construction product is fit for construction with a CE mark based on a harmonised European product standard, or if no European Technical Assessment (ETA) has been granted to the product, the manufacturer of the construction product can prove its fitness for the intended use by using a national procedure for product approval, such as a verification certificate.

It allows the manufacturer to show that the product can be used in construction, because it fulfils the requirements set for it by our legislation. With a verification certificate, the builder can show that the product is fit for the intended use when applying for a building permit or in connection with building control.

Compared to type approval, the verification certificate is administratively a less burdensome procedure for approving a construction product.

Acquiring a verification certificate

Acquiring a verification certificate is voluntary for the manufacturer.

The verification certificate is issued by a body approved by the Ministry of the Environment. The information provided in the verification certificate varies based on the product or product group. The body issues a verification certificate based either on the continuous verification of the manufacturing of the product or on a batch-specific sampling inspection.

The verification certificate requires that the manufacturer performs its own quality control during production, and that the quality control is certified by the certifying body for production quality control.

Which products should have a verification certificate?

The verification certificate can be used to approve construction products, when the products in question affect the fulfilment of the essential technical requirements of the building. Type approval is used for the most important construction products for fulfilling the requirements, and verification certificates are used for the less demanding products.

However, it is also possible to use a verification certificate for the approval of construction products that may have a significant impact on the essential technical requirements of a building. This is used when the characteristics of the products make them better suited for approval by a verification certificate.

The Ministry of the Environment approves uniform assessment criteria for product groups.

Marking on the verification certificate

On the verification certificate, the approved body must use a mark that is provided for in the Ministry of the Environment Decree on the Type Approval of Certain Construction Products.