What would you feel if the items you exported did not pass-through customs upon their arrival at the port of destination? Wouldn’t you have a sense of disappointment and perhaps even a trace of regret? We have some uplifting news for you.
Recent years have seen a rise in the number of countries implementing quality control measures for the commodities that enter their ports. These are the Certificates of Conformity issued by various nations across the world.
Both the Saudi Arabian Standardization Organization (SASO) and the Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO), an umbrella organization that serves the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, have established standards that are adhered to by Saudi Arabia. For More Guidelines, you can See our details page.
Even while the GSO is still working to harmonize standards across the Gulf region, the SASO continues to have a substantial amount of authority in the process of formulating, expanding upon and enforcing standards that are special to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Product Safety Program, commonly known as SALEEM, is made possible by the Saudi Standardization and Metrology Authority.
The Object of SASO Regulation
SASO for some essential products has issued technical Regulations based on the nature, application, safety, and performance characteristics of those products. The objective of these Technical Regulations is to protect consumers from purchasing dangerous or non-conforming products while simultaneously establishing that the products are following the regulatory requirements and the Islamic Sharia. This will be accomplished by identifying products that share similar characteristics and compiling all the requirements that are relevant to these products into a single regulation.
The Technical Regulations include legal clauses that give the Regulatory Bodies and Market Surveillance Authorities the authority to continuously assess the Regulated Products and, if they are found to be non-compliant, to initiate penalties, fines, and other repercussions against the Suppliers who have placed these products on the market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Several different product certification systems that are in conformity with the ISO/IEC 17067 standard are included in the Technical Regulations that SASO issued.
SASO’s issued list of Technical Regulations covers a variety of products. These regulations include things like lube oils, detergents, building materials and construction products, paints, lifts, vehicle spare parts, and textiles, among other things. Regulated Products are the name given to the assortment of goods that fall under the purview of Technical Regulations. A two-stage process, the Conformity Assessment Process for Regulated Products consists of the following steps:
Issuance of Product Certification of Conformity (PCoC)
Every regulated product is required to have a PCoC issued for it in accordance with the applicable product standards that are outlined in the relevant Technical Regulation. The Period of Compliance Certificate is good for a period of one (1) year.
The importer must submit a request for a Product Certificate of Conformity (PCoC).
Product Details are entered into the system based on the Saudi Arabian Customs Tariff Code.
Certification Bodies (also known as CBs) like Intertek must first be chosen.
Fees to be Paid to the PCoC.
Intertek is responsible for conducting the conformity assessment and entering the substantiating documents and verification results.
The system will then issue a PCoC to the user.
Issuance of Shipment Certificate of Conformity (SCoC).
Every regulated product that is a part of the shipment will be checked to see if a valid PCoC already exists for that product; if this is discovered to be the case, the SCoC will be issued for that product. This shipment is the only one for which the SCoC is valid.
The importer must submit a request for a Shipment Certificate of Conformity (SCoC).
Fees to be paid to the SCoC
Intertek’s verification and validation that the product in question possesses a genuine PCoC.
The system will issue a SCoC once it is ready.
Costs Related to The Application
There is a fee associated with the submission of the application. The following are some of them:
– 1. Fees for receiving and checking SASO-prepared forms from the factory manufacturing the product or any agency distributing it. – 2. Fees for receiving and checking SASO-prepared forms. – 3. Fees for receiving and checking
2. All costs incurred in connection with visits to areas of operation made by technicians and inspectors for the purpose of conducting inspections
– 3. The costs associated with transporting the samples from the manufacturer, agency, or market to the Accredited Lab to have them inspected there.
4. The cost of analyzing and testing the samples in the various labs
– 5. The cost associated with the production of additional copies of the Certificate of Conformity in either English or Arabic.
Who has the authority to issue SASO
certificate?
The downside to this is that not all agencies that offer SASO CoC services are recognized in Saudi Arabia, which can make things more difficult for businesses that want to export their products to markets in Saudi Arabia. It is essential that these credentials be acquired only from approved organizations that are acknowledged in Saudi Arabia.
Intertek has five Accreditation Offices in Saudi Arabia to assist with Conformity Assessment and Certificate issuance. This allows Intertek to be accredited for most of the technical rules in each of the country’s five regions.