What is a SASO certificate? Saudi standards and certification explained
Until 2025, a shipment that reached Saudi Arabia without its paperwork could often be fixed at the port.
That option is gone. Today, regulated goods that arrive without their certificates are sent back at the importer’s expense, so the conformity record attached to your product decides whether it enters the market at all.
That record is the SASO certificate, a certificate of conformity showing that a product meets the technical regulations of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO).
SASO was founded in 1972 and is Saudi Arabia’s national standards body. It writes the regulations, but it does not issue the certificates itself; accredited conformity assessment bodies do. For regulated products, certification is mandatory, not advisory.
SASO or Saber: which is which?
The two names are often used as if they meant the same thing. They do not:
SASO writes the technical regulations and standards.
SALEEM is the Saudi product safety program under which those regulations sit.
Saber is the electronic platform where products are registered, and certificates are issued.
In short, SASO sets the rules, and Saber is where you obtain the certificate that proves you have met them. Which certificates apply, who holds them, and how registration works are covered in our Saber certificate guide.
What changed in 2025 and 2026?
Saudi conformity rules have tightened every year since 2025. The position below is current as of October 2026.
Effective | What changed | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
1 January 2025 | Letters of undertaking and post-arrival applications are no longer accepted. Both certificates must be in place before shipment. | Goods arriving without certificates are refused entry and re-exported at the importer’s expense. |
15 September 2025 | A new list of HS codes needs a declaration approved by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources before a shipment certificate can be issued. | A product that cleared before may now need an extra approval. |
1 January 2026 | Saber accepts only the full 12-digit Saudi tariff code. | Re-check your HS code instead of assuming last year’s route still applies. |
Mid-2026 | The ministry expanded the declaration requirement to around 135 more product classifications, including steel, building materials, electrical equipment, and machinery. | Re-check your HS code instead of assuming last year’s route still applies. |
These changes move SASO compliance before shipment, which is the same principle behind pre-shipment conformity verification in other markets.
Which products need SASO certification?
Products covered by a SASO technical regulation are called regulated products. Whether a product is regulated depends on its HS code, not its name, much as with the SONCAP certificate in Nigeria.
Commonly regulated product groups include:
electrical and electronic equipment
household appliances and lighting
automotive parts and tires
textiles and garments
construction and building materials
chemicals, paints and detergents
toys and children’s products
machinery and industrial equipment
The system assigns each product a risk level from its HS code and category, and that risk level decides how it is assessed. Goods not covered by a technical regulation still need a self-declaration and a shipment certificate.
Food, medicines, medical devices, and cosmetics fall under the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) instead, so confirm which authority applies to your product.
Who issues a SASO certificate?
SASO writes the rules, but four parties share the work, from setting the regulation to issuing the certificate:
Party | Role |
|---|---|
SASO | Writes the technical regulations |
Saudi Accreditation Center | Accredits conformity assessment bodies against ISO/IEC 17065 |
Accredited body | Assesses the product under one of three approval types, then issues the certificate through Saber |
Saudi importer | Holds the certificate and uses it to clear each shipment |
The approval types are defined in ISO/IEC 17067. Type 1a covers product testing only. Type 3 adds a factory audit, and Type 5 adds ongoing surveillance, so each step up adds time and cost.
SASO certificate cost, timeline, and validity
The cost
No list price exists, because the cost depends on the assessment your product needs:
Approval type: a testing-only assessment and one with surveillance audits are very different amounts of work.
Number of products: certification is granted per product model and HS code.
Testing: the applicable regulation sets which tests are required, and valid existing reports reduce the cost.
Grouping: textiles and auto spare parts can be grouped under a single product certificate, which cuts the number needed.
Timeline and validity
Timeline: plan for about a month or more. The approval type, any factory assessment, and ready test reports all affect it.
Product certificate: valid for 12 months and renewed every year.
Shipment certificate: issued for each consignment.
Renewal risk: a lapsed product certificate blocks new shipment certificates.
Final thoughts
SASO certification used to be treated as paperwork that could catch up with the goods. Since 2025, it has to be complete before the goods leave.
The businesses that enter Saudi Arabia without disruption settle three things early: the correct 12-digit HS code, the assessment route their product needs, and the importer the certificates will be issued to.
Certified before shipping, cleared on arrival
Under Saudi rules, certificates have to be in place before your goods leave.
We take the importer role from the first registration on Saber to release at the port, so every consignment arrives with its certificates in place and an importer ready to clear it.
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Backed by decades of experience in global trade, IOR Service delivers the compliance frameworks, regulatory oversight, and market-entry expertise required for successful international operations. From highly regulated industries to complex cross-border projects, we help organizations move forward with certainty.Frequently asked questions
SASO stands for the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization. Founded in 1972, it is Saudi Arabia’s national standards body and writes the technical regulations that products sold in the Kingdom must meet.
Yes, for regulated products. Since January 2025, certificates must be in place before shipment, and goods without them are re-exported. Products not covered by a technical regulation still need a self-declaration and a shipment certificate.
SASO’s website publishes the technical regulations, and the Saber platform holds product registrations and certificates. Shipment certificates are checked automatically through FASAH, the Saudi customs system, which has been linked to Saber since July 2020.
The product certificate is valid for 12 months and is renewed every year through an accredited body. A shipment certificate covers one consignment. If the product certificate lapses, no new shipment certificates can be issued, and your shipments stop.
The product can be certified wherever it is made, and the manufacturer supplies the technical file. The certificate itself is issued in the Saudi importer’s name, so a manufacturer without a Saudi importer has no one to hold it.
No. An accredited conformity assessment body assesses the product and issues the certificate, and the Saudi importer of record holds it. A freight forwarder moves the goods but does not certify or hold them.
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