Summary of Saudi Arabia CITC Type Approval certification process
The Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) is the national authority of Saudi Arabia that regulates the communications and information technology sector. CITC issues conformity certificates for telecommunications equipment, radio equipment and information technology equipment.
The CITC Certification scheme does not have a specific regime for testing requirements; the testing scope is based on the requirements for CE marking. Testing should be carried out to ensure compliance with the RED.
CITC approval is mandatory for telecom and radio products that are commercialized in Saudi Arabia. CITC type approval is based on the preparation of all required documentation and providing this documentation to CITC for its review and assessment. After this revision, CITC issues a Certificate of Conformity with a validity of 2 years.
In-country Testing is not required for CITC approval and a Local Representative is not required.
CITC Product marking
The CITC approval does not have specific labelling requirements.
Summary of Saudi Arabia SASO Type Approval process
Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) introduced the new Saudi Product Safety Program named "SALEEM", which will replace the current Conformity Assessment program. The SALEEM program is concerned with the safety of products in the Saudi market.
Under the SALEEM program, product and shipment conformity will be operated via the new online system named "SABER". Starting January 2019, SABER will be gradually implemented by technical regulations (TR). Upon implementation, importers importing products regulated by TR are required to register the products on the system in order to obtain a Certificate of Conformity after passing an assessment.
All consignment of products intended to be imported to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia must present the Certificate of Shipment Conformity at Saudi Customs for a smooth clearance.
There are two routes to get the SASO approval:
- Certificate of Conformity + Shipment Certificate. Products that are regulated by SASO Technical Regulations (TR) must obtain a Certificate of Conformity through the SABER platform.
- Self-Declaration + Shipment Certificate. Products that are not regulated by any SASO Technical Regulation (TR) must obtain a Self-Declaration through the SABER platform.
In all cases and for every product, a Shipment Certificate is required for each consignment. Issuance of a Shipment Certificate for shipments of non-regulated products and regulated products must be obtained through the SABER platform.
In-country testing and samples are not required as Type Approval is based on documentation review and assessment. A local importer is needed for addressing SASO Approval. The validity of SASO’s Certificate of Conformity is one year from the issuance date.
SASO Product marking
There are no labelling requirements for the SASO approval.