G-Mark Saudi Arabia: the mark next to SABER and SASO

The G-Mark Saudi Arabia recognises at its border is the Gulf mark under two GSO technical regulations: <strong>BD-142004-01</strong> on low-voltage electrical equipment and appliances and <strong>BD-131704-01</strong> on toys. Saudi Arabia applies both as a GSO member state, but its national body, SASO (Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization), clears imports through SABER, where every regulated product needs a product certificate of conformity (PCoC) and every consignment a shipment certificate (SCoC). The Gulf Type Examination certificate behind the mark is evidence inside the PCoC application that a SASO-approved body files. It does not replace SABER, it does not cover SFDA products, and radio equipment carries CST type approval on top.

Does the G-Mark clear customs in Saudi Arabia?

No. A consignment enters Saudi Arabia on two SABER documents: a PCoC for the product, from a body SASO has approved for that technical regulation, and an SCoC for the shipment, issued against the PCoC and the invoice. The SCoC is what the broker presents at the port. A container with a G-Mark on every carton and no SCoC in SABER waits there until one is issued.

What the G-Mark contributes is the type examination. For the thirteen appliance categories on List No. (2) TC143307-01 of the low-voltage regulation, fans, refrigerators, washing machines, irons, chargers and air conditioners among them, and for toys, a GSO-notified body examines the type, issues a Gulf Type Examination certificate, and the product carries the Gulf Conformity Tracking Symbol (GCTS) on itself and its packaging. SABER lists both Gulf regulations among its technical regulations, and its register of conformity assessment bodies carries a scope named for the low-voltage regulation with the Gulf mark. The SASO-approved body attaches the certificate and the reports behind it to the PCoC application, so the Saudi file reuses the Gulf work.

With a G-Mark certificate, Saudi Arabia still asks who the importer is. The SABER account is opened against a Saudi commercial registration, so the PCoC is raised under one importer, and a second distributor for the same product raises a second PCoC, in an account the manufacturer does not control unless it places the account with an independent representative.

Which edition of the standard does SASO want to see?

The edition SASO has adopted. GSO adopts IEC and EN standards by endorsing the latest published edition, the previous adopted edition stays effective for two years from the update, and Article 15 of the low-voltage regulation allows an IEC standard only where no Gulf standard exists yet. SASO publishes its adoptions under the SASO IEC prefix, and SABER names the edition it expects, as its notice on unified charging ports does with SASO IEC 62680-1-2:2023 for routers, cameras and keyboards from 1 May 2026. The failure we see most on this route is a G-Mark issued on a CB report to an edition the notified body accepted inside the two-year window, then a PCoC refused because the SASO-approved body reads the edition SABER lists today. The retest that follows was not in the shipping plan.

For G-Mark certification, Saudi Arabia adds one document of its own. Where a product holds an IECEE CB test certificate and report, SASO issues a SASO IECEE Recognition Certificate that turns the CB report into Saudi evidence without repeating the safety testing in full; the Saudi deviations are covered as national differences. The same CB report feeds the Gulf Type Examination, which is why we commission electrical testing for the Gulf as a CB scheme project from the first laboratory booking.

The label is checked twice. GSO requires the mark at least 5 mm high, accompanied by the identification number of the notified body, with the GCTS beside it for regulated-list products. SABER adds a Saudi line: from 1 October 2026 the supplier name, meaning the importer or the local factory, and its commercial registration number must appear on the product under ten technical regulations. Rating plates are tooled before importers are appointed, so leave the plate a field for that line.

Where do toys go wrong at the Saudi border?

On scope. BD-131704-01 covers products designed or intended for play by children under 14 and sends a toy to a GSO-notified body in two cases: the Gulf Type Examination of Annex IV where the toy does not conform entirely to the Gulf standards, and the Importer Verification of Conformity of Annex V, under which every consignment is certified, where the importer cannot evidence the manufacturer's obligations. Annex I lists nineteen categories that are not toys at all.

The mistake is filing under the wrong technical regulation. SABER carries the Gulf toys regulation, but it also carries a separate regulation for electric personal mobility devices, and a ride-on electric scooter filed as a toy comes back from the SASO-approved body. An electric toy sits under the toys regulation with GSO IEC 62115; filing it under the low-voltage regulation because it has a plug produces a PCoC for the wrong regulation. Decide the regulation before the samples go to the laboratory, because the test programme follows it.

Timing follows the parent schemes: four to ten weeks for the G-Mark where reports to the GSO or IEC standards exist, two to six weeks for a first PCoC, and days for an SCoC. The two files run in parallel: the SASO-approved body opens the PCoC application while the notified body finishes the type examination.

What does the G-Mark not do in Saudi Arabia?

It does not reach outside its two regulations. Food, cosmetics, supplements, medicines and medical devices clear through the Saudi Food and Drug Authority on SFDA certification, per shipment, never through SABER. Anything that transmits on the radio spectrum needs type approval from the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST); the CST approval is a national clearance, outside this page, and we do not offer it as our service. A product under no Saudi technical regulation is still registered in SABER on the importer's self-declaration and still needs an SCoC per consignment.

It also does not carry across the other national layers: the UAE adds ECAS from MoIAT to the same G-Mark. The Gulf conformity mark page sets out the regional scheme, and the SABER page covers the Saudi platform for products that never carry the mark. A regional launch is a per-country matrix with one Gulf Type Examination at the top and a national registration under each flag.

What each document does at the Saudi border

SABER lists more than sixty Saudi technical regulations, and only two of them carry the G-Mark. Every other regulated product on the list takes a PCoC without a Gulf Type Examination, and the list is revised, so check the current scope at the point of quoting.