New technical regulation affects importers to Saudi Arabia

As part of the SALEEM program (Saudi Product Safety Program), the Saudi Arabian Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) launched a definition of critical substances in imported goods for so-called "regulated products" in the form of the "Technical Regulation for the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment" on July 9, 2021. Its original entry into force was postponed from January 5, 2022 to July 4, 2022. From this date on, the regulation will be implemented gradually and depending on the category.

According to Article 2, the following categories of electrical and electronic products and their spare parts are affected when imported into Saudi Arabia:

Product Category	Enactment
Small home appliances	04-07-2022
Large home appliances	02-10-2022
Information and communication technology equipment	31-12-2022
Lighting equipment	31-03-2023
Electrical and electronic tools and equipment	29-06-2023
Games, entertainment devices, and sports equipment	27-09-2023
Monitoring and control tools	26-12-2023

The following categories are exempt from the substance bans:

Materials listed in Annex (1-a)

Medical equipment

Military weapons and equipment

Equipment to be sent to space

Large-scale stationary industrial tools

Large-scale fixed installations

The following limits in weight % in homogeneous materials of electrical equipment according to Annex (1-b) apply.


0,1%	Lead (Pb)
0,1%	Mercury (Hg)
0,01%	Cadmium (Cd)
0,1%	Hexavalent chromium (Cr VI6)
0,1%	Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)
0,1%	Polybrominated biphenyls ethers (PBDE)

There are 2 potential conformity assessment procedures (Annex 3).
Here, type approval (type 1a according to ISO/IEC 17067) may take place by means of one of the following two methods:

Procedure A): Metrological verification of the limit values on the end device from production in an accredited test laboratory in accordance with the IEC 62321 standards series.

Procedure B): By means of a risk assessment (DIN EN IEC 63000 (VDE 0042-12):2019-05) of the conformity of the technical design or the representative end product of the series, the critical components are determined. At least on 3 of the materials filtered in this way, a test of the prohibited substances is conducted in an accredited test laboratory in accordance with the IEC 62321 standards series.
Finally, the manufacturer issues a corresponding declaration of conformity.

In both procedures, the manufacturer must initiate a request for a type approval at a "Notified Body" of their own choosing.

The duration of the type approvals is limited to 1 year in both cases.

We would be happy to help

As a Notified Body and accredited test laboratory in accordance with the IEC 62321 standards series, we would be delighted to help you perform the tests as a manufacturer and prepare the necessary documentation to make it as easy as possible for you to access the market.

Please feel free to get in touch.

New technical regulation affects importers to Saudi Arabia

We would be happy to help

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