Certificate of Conformity for Exports to Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) manages the Saudi Product Safety Program called "SALEEM".

The SALEEM program is concerned with the safety of products entering the Saudi market, which is why the program is called SALEEM. In Arabic, SALEEM indicates that the product is safe, secure, and free of flaws that may directly or indirectly harm individuals, society, or the environment.

Under SALEEM, product and shipment conformity program is operated via an online system called SABER. SABER has been gradually implemented by technical regulation (TR) since January 2019. The transition was completed in February 2020. Importers of products regulated by the TR are required to register the products in the SABER system to obtain the Certificate of Conformity, after passing the assessment.

All product consignments intended to be imported to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia must present the Certificates of Conformity at Saudi Customs for a smooth clearance.

QIMA: A SASO-Approved Conformity Assessment Body

QIMA is one of the SASO approved Conformity Assessment Bodies (CB) and is authorized to issue Certificates of Conformity for products exporting from the following regions:

• Asia and Australia, click to see our approved product scope
• Europe, click to see our approved product scope
• Americas (North and South), click to see our approved product scope
• Middle East and North African countries, click to see our approved product scope

1. SABER System

SABER is a platform that allows importers and local manufacturers to electronically obtain the required Certificate of Conformity and Certificate of Shipment Conformity for consumer goods, whether they were imported or locally manufactured to enter the Saudi market. The platform aims to protect the businesses from fraud and ensure that products are free from defects that may affect the health and safety of consumers.

Importers and local manufacturers can request a Certificate of Conformity (both Product and Shipment Certificates of Conformity) for their products easily through SABER.

The mechanism of the SABER system is divided into 3 steps as below.

*Risk level of product

The risk level of a product is assigned by the system based on the supplied HS code and product category. Those items that are not regulated by any Saudi Arabian technical regulations are classified as low-risk items.

2. Product Registration

• The importer inputs details of the product into SABER
• The SABER system verifies if the product is regulated or not based on HS code or product category

3. Type Approval Certificate (Product Certificate of Conformity)

• Scope: Products that are regulated by Saudi Arabia TR. Click here for a list of technical regulations. For products not regulated by Saudi Arabia TR, self-declaration according to the approved forms by SASO is sufficient – , Type Approval Certificates are not needed.
• Validity: One year
• Required documents:
  
  • Conformity documents such as test reports, quality certificates, risk assessment reports, inspection report etc., if applicable
  • Design, dimensions, plans, specification photo of the products, if applicable

The Type Approval Certificate will be issued through the SABER system after compliance to relevant standards is proven and after approval by SASO Approved Conformity Assessment Body.

4. Shipment Certificate of Conformity

• Scope: All products
• Validity: Per consignment
• Required documents:
  
  • Type Approval Certificate or self-declaration
  • Shipment document, such as invoice, packing list, bill of lading etc.

A Shipment Certificate is required for each consignment. Issuance of Shipment Certificates for shipments of non-regulated products and regulated products are done through SABER.

On July 1, 2020 the SABER platform was linked with the FASAH system. This integration ensures the automatic verification of Shipment Certificates – there is no need to print a Shipment Certificate of Conformity (SCoC) as it will automatically be in the FASAH system. Any shipment to Saudi Arabia that does not have an SCoC will be required to be re-exported.

5. SASO Approved Technical Regulations

QIMA is able to approve Product Certificates of Conformity for a number of product categories. The table below contains details on these SASO approved Technical Regulations, their scope and type of approval.

A note on approval types: Approval types 1a, 3 and 5 refer to the assessment types defined in ISO/IEC 17067. Different conformity assessment activities are required for each type as applicable:

• Type 1a: Product testing / inspection
• Type 3: Product testing / factory inspection / audit
• Type 5: Product testing / factory inspection / surveillance factory audit

