Saudi Arabia has very strict quality and safety requirements for imported products. In order to ensure compliance with Saudi technical regulations and standards, products exported to Saudi Arabia must obtain the Saudi Quality Mark (SQM), a mark of conformity that certifies that the product has been tested and meets the requirements of the relevant standards and/or technical regulations of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) and that the manufacturer of the product has an effective management system in place to ensure that its ongoing production meets the quality requirements. SQM is a mark of conformity used to certify that a product has been tested and complies with the relevant standards and/or technical regulations of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) and that the manufacturer of the product has an effective management system in place to ensure that it continues to produce in accordance with the quality requirements. The prerequisites for the use of the Saudi Quality Mark are a certificate of certification issued by SASO or its authorized certification body, within the validity period of the certification, and compliance with the certification requirements.

Ⅰ.Scope of Compulsory Certification

The following table lists the products within the scope of compulsory certification. These products must apply for a quality mark use license (i.e. certification) and affix the Saudi quality mark before they can enter the Saudi market:

In addition, some technical regulations stipulate that the products listed in the following table shall also be deemed to have met the quality requirements of technical regulations if they have obtained a certification and affixed the Saudi quality mark or its equivalent mark:

Ⅱ. Certification Application and Acceptance Body

1. Applicant

Saudi importers and manufacturers as well as foreign manufacturers can apply, however, foreign manufacturers are required to have legal representation in Saudi Arabia.

2. Certification business acceptance agency

SASO related competent authorities or conformity assessment bodies approved and authorized by SASO to provide certification services for products within the scope of SASO control.

Ⅲ. Certification Procedure

According to the Saudi Quality Mark General Regulations, Saudi Quality Mark certification is divided into the following five stages:

1. Product CertificationApply

Enterprises can apply for a quality mark use license only if they meet the following initial conditions:

• Enterprises must obtain legal licenses and their areas of work should be consistent with the scope of the license.
• Accept the conditions and acceptance procedures stipulated in the Saudi Quality Mark General Regulations, sign the contract, and ensure that the goods that need to use the Saudi Quality Mark comply with relevant standards and/or technical regulations.
• Establish and maintain an effective management system that complies with the requirements of the specific certification program to ensure that products are continuously produced in accordance with the relevant standards and/or technical regulations specified in the license application.
• Notify of any changes to products, production equipment or control equipment.
• Identify and maintain the trade name (trademark and reference number) of the goods to be licensed and notify the certification agency of any changes to the trade name.
• Use the Saudi quality mark in accordance with the manner and method specified in the certification acceptance procedure.
• Record complaints related to products bearing this mark and the measures taken in response to them so that auditors can review them at any time.
• Provide the certification body with all necessary facilities when conducting audits and make available to it all information at all times, including quality control methods and records related to production.
• Inform the certification agency of any documents promoting the product.
• Complete the designated application form and attach all required documents.
• The applicant company should also submit an independent application to obtain a license to use the Saudi quality mark. The specific procedures are determined by the certification agency.

2. Document review by the certification agency

The certification business accepting organization evaluates the application documents and informs the applicant enterprise of the evaluation result within 15 days from the date of accepting the application. If there are any missing documents, the applicant enterprise shall make up for them within 30 days from the date of submitting the application.

3. Initial inspection and testing

• The certification body shall form a team to visit the enterprise and the production line during the work on the production line in order to carry out the review. For products subject to licensing, samples may be taken from the final product (production line) of the enterprise and the necessary tests may be carried out on the samples in the laboratory of the certification body or in any approved laboratory identified by SASO and specified in the certification acceptance procedure.
• Enterprises have the right to object to testing in a laboratory designated by the certification body, however, the need to object and its reasons in writing to the certification body.
• The certification body is authorized to accept product test reports that require a license, which shall be issued by an accredited laboratory as determined by SASO and specified in the certification procedure.

4. Certification results assessment and approval certificate

• The body receiving the certification operation shall prepare a report on the results of the inspection visit, including an assessment of the test results and a recommendation on whether or not to grant a license. The report shall be submitted to the Audit Committee, which shall make a decision in accordance with article 8 of the General Regulation on the Saudi Quality Mark. The Board may require the enterprise to pay for additional evaluations or supplementary inspections, or require improvements at certain points or in production control work prior to the decision to grant a license.
• If the application conditions are qualified, the license will be granted to the certified enterprise. The license is valid for three years, and the license will be automatically renewed unless the receiving organization of the certification business finds that its products are unqualified or in violation of the requirements in the follow-up work, or the enterprise submits a suspension application 60 days before the expiration of the license.

5. Post-certification supervision

• The certification business accepting organization conducts supervision and inspection of the certified enterprise at least once a year, and the inspection steps are consistent with the initial inspection steps.
• The certification business receiving organization has the right to randomly take samples of goods that have used the Saudi Quality Mark directly from the market, production lines or warehouses for testing to ensure that they are in compliance with the General Regulations for the Saudi Quality Mark and the certification procedures, and that they meet the requirements of the relevant standards and / or technical regulations.
• The certification business receiving body shall follow up the files of the licensed enterprises through continuous monitoring of the conformity assessment results, execution of periodic inspections and/or sampling and/or periodic testing in accordance with the Saudi General Regulation on Quality Marking and the relevant certification procedures.
• Unless the enterprise submits a suspension application, the certification business receiving agency shall conduct a renewal review of the licensed enterprise before the end of the license validity period.

Ⅳ. Official Certification Application Path

Applicants can register and log in to the SASO digital service platform, fill in and upload the application form and quality mark license contract, and upload business license, production license, enterprise production location map, enterprise organizational structure, quality manual or quality management system documents, quality control plan, product data label, declaration of conformity, product test report issued by an accredited laboratory, brand ownership certificate, product digital code (barcode) and other certification certificates and labels (such as energy efficiency certificate and SASO IECEE accreditation certificate, etc.), and pay the application fee. Then the certification application status can be tracked through this platform.

By understanding and strictly complying with the above certification requirements and processes, companies can ensure that their products enter the Saudi market smoothly, maintain compliance and enhance market competitiveness.