SABER Certificate for Machinery from China: Saudi Requirements

If you are buying a production line, a press, a forklift or a packaging machine in China for a Saudi site, customs clearance depends on SABER. This guide explains what SABER is, which certificates a machine needs, who applies for them and where shipments usually get stuck. Rules change often, so check the current requirements on saber.sa and the SASO technical regulations page before you order.

What is SABER?

SABER is the online conformity assessment platform of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO). Imported products, regulated or not, are registered and certified through it. According to QIMA, SABER was linked to FASAH, the Saudi customs clearance platform, on 1 July 2020, so customs can check certificates electronically.

People often say "SASO certificate" and "SABER certificate" as if they were one document. In practice there are two certificates, and for machinery you usually need both.

Product Certificate of Conformity vs Shipment Certificate: what is the difference?

For non-regulated products, QIMA explains that a self-declaration on the SASO form replaces the product certificate, but the shipment certificate is still required.

Who applies for the SABER certificate?

The Saudi importer applies. The importer creates an account on SABER, registers the product and chooses a conformity assessment body. QIMA describes this step simply: the importer enters the product details into SABER, and the system checks whether the product is regulated based on its HS code or category.

The Chinese manufacturer does not apply on SABER, but it produces most of the evidence: test reports, the technical file, drawings, the nameplate and the manual. If the manufacturer cannot provide these documents in a usable form, the importer cannot complete the registration. That is why the document question belongs in the supplier selection stage, not after the deposit is paid. Our guide on how to import machinery from China covers that stage in more detail.

What do notified bodies and conformity assessment bodies do?

SASO approves conformity assessment bodies (the technical regulations call them "notified bodies") to assess products against its rules. In the lifting equipment regulation, SASO defines notified bodies as conformity assessment bodies approved under its regulation for accepting such bodies.

For a regulated machine, the body reviews the technical file and test reports, may request a factory audit depending on the conformity route, and then issues the product certificate on SABER. For each shipment, the body verifies the shipment data before the shipment certificate is issued.

Which SASO technical regulations apply to machinery?

SASO publishes its machinery rules as a series of technical regulations. Three are directly relevant to most industrial buyers:

• Machinery Safety, Part 1: Portable and/or Hand-oriented Machines (01-04-20-176). It requires the supplier to carry out a risk analysis, meet the health and safety requirements in its Annex 2, and obtain a certificate of conformity from a SASO-approved notified body under conformity assessment type 1a of ISO/IEC 17067. A factory certified to ISO 9001 is deemed to meet its quality management clause.
• Machinery Safety, Part 2: Moving Machinery and Heavy-Duty Equipment. According to Intertek, it was published on 21 May 2021 and enforced from 21 November 2021.
• Machinery Safety, Part 3: Lifting Equipment (01-05-21-182). It covers lifting machinery and accessories. It also requires an inspection certificate from a SASO-approved body for used lifting equipment, and after installation before the equipment is put into service.

Parts 1 and 3 both require the product to be accompanied by a technical file with a supplier declaration of conformity and a risk assessment document. Each regulation lists the covered products and customs codes in its annexes, which is how you confirm whether your machine is regulated.

Many production lines also include electrical equipment, motors and control panels, which may fall under SASO's electrical regulations as well. SASO also notes that only the Arabic version of each regulation is legally authentic. Check the current list on the SASO technical regulations page, because regulations are added and revised.

Typical document list for a machine from China

Exact requirements depend on the regulation and the conformity assessment body. Based on QIMA and Granite River Labs, prepare these before you register:

For the Product Certificate of Conformity

• Importer's commercial registration
• Manufacturer's business licence or factory licence
• Test reports against the standards referenced in the applicable regulation
• Risk assessment document
• Manufacturer and importer declaration of conformity
• Factory audit report, if the conformity route requires it
• Quality certificates, such as ISO 9001, if relevant
• Drawings, dimensions, specifications and product photos
• Rating plate or nameplate artwork
• User manual, in Arabic or Arabic and English

For each Shipment Certificate

• The valid product certificate or self-declaration
• Commercial invoice
• Packing list
• Quantities and models that match the registered product exactly

Where do SABER applications get delayed?

Many delays come from mismatches between documents rather than from the regulation itself. Watch these points:

1. Wrong HS code. If the code entered on SABER does not match the machine, the system may treat it as regulated or non-regulated incorrectly. Agree the HS code with your customs broker before registration.
2. Model names that do not match. The model on the test report, nameplate, invoice and packing list must be the same. A supplier that renames a model for the invoice creates a problem at the shipment stage.
3. Test reports to the wrong standard. A report issued for another market may not reference the standards listed in the SASO regulation's annex.
4. Missing Arabic content. Labels, warnings and the manual may need Arabic text.
5. Shipment certificate requested too late. QIMA states that a shipment without a shipment certificate will be required to be re-exported, and that letters of undertaking have not been accepted for customs clearance since January 2025. Request the shipment certificate before the goods arrive.
6. Expired product certificate. Track the expiry date of each product certificate against your production schedule.
7. Changes after certification. If the factory changes the motor, control panel or safety components after the product certificate is issued, ask the conformity assessment body whether the certificate still applies.

A practical checklist before you place the order

• Ask the supplier which SASO regulation covers the machine, and confirm it yourself on the SASO site.
• Ask for sample test reports and check which standards they reference.
• Agree in the contract who pays for testing and certification and what happens if the machine fails.
• Make the documents (technical file, Arabic manual, nameplate artwork) a contract deliverable, not a favour.
• Check the nameplate and labels during pre-shipment inspection, so they match what was certified.
• Request the shipment certificate as soon as the final invoice and packing list are fixed.

What does SABER cost?

Fees are set by the conformity assessment bodies and SABER and they change, so we do not quote figures here. Ask two or three approved bodies for a written quote for your specific machine, and check the fees shown on SABER at the time you apply.

Where We-World fits

We-World is a sourcing and export company in China that works with buyers in the Middle East and North Africa. For machinery going to Saudi Arabia, we shortlist manufacturers, confirm specifications in writing, check that the supplier can produce the documents the importer needs, inspect goods before shipment and arrange shipping and export documents. The SABER registration itself stays with the Saudi importer and the chosen conformity assessment body. You can browse the types of production lines and machines we source.

Next step

If you are planning a machinery purchase for Saudi Arabia and want the supplier documents checked against SABER needs before you pay a deposit, contact us with the machine type and destination, and we will tell you what we can do.