August 14, 2026
I. Introduction to GCC Certification
GCC is the abbreviation for the Gulf Cooperation Council. The GCC was established on May 25, 1981, in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Its member states include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Yemen, totaling seven countries. The General Secretariat is located in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The Supreme Council is the highest authority, composed of the heads of member states. The chairmanship rotates among the heads of state on an annual basis. The six countries share similar political and economic systems, maintain close royal family ties, and have common interests in politics, economy, foreign affairs, and national defense, making it a significant political and economic organization in the Middle East.
In May 2009, the GSO Board of Directors held its tenth meeting and reached a unanimous resolution regarding the GCC Conformity Marking. It was mandated that all regulated products must bear the GCC Conformity Marking, enabling these products to circulate and trade more quickly and conveniently within GCC member states. In addition to meeting basic health, safety, and environmental protection requirements, all products bearing this marking must also comply with the applicable GSO technical regulations and standards.
II. GCC Certification Requirements
The GCC Mark Certification Certificate is valid for 3 years. It can be renewed and modifications can be applied for during its validity period.
After obtaining the certificate, the importer must affix the GCC Mark and the corresponding GCC Certificate of Conformity number to each product.
GCC does not require factory audits or pre-shipment inspections. The certificate is issued after testing is passed. After obtaining the GCC certificate, an application can be made directly for inspection to obtain the Saudi SASO Certificate.
For the GCC mandatory product catalog, you can check whether a product falls within the mandatory certification scope based on its HS Code (Note: All toys are within the mandatory scope).
III. GCC Certification Documentation
Application Form;
Instruction manuals, nameplates, and a bilingual consistency declaration in both Arabic and English;
Factory Quality Management Documents (Manufacturer's ISO 9001 certificate and Business License);
Declaration of Conformity (DoC) and Risk Assessment Report;
Trademark Registration Certificate and Trademark Authorization Letter (if the trademark is not owned by the applicant);
When applying with a CB Test Certificate, a valid CB Test Certificate and Report issued within the last 3 years must be provided;
Safety test reports and EMC test reports;
Declaration of Conformity from both the Manufacturer and the Importer;
Product and nameplate photos;
Electrical and mechanical schematic diagrams.
IV. Certification Timeline
Upon submission of complete documentation, the review will be completed within 3-5 working days;
After draft confirmation, the original certificate will be issued within 7-10 working days (subject to GSO Standardization Body timelines);
The certificate validity periods are divided into 1 year and 5 years.
V. GCC Certification Process
Fill out the GCC Certification Application Form;
Ship samples for testing;
Our company assists the enterprise in preparing the technical and certification documents required for submission to the GSO based on the test data;
The GSO will review the submitted documents. If the review is passed, the GSO will issue the GCC Certification Certificate. If it fails, the GSO will notify the enterprise that the application was unsuccessful and provide the reasons;
Upon expiration of the GCC certificate, documents for extension must be re-prepared to apply for a new GCC certificate.
VI. Scope of GCC Certified Products
Household electric fans;
(Note: Original numbering skipped 2) Household electric heating appliances;
Refrigerators and freezers;
Electric water heaters (Instant water heaters);
Plugs, sockets, adapters, cord extension sets, and chargers;
Air conditioners;
Hairdressing equipment and hand dryers;
Microwave ovens, induction cookers, gas stoves, grills, and toasters;
Washing machines and clothes dryers;
Food grinders, mixers, and fruit or vegetable juicers;
Furniture, bunk beds, trash cans, paints, swimming pools, clothing, carpets, architectural glass materials, bicycles, helmets, etc.
VII. GCC Certification Important Notes
Applications can be made using CB certificates/reports and EMC certificates/reports valid within 3 years. The agency will review whether the reports contain deviations and meet the requirements; this EMC certificate/report must be issued by a GSO-designated recognized body.
No factory audits are required, and there is no annual fee. The G-mark certificate is valid for three years from the date of issuance.
Product instruction manuals must be bilingual in English and Arabic.
After obtaining the G-mark, products exported to these 7 countries still require the application for the corresponding national customs clearance documents.
Products outside the 13 specific electrical appliance categories shall apply for the corresponding customs clearance documents by providing test reports through the previous process. Such products currently do not need and are not allowed to bear the G-mark.
The establishment of the Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO) has promoted the process of economic integration, ensuring the safety and quality of goods entering the GCC market, and participating in the development of production and service sectors through various standardization activities. In the field of standardization and conformity assessment, products that have obtained the GCC Mark Certification Certificate can enter the markets of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Yemen. It can be said that GCC certification is a very powerful passport.
VIII. Benefits of Obtaining GCC Certification
Obtain unified certification for product quality and safety from GCC countries;
Break down technical barriers, establish free competition, and unify market standards;
Clarify the rights and obligations of manufacturers and importers during trade;
Reduce customs clearance fees and market supervision costs;
Facilitate consumer identification of products that comply with safety regulations.
