Brothers doing business in the Saudi market, take note: SASO's old rules now all go through the SABER system — put plainly, it's the online customs clearance platform set up by the Saudi Standards organization. For your products to enter Saudi Arabia, you first register on SABER and obtain two certificates: PC (Product Certificate of Conformity) and SC (Shipment Certificate of Conformity). PC is product-level, valid for one year, proving your goods comply with Saudi standards; SC is applied for before each shipment, one certificate per shipment. Without SC, your goods cannot clear customs upon arrival at port, and while the customer chases you every day, all you can do is fret.
So what products require this? The scope is very broad — electrical appliances, lighting, toys, auto parts, building materials, chemicals, textiles are basically all covered. Especially those with plugs, with batteries, or with child-appealing designs — Saudi Arabia inspects these particularly closely. Many factories think a CE or CB report lets them cover everything — truly not the case. Saudi Arabia has its own standards; for example, plugs must comply with SASO 2203, energy efficiency requires SASO 2870. If you directly apply EU reports, or select the wrong standard in the system, the PC certificate won't even be issued.
The three easiest pitfalls to stumble into. First, the model on the PC certificate doesn't match the actual shipment — some people, to save effort, attach a dozen models to one certificate, only for customs spot checks to find the physical goods don't match the certificate description, resulting in the entire batch being returned. Second, applying for SC too late — only thinking of it after the ship has sailed. SABER system approval takes time, and it's even slower during Saudi holidays. When the goods arrive at port and the certificate still isn't out, demurrage fees rise day by day. Third, labels and manuals not done in Arabic, or Arabic printed incorrectly — Saudi customs has zero tolerance for this; don't think English can bluff your way through.
On timelines, if the PC certificate documentation is complete, generally three to five working days; SC, if fast, one or two days — but the premise is that your product test reports have no issues and the system operation wasn't filled in wrong. If reports are missing items or the standard is selected wrong, it's quite normal for back-and-forth supplementary materials to drag on for one or two weeks. So it's recommended to leave at least a two-week buffer before shipment — don't cut it close to the sailing date when applying for certificates. Whether you find an agent or do it yourself, first look up the Saudi standard number corresponding to your product clearly and get the test report right — that's better than anything.