Armenia launches pilot labeling of footwear, medical products, tyres, toys and confectionery
Armenia’s State Revenue Committee (SRC), the country’s tax and customs authority, on October 20 published five draft government decisions on pilot labeling of goods with identification means on the e-draft.am platform for public discussion of draft legislation.
The drafts follow a single template and differ only in their product lists. The pilot covers pyrotechnics, fire safety equipment, toys and bicycles, confectionery and semi-finished foods, medical products, tyres and auto parts, footwear, photographic equipment and household goods.
Public discussion of all five documents runs from October 20 to November 4, 2026.
What is proposed
Under each draft, the government approves two documents: a list of goods to be labeled during the pilot (Annex 1) and the pilot programme itself (Annex 2). The programme will be run by the SRC and I-Mark LLC, the national operator for labeling goods with identification means within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), appointed by Government Decision No. 312-L of March 10, 2022. The pilot and the assessment of its results will take place from November 1 to November 30, 2026, inclusive. Within ten days of its end, the SRC must submit the results to the Office of the Prime Minister.
The legal basis for the drafts is Part 3 of Article 153 of the Constitution and Part 2 of Article 396.1 of the Tax Code.
Which goods are included
1. Pyrotechnics, fire safety equipment, toys and bicycles. The list includes fireworks, signal flares and other pyrotechnic articles (HS code 3604). Under the category “fire extinguishers and fire safety equipment,” the draft includes data transmission equipment (8517), indicator panels (8531), gas and smoke analysers (9027 10) and other equipment. Also listed are mopeds and cycles with auxiliary motors (8711), ordinary bicycles (8712), and tricycles, dolls, models, puzzles and other toys (9503), as well as playing cards and electric racing car sets (9504).
2. Confectionery, semi-finished and frozen products. Sugar confectionery, including white chocolate (1704). Flour confectionery, biscuits, wafers, wafer sheets and rice paper (1905). Prepared soups and broths (2104), certain food preparations (2106 90). Frozen fish offal, namely livers, roes and milt (0303 91), and animal guts, bladders and stomachs (0504).
3. Medical products. The longest list, with 34 items and a separate line for antiseptics and disinfectants. It includes antibiotics, vaccines and sera, cotton wool, bandages and plasters, surgical sutures, diagnostic reagents, rubber gloves, glass ampoules, wheelchairs, contact lenses and spectacles. It also covers medical and dental instruments, orthopaedic appliances, prostheses and hearing aids, X-ray equipment, medical furniture, sanitary pads and nappies, and crutches.
4. Tyres and auto parts. New pneumatic tyres (4011), safety and laminated glass (7007), filters for liquids and gases (8421), spark plugs (8511 10), windscreens, braking systems, wheels and their parts (8708), motorcycle parts (8714 10), and technical textile products (5911 90).
5. Footwear, photographic equipment and household goods. All footwear under headings 6401–6405: rubber, plastic, leather, textile and other. Cameras and flashguns (9006), paper tablecloths and napkins (4818 30), and sprayers and atomisers (9616 10).
Why it is needed
The drafts state that the pilot will upgrade the Automated Information System for Product Labeling. The system is meant to track every unit of a product from production or import until it leaves circulation through sale, use in production, export or destruction. Each unit will receive a unique Data Matrix code that cannot be forged or duplicated.
The authors identify three current problems:
- not all goods are subject to labeling, and additional tools are needed to control their circulation;
- full traceability across the supply chain is not ensured;
- Armenian exporters to EAEU countries must label their products under the union’s rules.
The goals are set out separately for each party. The state expects to reduce the shadow economy, raise additional tax revenue, see statistics in real time and automate cooperation with regulators in EAEU countries. Businesses are promised greater competitiveness as the shadow sector is squeezed out, simpler circulation of goods within the EAEU and new logistics services. Consumers will be protected from counterfeit and substandard products and will be able to verify authenticity through the operator’s mobile app.
The system will be integrated with the information systems of the SRC, EKENG (the Electronic Governance Infrastructure Implementation Office) and, if necessary, other state bodies.
How the pilot will work
The programme divides the pilot into four areas:
- testing labeling mechanisms and information system functions;
- organising cooperation among participants;
- integrating participants’ systems with the operator’s system;
- running the full cycle, from ordering a labeling code to the product leaving circulation.
Business participation is voluntary. The SRC and the national operator will draw up a plan, a schedule and methodological guidelines and then assess the results. I-Mark will develop requirements for the system and its information security, and will deploy and operate it. Pilot participants will receive labeling codes free of charge.
What it costs
No state budget funding is envisaged. Changes to the SRC’s e-governance systems will not require additional funds, and the operator covers the cost of providing labeling codes. The only risk named in the documents is that some producers and importers may need technical upgrades. The authors expect the positive effect on the economy, especially in the long term, to significantly exceed these costs.
Background
Product labeling has existed in Armenia since 1997, starting with excise stamps on alcohol and tobacco. In 2013, labeling with control marks was introduced for water, beverages, juices and beer. Dairy products, canned goods, cosmetics and medicines were added in 2014, followed by pasta, meat products, oils and other goods in 2018. In February 2018 in Almaty, the heads of government of EAEU countries signed an agreement on labeling goods with identification means. Since 2023, Armenia has been introducing such labeling in stages: first for tobacco and alcohol, then for water, dairy and other goods previously labeled with control marks.
The new drafts continue this approach. On October 15, the SRC put forward a similar draft on pilot labeling of natural fur clothing and accessories (code 4303 10). Together, they could place a large part of the consumer market in “test mode” in November, from sweets and shoes to tyres and medical gloves.
Comments on the drafts can be submitted on the e-draft.am platform until November 4, 2026.
