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Saudi Arabia

Conformity Certificate Program

On December 11, 2005, Saudi Arabia became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Due to its accession into the WTO, Saudi Arabia's regulations had to change. The previously mandatory International Conformity Certification Program (ICCP) was eliminated on August 28, 2004. The change ushered in a new regulation, the Conformity Certificate Program, which has been approved as a replacement for a transitional period. The program applies to all products, including domestic products, except those subjected to the Kingdom's sanitary and phytosanitary regulations. Certification is not required when documentation is provided for purposes of assuring conformity to Islamic religious requirement (rulings of Islamic Shari'a).

The program requires that a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) should accompany all the consignments of imported goods, except for those prohibited or exempted, certifying their conformity to the established standard (technical regulations). The certificate should confirm that these goods were subjected to regular laboratory examination under supervision of the competent control agency in the country of origin. Once the shipment arrives in Saudi Arabia, random samples may be taken from the imported consignments in order to ascertain the veracity of the certificate.

The purpose of the new CoC is to provide Saudi authorities with a basis for conducting post-market surveillance to ensure product conformity to specified requirements and could be done through random sampling or risk-based compliance checks during the transitional period. The new program allows the entity submitting the CoC (i.e., a conformity assessment body, an accredited body, an independent third party or a manufacturer) to declare compliance with the appropriate technical regulation or standard. Such entity is responsible for the information contained in the CoC. The program recognizes technical regulations or standards that are in conformity with an approved SASO technical regulation. In the absence of a relevant approved SASO technical regulation, information should be provided to identify whether the product meets a technical regulation of another government authority, SASO standard or relevant international standard, or other standard. Information should also be provided to identify who did the testing. There is no geographic or nationality limitation for conformity assessment or accreditation bodies. The Certificate of Conformity will not be needed once Saudi Arabia has established sufficient in-country capabilities for testing imported and domestic products through random sampling or risk-based compliance checks.

Under the Certificate of Conformity Program, all products imported to Saudi Arabia, except food and drugs, should be accompanied by a CoC confirming that these goods were subjected to regular laboratory examination under supervision of a competent control agency in the country of origin. The entity would be fully responsible for the contents of the certificate. The producing company should assume full responsibility for all damages happening as a result of using such goods.

Each product shall be in compliance with the applicable Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) standards. If there is no applicable SASO standard, it should be in compliance with the applicable Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) technical regulations. If there is no applicable GCC technical regulation, it should be in compliance with the applicable International standards (i.e. ISO, IEC etc.). If there are no applicable International standards, it should be in compliance with the applicable National standards from the country where the product is manufactured (i.e. ANSI, UL etc.).

Under the new Conformity Certificate Program, there are no mandatory EMC requirements.

Saudi Arabia Telecommunications Act

The Communications and Information Technology Commission regulates telecommunications products in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabia Telecommunications Act is the umbrella law for the telecommunications sector in Saudi Arabia. It addresses all facets, including wireline and wireless telecommunications equipment as well as public telecommunications networks and frequencies. Under the Saudi Arabia Telecommunications Act, a license must be obtained for all telecommunications equipments to be used in Saudi Arabia as well as the service providers and users of the frequency spectrum.

Under the scope of the Saudi Arabia Telecommunications Act, licenses must be obtained for all of the following:

  • Telecommunications equipment (whether wireline or wireless) to be placed into use in Saudi Arabia
  • Providers of fixed and mobile telephone services or networks
  • Use of any frequency allocated for civil or commercial purposes

Based on the product, there are four types of licenses that can be issued:

  1. Telecommunications license
  2. Radio license
  3. Number license
  4. Equipment license

International standards, such as International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), are considered in matters of equipment conformity, including Electromagnetic Compatibility and Electrical Safety Standards.

For more information

Should you have questions about UL's Market Access Solutions in Saudi Arabia, require additional information, or wish to pursue any of these services, please contact us.

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