G Mark Requirements for Electronics Imported to the Gulf Member States

What Manufacturers Should Know as We Approach the New Year

07 December 2018

In 2016, the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) implemented the G mark to signify that certain products conform to essential requirements for "health, safety and the environment." Similar to European Union notified body schemes, the G mark requires a high degree of oversight. It is mandatory for certain low-voltage electrical products, that are imported and sold in GSO the member nations: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, State of Kuwait, Kingdom of Bahrain, Republic of Yemen, State of Qatar, Sultanate of Oman and State of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The G mark regulations are to ensure products conform to assessment procedures and documentation. Under the regulations for low voltage equipment there are two levels of risk applied to the scope of product, known as List 1, which is for self-declaration of product (yet to be populated) and List 2, which requires notified body involvement for testing, technical file review and certification for the G mark type certificate.  

Since the launch of the mark, the requirements surrounding it have been under review and updated accordingly.  As manufacturers look to import and sell products in the GSO member states in the new year, there are two items to note:

• The extension of List 2 scope is currently under review.  It is uncertain at this time what the extension will include or when it will go into effect, but manufacturers should be aware that an extension is on the horizon.
• Products subject to SASO Energy Efficiency labelling must now be confirmed when a product is evaluated for electrical safety under G mark requirements. SASO Energy Efficiency labels indicate that certain electrical products—such as air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators and freezers—comply to a strict set of energy efficient standards when imported into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This step helps to ensure all products bearing the G mark and SASO Energy Efficiency meets both requirements.

Under G mark requirements, manufacturers must choose a single notified body to evaluate product technical design, verify that applicable technical regulations are met, issue an evaluation report, and G mark type certificate to ensure the manufacturer has manufactured the product in accordance with technical specifications of a standard and essential requirements of the regulation as well as authentication of the SASO Energy Efficiency Labelling before issuing the G mark Type certificate.

Learn more about the G mark requirements for electrical products, including applicable products and other requirements on our G mark informational page.

Bruce McGill is the Vice President of Global Certification for Intertek, where he has oversees testing and certification programs across multiple industries, including appliances, electronics, consumer goods, wireless devices, transportation technologies, energy, power generation and more. He has an educational background in engineering, design, production and manufacturing.

Tags: 2018 | Bruce McGill | Electronics and Appliances