Describes the country's standards landscape, identifies the national standards and accreditation bodies, and lists the main national testing organization(s) and conformity assessment bodies.
Last Published: 8/9/2017

Overview
The Mongolian Agency for Standardization and Metrology (MASM) is Mongolia’s national standards setting body and represents Mongolia in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).  The MASM chairperson is appointed by the prime minister and reports to the deputy prime minister's office.  The highest decision-making organ of MASM, its National Council, has 19 members from ministries, agencies, nongovernmental organizations, scientific academia, and industry, who are approved by the Cabinet.

The 2003 Mongolian Law on Standardization and Conformity Assessment mandates MASM contribute to Mongolia’s social, economic, industrial, and commercial development by establishing standards based on the mutual understanding and voluntary agreement between governmental authorities and business, with regard to consumers' rights, and to develop market-based standardization systems.  MASM imposes technical regulations to ensure product safety, human health, environmental safety, and national security.
 
MASM and the government have identified improving food quality and safety standards, both for imports and exports, as essential goals.  However, lack of capacity and fiscal constraints chronically limit MASM’s ability to develop and implement standards.  MASM is working to meet this goal  by adopting and adapting standards from other countries with which Mongolia has important trade ties, such as China, the European Union (EU), Russia, and the United States, and from regional and international organizations.  MASM employs foreign standards on an ad hoc basis, reflecting domestic need or the source of funding for standards development.  The EU, through its Support to the Modernisation of Mongolia's Standardisation System project (SMMSS), has consistently funded such programs; consequently, MASM has a tendency to adapt EU standardization practices to Mongolian circumstances.  Because China is Mongolia’s largest trading partner, Chinese standards also inform MASM’s practices.  Mongolia is not a member of any regional body that develops standards, but is a member of ISO, the International Telecommunications Union, and the Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC).

Standards
The National Council of Standardization (NCS) approves and adopts the standards used within Mongolia after a standardization technical committee (STC) reviews and accepts the proposed standard.  MASM has 55 STCs.  The Department of Standardization and Technical Regulation regulates STC activities.  Mongolia has about 6,210 national standards, 42 percent of which are based on international or regional standards.  Within the framework of the Agreement signed with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), Mongolia aims to raise compliance to 90 percent.  The list of national standards is available.  
 
The Cabinet of Mongolia authorizes development and approval of all regulations.  MASM, the central body in charge of standards, issues, reviews and draws conclusions on draft technical regulations.  Mongolia is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its Cabinet ministry in charge of trade issues, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, accepts domestically the technical regulations proposed by other WTO member countries to apply in international trade (in accordance with the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade).  The central body in charge of standard issues, MASM, notifies other WTO members no less than three months in advance of adopting technical regulations.Testing, Inspection and Certification

Conformity Assessment
The Department of Product and System Conformity conducts activities in the following fields:
 

  • Imported product conformity

  • Exported product conformity

  • Services conformity

  • Domestic product conformity

  • System conformity

  • Approval of Mongolian National Standard (MNS) mark for products and services

  • Conformity for “Eco” mark

Information.

Product Certification
MASM’S Laboratory of Reference Materials is Mongolia’s national testing organization for proficiency testing and certification.  The Laboratory sets requirements for proficiency testing and equipment calibration of public and private certification laboratories, usually for food products, water quality, and mining assays. 
 
Because MASM’s certification processes and standards are evolving, they are often unclear to U.S. and other third-nation exporters.  Lack of clarity occasionally acts as an impediment to imports. 
 
MASM is a member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), but not of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).  It is also a member of Codex Alimentarius.
 
If they are members of such internationally recognized accreditation organizations as ILAC or IAF, U.S. laboratories may operate in the Mongolian market and may test U.S. products for compliance with domestic regulatory requirements, subject to local licensing requirements.
 
For information; +976 7018-5279

Accreditation
MASM’s Department of Accreditation accredits laboratories engaged in the following activities:

  • Product testing

  • Technical monitoring and confirmation

  • Human health and veterinary laboratory

  • Metrology laboratory

For information; + 976-51-263-907

Publication of Technical Regulations
MASM is reponsible for publishing technical regulations in its national quarterly gazette “Standards? and Metrology.”  Proposed technical regulations are published in this gazette, too, and on MASM’s website.  Although MASM provides technical support on regulations, individual ministries are responsible for developing regulations for the laws that fall under their respective portfolios.  Under the General Administrative Law, Article 6, (GAL), the designated ministry creates a ministerial working group that drafts the relevant regulation.  GAL requires ministries, agencies, and provincial governments to seek public comment by posting draft regulations on their respective websites for at least thirty days and by holding public hearings, following the rules set out in the 2015 Public Hearing Law.  U.S. entities may comment on regulations during this phase of the regulatory drafting process.  Mongolia does not produce an annual regulatory agenda.

Contact Information
Mongolian Agency for Standard and Metrology:
Address:  Peace Avenue 46А, Bayanzurkh District, Ulaanbaatar City 13343
Tel:  +976 458-349; +976 263-860
U.S. Embassy Contact on Standards Issues:  Ulaanbaatar-Econ-Comm@state.gov

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