Technical Regulation	Scope	Approval Type
BD-142004-01 and TC-143307-01 Technical Regulation for Low-Voltage Electrical Equipment and Appliances	Certain electrical and electronic devices (AC 50-1000V or DC 75-1500V)	1a
M.A.-155-16-03-01 Technical Regulation for Lubricating Oil	Lubricating oil for various uses Used refined or recycled oils as essential oils in the composition of lubricating oils Brake fluid, automatic transmission fluid	3
M.A.-156-16-04-02 Technical Regulation for Building Materials - Part II: Insulating and Cladding Materials for Buildings	Insulation and cladding material	3
M.A.-161-17-07-03 Technical Regulations for Building Materials - Part IV Bricks, Tiles, Ceramics, Sanitary Ware and Related Products	Bricks, tiles, marble and stone, sanitary ware and related products Does not include cement tile and brick	3
	Ceramic products Notes: Saudi Quality Mark required	5
M.A.-155-16-03-03 Technical Regulation for Paints (Dyes) and Varnishes	Emulsion paints, oil paints and varnishes for use in residential and commercial buildings, and public utilities	3
M.A.-155-06-03-04 Technical Regulation for Electric Self-Balancing Boards (Scooter)	Electric self-balancing plates (scooters)	3
M.A.-166-18-04-02 Technical Regulations for Electrical Batteries	Car batteries Portable batteries, such as button cells, weighing less than 1kg Exclude batteries for military, medical devices, and aeronautical industry	3
M.A.-162-17-04-02 Technical Regulations for Auto Spare Parts*	New original spare parts that are used for motor vehicles, such as seat belts, motor vehicle glass, vehicle lamps Importer is approved licensed distributors for the spare part manufacturer of the new original spare parts	1a
	New commercial spare parts Importer is any other suppliers	3
M.A.-165-18-04-04 Technical Regulations for Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment	Equipment and clothing designed to protect the health and safety of its user against potential hazards Excludes medical equipment and protective clothing for medical or military uses	3
M.A.-164-18-05-02 Technical Regulation of Textile Products*	Products that contain at least 80% by weight of textile component that are not children’s product or underwear	1a
	Children’s product or underwear	3
M.A.-155-16-03-02 Technical Regulations for Detergents	Detergents, surfactant and soap Unpackaged detergents that are supplied in large containers for the purpose of refill and repackaging	3
Technical Regulations for Adhesives and Related Products	Adhesives and glue products (for example, structural adhesives, adhesives for leather, footwear, wood products, paper, packaging)	1a
Technical Regulations for Jewelry Decoration and Accessories	Jewelry and accessories made of metals, plastics, glass or valuable material Tiny beads used in the accessories	1a
E.M. 171-19-06-02 Technical Regulations for Building Materials Part 5: Pipes for Water, Electricity and Gas Networks	Plastic and metal pipe system used in transport of water and electrical installations in building and accessories	3
Technical Regulations for Telecommunications Devices	Wireless communication devices (for example, mobile phones, headsets, smart devices)	1a
Technical Regulations for Packaging	Packaging products: paper, cardboard, wood, plastics, textile, and any other materials used in packaging	1a
E.M. 171-19-06-04 Technical Regulations for Food Safety in Kitchen Appliances	Materials and surfaces in contact with food (for example, cooking equipment, tableware, food packaging materials and containers)	3
Technical Regulations for Shoes and Leather	Footwear made of leather, textile, plastic or a mixture of these materials	1a
Technical Regulations for Pressure Devices and Equipment and their Accessories	Devices operating under pressure and their accessories (for example, fire extinguishers, pressure cookers)	1a
M.A.-172-19-04-02 Technical Regulations for Firefighting Equipment and Materials	Products for firefighting (for example, fire extinguisher, alarm systems, fire hoses	3
Technical Regulations for Doors and Windows	Doors and windows made of plastics, wood, glass or metal Accessories for doors and windows Warehouse doors, armored doors, fire-proof doors	1a
Technical Regulations for Machinery Safety – Part 1: Portable and Oriented Machines	Portable machines Cutting and sawing machines Cranes Mobile machines used in general construction Drilling machines	1a

*Textile Products & Auto Spare Parts are subject to a Categorized Conformity Assessment which enables similar products to be grouped together covered by a single PCoC. This effectively reduces the number of PCoCs required for importing products into Saudi Arabia and streamlines the certification process.

For a full list of SASO approved Technical Regulations, click here.

Please note the following:

1. QIMA will stop issuing any SASO CoC for regulated products under the remaining technical regulations (TR) from the SABER system / SABER CoC program starting on 15/01/2020.
2. QIMA will issue only the PCoCs for regulated products from the SABER platform.
3. All traders shall obtain the shipment certificate for all non-regulated products via the ​SABER platform.
4. Starting from 15/02/2020, no shipment will enter Saudi Arabia unless it has the required certifications via SABER only.