Introduction to GCC Certification

GCC Certification Process Guide

　　Currently, seven Arab member states of the Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO) are requiring Gmark certification for certain imported products and children's toys, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Yemen.

　　Certification Model

　　● Non-mandatory Product: Apply for customs clearance documents as per the usual process.

　　● Mandatory Product: The product has undergone testing and been issued with a GCC Type Approval Certificate by an authorized GSO (Gulf Standards Organization) institution.

　　Regulated Products

　　Thirteen specific categories of electrical products (see Figure 1) have been included in the GCC mandatory certification scope. It is mandatory to obtain GCC type certification certificates issued by recognized bodies of GSO, marked with the G-mark, to circulate among the seven Gulf Cooperation Council member countries. Products bearing the G-mark indicate compliance with GCC technical regulations.

　　G-mark Certification Process:

　　1) Manufacturer provides product information (manuals, circuit diagrams, HS codes), samples, and G-mark certification application forms.

　　2) The institution conducts document review, assesses product safety and electromagnetic compatibility in accordance with GCC technical regulations, determines product testing standards, and performs tests.

　　3) The institution has completed the testing, written and reviewed the reports, and registered the product in the GSO database, with the certification system assigning a registration number for the product.

　　4) The institution issues G-mark certificates in the form of G-mark, granting customers the right to use the G-mark logo on their products.

　　GCC Certification Process Guide Note:

　　(a) Applications can be made using CB certificate reports and EMC certificate reports valid for up to 3 years, to determine if the institutional review reports contain national deviations and if they meet the requirements; this EMC certificate report must be issued by a GSO-recognized institution.

　　b) No factory audit required, no annual fee; G-mark certificate is valid for three years from the date of issuance.

　　c) The product manual must be bilingual in English and Arabic.

　　After obtaining the G-mark, products exported to these 7 countries require the application of customs clearance documents specific to each country.

　　Products outside of the aforementioned 13 specific categories of electrical appliances shall follow the existing process for applying for test reports and customs clearance documents for the corresponding countries. These products currently do not require nor are they allowed to display the G-mark symbol.