In this Law, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings assigned thereto, unless the context requires otherwise:

• Law: Standards and Quality Law.

• Regulations: Implementing Regulations of the Law, and other regulations issued pursuant to its provisions.

• Organization: Saudi Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organization.

• Board: Board of Directors of the Organization.

• Product: Any product placed or made available on the market.

• Product Category: A set of products that share specific characteristics and properties.

• Process: A series of interconnected or interacting activities that convert inputs into outputs.

• Service: A tangible output resulting from an activity provided for a fee or at no cost.

• Standard: An approved document that sets the rules, instructions, or properties of products or the processes and production methods related thereto; compliance with such document is not mandatory.

• Saudi Standard: A standard approved by the Board and considered a national standard of the Kingdom.

• National Standard: A standard adopted by a standardization body in a particular country.

• Regional Standard: A standard adopted by a regional standardization body.

• International Standard: A standard adopted by an international standardization body.

• Relevant Document: A document concerned with technical properties, technical reports, guides, and any other documents approved by a standardization body; such document shall not be deemed a standard according to the provisions of this Law.

• Relevant Entities: Government agencies and private sector entities concerned with standards and relevant documents.

• Adoption of a Standard or Relevant Document: A set of coordinated activities that start with applying for the adoption of an international, regional, or national standard or a relevant document, and end with the adoption and publication of the standard or relevant document.

• Approval of a Standard or Relevant Document: A set of coordinated activities that start with creating or adopting a standard or relevant document, and end with the approval and publication thereof as a Saudi standard or relevant document.

• Withdrawal of a Standard or Relevant Document: Revoking an adopted or approved standard or relevant document as well as any effects resulting therefrom.

• Standardization: A set of coordinated activities that aim to adopt or approve a standard and a relevant document.

• Standards Guide: A manual prepared by the Organization for reference purposes, comprising all approved, adopted, or withdrawn standards and relevant documents.

• International Standardization Organizations: International standardization organizations in which national standardization bodies worldwide may become members.

• Regional Standardization Organizations: Regional standardization organizations in which national standardization bodies in a specific region may become members.

• Quality: The degree to which a set of properties is achieved based on requirements, expectations, or objectives.

• Quality Characteristics: The attributes of a product or service relating to one or more of the following:

  • 1. Conditions of use, reuse, recycling, or disposal.

  • 2. Conditions of installation, maintenance, or repair.

  • 3. Efficiency.

  • 4. Performance, durability, and sustainability.

• Quality Mark: A mark indicating that the properties of a product meet requirements that are technically higher than those of the standards or meet other requirements set by the Organization.

• Inspector: A person appointed by a Board decision to detect and record any violation of the provisions of this Law and the Regulations.

This Law aims to establish and determine a general framework for standardization and quality

Standardization shall be based on the following guiding principles:

• 1. Participation of relevant entities in preparing, adopting, and approving standards.

• 2. Transparency in the procedures for preparing, adopting, and approving standards and relevant documents.

• 3. Conformity of the Saudi standard to the relevant document.

• 4. Level of technical development and progress in the field of products.

• 5. Contribution to sustainable development.

• 6. Compliance with the principles and rules of international and regional standardization organizations and with relevant international conventions to which the Kingdom is party.

• 7. Non-discrimination between local and imported products.

The standardization activity shall aim to achieve the following:

• 1. Ensure a high level of protection for the life, health, and safety of people and animals as well as the protection of plants, property, and the environment, and the maintenance of security.

• 2. Contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of the national economy.

• 3. Promote fair trade in the market.

• 4. Protect and enhance consumer interests and expectations.

• 5. Improve the utilization of resources and energy and enhance sustainable production and consumption patterns.

• 6. Facilitate trade exchanges with related parties by removing unnecessary technical barriers.

• 7. Contribute to improving the quality of products and services.

1. The Organization shall be the sole reference authority with respect to standardization and quality activities, except for products and services under the jurisdiction of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority in accordance with its Law.

2. The Organization shall oversee and coordinate all related activities in the field of standardization and quality.

3. All entities operating in the field of standardization and quality shall cooperate with the Organization.

The Organization shall, in implementation of the provisions of this Law, carry out the following:

• 1. Draft a national strategy for standards in coordination with the relevant entities, submit the same for approval in accordance with statutory procedures, and oversee its implementation upon approval thereof.

• 2. Draft standards and relevant documents.

• 3. Review or withdraw standards and relevant documents.

• 4. Approve procedures for the protection of standards, in accordance with relevant statutory provisions.

• 5. Support and encourage studies relating to standards.

• 6. Provide interpretations of standards and relevant documents, if necessary.

• 7. Prepare and update the standards guide.

• 8. Participate in preparing, adopting, and reviewing international and regional standards and relevant documents in a manner that serves the Kingdom’s interests.

• 9. Represent the Kingdom in international and regional standardization organizations as well as national standardization bodies and serve its interests in organizations concerned with standards.

• 10. Make Saudi standards as well as relevant applicable national, regional, and international standards available to the public for a fee.

• 11. Act as a reference authority for standards and relevant documents by providing information and notifications related to standards and relevant documents in accordance with the Kingdom’s obligations arising from international conventions.

• 12. Encourage the application of Saudi standards.

• 13. Carry out any other task in the field of standardization, in accordance with the Regulations, to achieve the objectives provided for in Article 4 of this Law.

1. The Organization shall prepare standards and relevant documents in accordance with the procedures specified in the Regulations.

2. The Organization shall form technical teams to prepare standards and relevant documents. Such teams shall comply with the requirements of the Organization’s copyright policy. The Regulations shall specify the work rules and procedures of said teams and the remuneration thereof.

3. Approval and adoption of standards and relevant documents shall be pursuant to a decision by the Board or its designee. Standards and relevant documents shall be made available to the public through any medium the Organization deems appropriate.

4. Standards and relevant documents shall be deemed approved as of the date determined by the Board or its designee.