Postponed regulation for restriction of hazardous substances for Saudi Arabia

Initially, all relevant Saudi manufacturers and importers of electric and electronic equipment (EEEs) should have complied with the new regulation from 5 January 2022 onward.

However, the Saudi Arabian authority SASO (Saudi Standards & Metrology Organization) has decided to postpone the implementation of the regulation for Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), initially scheduled for 5 January this year, for a period of six months.

The technical regulation was first published on 9 July 2021 by the Saudi Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organization (SASO), and requires that all relevant products undergo testing to ensure the chemical restriction levels of six substances, namely lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are not exceeded. However, this version of the regulation does not completely imitate the EU’s version: it does not yet list four phthalates that the EU added to its restricted list in 2015: DEHP, BBP, DBP, and DIBP.

Another important difference from the European RoHS Directive is that a self-declaration will not be sufficient. The manufacturer or importer will have to arrange for the necessary testing/assessment and certification of the products by a designated Notified Body.

The implementation is postponed for allowing time to prepare, and will be made effective in the phases as shown below:

More information:
Anja Jerovsek
E-mail: anja.jerovsek@siq.si
Tel.: +386 1 4778 147