SASO Certificate of Conformity

The Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) Certificate of Conformity (CoC) scheme ensures that all products entering into Saudi Arabia are in conformity with national product safety and quality requirements.

Importers require SASO conformity certification at customs to prove product conformity and to clear the shipment from the port. The scheme applies to all types of products, excluding a small scope of non-regulated products.

We are authorized by SASO to issue the mandatory COC per shipment.

Partnering with RACS means short lead times and benefitting from our established working relations with local authorities.

A proof that the product has been approved by the Federal Government through SASO
One of the documents required when clearing shipments from Ports and Customs Authorities
Validity will depend on the route of certification applied for
Authenticity of issued certificate can easily be checked on-line

Three Routes of Certification

REQUIREMENTS

ROUTES

	A	B	C
Registration of products	No	Yes, yearly	Yes with license valid for 3 years
Inspection of shipment	Each shipment	Surveillance every quarter	Random, as part of surveillance
Laboratory testing of products	Test Report required each shipment	Test Report required during registration only	No, only Type Test Report during initial application
Factory inspection	No	No	Yes
Best Option for	Occasional exporters	Frequent exporters	Frequent, high volume exporters

Who should apply?

Manufacturers or traders of all products intended for the Saudi Arabia market

Certification Process

The length of certification process is 3 working days and involves the following steps:

Application

Application through RACS
Submit Your Application
Submission of required documents
The following are the required documents to be sent by e-mail to RACS:
Request for Certification
Declaration of Conformity
Shipment Invoice
Test Report, as needed
Other documents, as needed (e.g. Product Technical/Safety Data Sheet, ISO 9001 certificate of manufacturer, Laboratory accreditation certificate)

Payment of Fees

Fees are established by the Saudi Customs as follows:

Declared FOB value of the Shipment (USD)	Applicable Fees (USD)
0 – 10,000	200
10,001 – 60,000	350
60,001 – 100,000	450
100,001 – 200,000	900
200,001 – 500,000	1,800
500,001 and above	2,500

Conformity Assessment

Document Review
Technical experts review all the documents submitted in order to assess completeness and compliance of the product with the requirements as stated in the SASO Technical Regulation and applicable standards.

Inspection
Inspectors will visit the location of the shipment in order to verify the items declared in the shipment invoice and the conformance of the product labels to requirements.

Product Testing
In case of doubt or as the need arises, Inspectors may collect samples during the inspection and send to an independent laboratory for testing.

Factory Audit
Auditors visit the factory for initial assessment in order to ensure effective implementation of a Quality Management System and continuous compliance of product with the requirements.