RoHS To take effect from July 2022 in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) published the Technical Regulation for Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (SASO RoHS) in 2021 to take effect from July 4, 2022. The initial implementation date was January 5, 2022, which was later changed to July 4, when the implementation will now be done in stages.

Although several countries around the world raised concerns about SASO RoHS causing obstacles to trade, Saudi Arabia has set plans requiring conformity assessments under its regulation indicating that the assessments will help raise the quality level of their national industry and also enhance the safety of goods imported to the country. To this effect, the Saudi Arabian government published the assessment procedure guidelines and the documents required for submission by companies.

SASO RoHS is similar to the EU’s Directive on the restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS) in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE).  However, unlike EU RoHS, it stipulates that both domestic manufacturers and importers need to obtain a certificate proving the conformity of their products with the regulation. The certificate must also be from an approved organisation. For suppliers to get certified, they have to provide a test report of the complete product. If not available or possible, they can provide a report for a minimum of three critical parts, which should be selected based on a risk assessment.

In the regulation, there are six categories of EEE that must meet their relevant requirements before they can enter and be placed in the Saudi market. The substances and their limits are:

The categories of EEE covered by the regulation have different enforcement dates that should be noted from now. For electrical home appliances (for small and large appliances), the enforcement date is July 4, 2022, and October 2, 2022, respectively. The regulation regarding Information and communication technology equipment will be enforced from December 31, 2022, and lighting equipment will be enforced from March 31, 2023. For electrical and electronic tools and equipment, enforcement of the regulation will start on June 29, 2023, and September 27, 2023, for games, entertainment devices, and sports equipment. Lastly, the directives for monitoring and control tools will be enforced from December 26, 2023.

Who will be affected?

The regulation, SASO RoHS, applies to manufacturers and importers of household appliances (both small and large), equipment for information communication technology and lighting, monitoring and control tools, and equipment for leisure, recreation, and sport.

Anyone who fails to comply is liable to fines, penalties, and the possibility of complete removal of such products from the market.

Who is exempted?

The exempted products are medical devices, military equipment, large-scale industrial stationary machinery, large-scale fixed installations, and aerospace equipment.