June 15, 2020
By: Pesconi Paola – Gulf Conformity Marking Program Expert
To access GSO-member-states markets, a Gulf Type Examination certificate is a mandatory requirement for specified categories of household electrical appliances.
To meet regulation requirements, it is important to keep certificates active and valid, checking registration on GSO’s online certificate registration tracking system and updating them if changes occur as well as checking the standards and their editions included by GSO in the list of harmonized standards.
The most recent addition to this list are:
- New edition of the IEC 60335-2-25 applicable for microwave ovens
GSO standards are adopted by endorsement of the latest editions of IEC standards with a two-year transition period. This means that the publication of a new IEC standards amendment has an impact also on certificates already issued for GSO countries market access.
For the category of microwave ovens, it is important to note the publication of the edition 7.0 of IEC 60335-2-25, on January 8, 2020. Considering the two-year transition period, the validity of the certificates issued according to the previous edition is now limited to January 8, 2022. To maintain the possibility of exporting in GSO countries, manufacturers need to update the certificates involved before this date. The notified body will evaluate the impact of the new standard on the products in order to define reviews necessary for the update.
Products involved: household microwave ovens
Countries involved: United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Bahrain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, State of Qatar, State of Kuwait and Republic of Yemen
- GSO 1858/2008 for storage water heaters added as additional requirements applicable for Saudi Arabia market access.
GSO and SASO have recently clarified the mandatory implementation of the standard GSO 1858/2008 for storage water heaters to be exported to Saudi Arabia. The standard shall be considered for the issuance of the Gulf Type Examination certificate and the existing certificates shall be updated. The safety requirements of GSO 1858/2008 are applicable in addition to GSO IEC 60335-2-21, which remain valid.
Considering the transition period defined, the compliance to GSO 1858/2008 will be checked at Saudi customs starting in September 2020. Products that will reach Saudi Arabia need to be previously evaluated according to the new requirements through the Gulf Type Examination certification and through the SABER approvals. Therefore, manufacturers shall update the existing certificates by July 15, 2020. This is valid for certificates including Saudi Arabia within the target countries.
Products involved: electric storage water heaters with a capacity less than 200 liters
Countries involved: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
How we can help:
We are an accredited notified body for Gulf Type Examination and are actively participating in GSO meetings for notified bodies in order to be updated on new requirements and their implementation.
We provide technical expertise through a worldwide network of CB testing laboratories and qualified staff that can deliver technical assessments and reports to cover the latest editions of the applicable international standards.
UL can deliver the Gulf Mark (G Mark) in an effective, reliable way to eliminate risk during surveillance at customs or on the market.