The Product Certificate of Conformity (PCoC) is the main requirement for all locally manufactured and imported products to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organization (SASO) imposed this certificate to ensure that all products are tested and proved to conform to the standards before displaying them in the market to fulfill the most important objective of the Product Safety Program (SALEEM) that aims to protect the consumer and environment from any harm might be caused by non-conform products.
Obtaining the product certificate of conformity via Saber
Saber is the Electronic Platform developed by SASO to be a unified online system to register all products prepared for sale in the local market in Saudi Arabia, and issue the Products Certificate of Conformity and other conformity certificates, as well as being a platform that connects the beneficiaries and SASO approved bodies.
All local manufacturers and importers can register their facilities on Saber as long as they have a Saudi Commercial Register, and once there is an active account on Saber they can apply for certificates provided through the platform.
The third part rule in issuing the PCoC
Saber Electronic Platform allows access to all the approved bodies from SASO to issue the Product Certificate of Conformity listed and categorized according to geographical coverages, as each conformity body is approved to issue certificates for the products imported from specific regions, as for Tabseer, we are approved to issue the PCoC for products imported fro the Middle East and North Africa, and Europe.
Saber users can choose one of the approved conformity bodies on Saber, and the conformity body will be responsible for carrying out the conformity assessment, guiding the beneficiary to defining the HS Code and categorizing the product and determining the required documents and tests, and connecting them with the accredited laboratories to issue the test reports.
The conformity body issues the Product Certificate of conformity when the technical file is complete and the product is proved to conform to the relevant standards.
Why is it important to obtain the PCoC?
In addition to being mandatory for all products to be allowed to access the Saudi market, the PCoC is evidence that the product meets the required safety and quality standards and doesn’t violate any technical regulation provisions.
The Product Certificate of Conformity is a necessary step to issue the Shipment Certificate of Conformity (SCoC) that ensures smooth access at customs ports and completing the clearance process.
It is valid for one year and the online processing of the certificate allows following on the request progress, issuance decision, and expiration through Saber Electronic Platform.
