Conformity for goods entering Saudi Arabia is often described as a single certificate. In practice it is two processes, and understanding the difference is what stops a consignment being held at the border or sent back.

Two stages, not one

Under the Saudi product safety programme, conformity is handled through an electronic system in which products are registered and assessed before shipments are certified. The two stages answer different questions.

  • The product stage. The product is registered, its classification is established, and it is assessed by a certification body against the applicable standard. Where the product qualifies, a product-level certificate is issued. Some products may instead be self-declared by the importer, supported by technical files.
  • The shipment stage. A shipment certificate of conformity is issued for the consignment itself, drawing on the product-level certificate or declaration together with the shipment documents such as the invoice and packing list.

The shipment certificate is what accompanies the consignment to customs. A consignment without one is exposed to being refused entry or required to be re-exported, which is a materially worse outcome than resolving the documentation before dispatch.

Where the requirement does not stop at customs

Conformity requirements apply to many product categories rather than to all goods. Certain categories sit with the food and drug authority rather than the standards body, and some carry a regional conformity mark alongside the national requirement. Which applies depends on what the product is and what it is for.

What to establish before dispatch

  • The product and its intended use, described precisely enough to place it in the right category.
  • Whether the product has already been registered and assessed, and whether a product-level certificate or a self-declaration is held.
  • Which body has the assessment role for this category.
  • Whether a shipment certificate has been requested for this consignment.
  • Whether any regional mark applies in addition.

Timing

The product stage takes longer than the shipment stage, and it cannot be compressed at the port. Where a product has not been registered before, the work starts well before the goods are dispatched. Where a product is already registered, the shipment stage is comparatively quick.

TCSA confirms which requirement applies to a commodity and its intended use before any work is commissioned, and confirms coverage with your enquiry rather than assuming it. Nothing here is a conformity assessment of your product; assessments are carried out by the bodies authorised to make them.