What is GCC Certification? Which Products Require GCC?
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was established on May 25, 1981, in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and consists of seven member countries: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Republic of Yemen. The GCC mark certification serves as an “entry certificate” for products entering the markets of these seven countries.
What is GCC Mark Certification?
Since July 1, 2016, the technical regulations for low-voltage electrical equipment and products in the Gulf countries have officially come into effect, and certain products are required to undergo GCC certification. This means that low-voltage electrical equipment must meet the safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements outlined in these technical regulations and can only be sold in the member countries of the Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO) after affixing the GCC mark. Some regulated products must also be certified by a third-party certification body authorized by the GSO and registered with the GSO to affix the GCC mark.
On November 14, 2016, the GSO officially released the usage rules for the GSO Conformity Tracking Symbol (GCTS). This symbol consists of the GCC mark and a traceable QR code, with a four-digit certification body number and registration serial number at the bottom, generated after the product is registered in the GSO certificate tracking system.
What Products are Involved in GCC Mark Certification?
The products covered by GCC mark certification are quite diverse, including household electric fans, refrigerators/freezers, and other household refrigeration equipment (with a volume not exceeding 30 cubic feet), centrifugal clothes dryers/washing machines (including washer-dryer combos with a washing capacity not exceeding 12 kg), food grinders and mixers/fruit or vegetable juicers, household toasters, electric hair clippers and hand dryers, household electric heating devices (soil heaters), microwave ovens, other stoves (electric pots, hot plates, heating rings, barbecues, and ovens), electric instantaneous water heaters/storage water heaters/immersion liquid heaters, electric irons, plugs/sockets/adapters/power cords and extension cords/chargers, air conditioners, toy products, etc. These products must meet the corresponding testing standards to pass certification.
GCC Certification Process
The GCC certification process mainly includes the following steps:
1. The enterprise submits a GCC certification application.
2. The enterprise tests the product in a GCC-recognized laboratory according to the relevant Gulf standards and requirements.
3. The enterprise submits all documents and materials required for GCC certification, including test reports and certificates.
4. The GSO reviews the documents submitted by the enterprise. If the review is successful, a GCC certificate will be issued; if not, the enterprise will be notified of the application failure and provided with feedback.
Frequently Asked Questions
In which countries can the GCC mark certification certificate/conformity certificate and test report be used?
Applicable in the seven member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council: UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.
Does GCC mark certification/conformity certification include factory inspections?No, it does not. The GCC mark certification certificate is only for sample testing; the GCC mark conformity certificate is for individual product testing or batch sampling testing.
What are the differences in certificates obtained by different types of applicants?The applicant must be an independent entity capable of bearing legal responsibility (manufacturer or importer). Manufacturers apply for the GCC mark certification certificate; if the importer cannot prove that the manufacturer has implemented appropriate conformity assessment procedures or cannot provide technical documentation that meets Gulf standards, they apply for the GCC mark conformity certificate.
What is the difference between the GCC mark certification certificate and the GCC mark conformity certificate?The GCC mark certification certificate is valid for five years and can be renewed; changes can be applied for during its validity period, with the review covering product conformity and production consistency; the GCC mark conformity certificate is only valid for batch-tested products and focuses solely on product conformity.
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