Based on Article Four, Paragraph (3) of the Regulation of the Authority issued by the Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 216 dated 17/6/1431, which states "Issuing regulations for the licensing of the quality mark for local and imported products that comply with the national standard specifications adopted by it and granting the right to use it, and applying those regulations".

And based on Article Four, Paragraph (5) of the Regulation of the Authority which states "Granting the quality mark for products, provided that the quality mark is granted for products that fall under the jurisdiction of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority that can be granted a quality mark after its approval".

And based on Article Four, Paragraph (7) of the Regulation of the Authority which states "Coordinating the work of standard specifications and quality, and the procedures for conformity assessment, measurement, and calibration in the Kingdom and mutual recognition with counterpart entities in other countries".

And based on Article Four, Paragraph (14) of the Regulation of the Authority which states "Reviewing the regulatory systems and regulations related to the field of the Authority's work and developing them, and proposing the necessary amendments to keep pace with the requirements of quality and safety, and referring them to the competent authorities for study and issuance according to the legal methods".

And based on Article Six, Paragraph (1) of the Regulation of the Authority which states "Considering what is stated in Article (Four) of this regulation, the Authority is the reference in the Kingdom for everything related to standard specifications, conformity assessment procedures, granting the quality mark, measurement, and calibration. All government and private sectors must comply with the Saudi standard specifications in all their purchases and operations".

And based on Article Nine of the Regulation of the Authority which specifies that the Board of Directors of the Authority is the competent authority for managing the affairs of the Authority and conducting its matters, and it makes all necessary decisions to achieve its purposes, and it has in particular the following:

"Issuing decisions and executive regulations related to the workflow in the Authority".

"Approving the regulations related to the services provided by the Authority to others".

"Determining the financial fees for the services provided by the Authority in its area of competence, provided that the revenue from these services is included in a separate account that is spent on the purposes specified by the Board and establishes its rules".

Based on the above, the Authority has issued this general regulation for the Saudi quality mark.

This regulation specifies the general rules for the use of the quality mark on products and goods for which the establishment applies to the granting authority for a license to use the quality mark for products and goods that meet standard specifications and/or the granting procedures and/or technical regulations.

1/3 The Quality Mark is the exclusive property of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) based on the registered trademark with registration number 143205020 dated 18/1/1433 AH.

2/3 It can also be registered at the international level, in countries where there is a need to ensure its protection.

•  1/4 The Authority delegates the granting body to implement specific procedures for issuing the License to use the Quality Mark. The granting body verifies that the establishment meets the requirements of the Regulation and the specified granting procedure, as well as the compliance of the relevant products and goods with the standard specifications and/or related technical regulations.

• 2/4 Upon issuing the License, this means that the Authority grants the establishment the right to use the Quality Mark for the specified products and goods. The Authority may, for certain considerations, engage technical entities to carry out specific administrative operations, particularly in the areas of some tasks of the technical committees concerned with technical work.

• 3/4 When the granting body and the technical committees apply this Regulation and the granting procedures related to the products and goods, they fulfill the professional requirements and international practices in their work, particularly:

  • أ) Providing sufficient guarantees for the neutrality of the procedures towards manufacturers, importers, distributors, or exporters who have applied for the License, in addition to providing guarantees to consumers of those products and goods.

  • ب) Providing the necessary competencies and sufficient resources to carry out the work properly for granting the License. 

• The granting body may delegate some evaluation processes such as revision and the tests required in the Regulation, and the granting procedure to external entities, whether organizations or individuals, provided that the granting body ensures that all partners perform all assigned tasks properly.

1/5 Every establishment has the right to submit an application to the authority to obtain a license whenever the product and commodity meet the standard specifications and/or the granting procedure and/or the technical regulation and/or the related documents.

2/5 After the establishment fulfills all the requirements of this regulation and the specified granting procedure for the defined products and commodities, the granting authority prepares a report to be presented to the review committee for decision-making.

3/5 The license is issued by a decision from the General Director of the General Administration for Granting Certificates at the authority, and the license is valid for a period of three years.

1/6 The granting procedure specifies the administrative and technical requirements, as well as the standard specifications and/or technical regulations that the establishment must comply with for each product, and is approved by the Deputy Governor of the Authority for Compliance and Operations, in accordance with the requirements of this regulation.

2/6 The granting procedure also specifies the number of working days required for the process of granting the license to use the quality mark, monitoring the license file, expanding it, and renewing it, according to the products and goods included in the license application or the products and goods that have obtained the license.

• An advisory committee named "Neutrality Committee" is established to monitor all matters related to licensing activities and the certificates of conformity issued by the authority.

• 7/1 Formation of the Committee:

• The Neutrality Committee consists of members from the authority and representatives from outside the authority related to the relevant entities to achieve a balance of interests. The committee shall be formed to include representatives as follows:

  • 7/1/1 Representatives of the beneficiaries of the establishments that have obtained the License and certificates of conformity issued by the authority.

  • 7/1/2 Representatives of the establishments that have obtained the License and certificates of conformity issued by the authority.

  • 7/1/3 A representative from industrial associations or chambers of commerce.

  • 7/1/4 A representative from government bodies or ministries.

  • 7/1/5 A representative from non-governmental organizations (such as consumer protection, quality associations, accredited universities in the Kingdom, consulting offices).

  • 7/1/6 Representatives from the granting entity in the authority.

  • 7/1/7 Members are appointed by a decision from the Deputy Governor for Conformity and Operations, for a period of 3 years, and may be renewed for another 3 years unless a decision is made to change them.

  • 7/1/8 In addition to its core members, observers or other experts with competencies may attend the meeting.

  • 7/1/9 The authority provides a technical secretariat for the committee.

• 7/2 Committee Tasks

• The committee provides its consultations regarding this regulation as follows:

  • 7/2/1 Developing policies related to the neutrality of product and goods conformity assessment activities.

  • 7/2/2 The electronic system for granting the quality mark and certificates of conformity in the authority, and the rules and steps of the product and goods conformity assessment processes, granting licenses and certificates of conformity, and maintaining neutrality, integrity, confidentiality, and objectivity, in all granting activities provided by the authority through the granting entity.

  • 7/2/3 Potential amendments to the product and goods conformity assessment system and this regulation.

  • 7/2/4 Providing comments on recognition agreements as stated in Article (9).

  • 7/2/5 Providing comments on the granting entity.

  • 7/2/6 Providing comments to monitor the activities of the granting entity.

  • 7/2/7 Providing comments for the development of new applications for the granting entity.

  • 7/2/8 Handling complaints, objections, and disputes related to the granting entity submitted by applicants or licensees, in accordance with Article (16) below.

  • 7/2/9 Ensuring the implementation of the general policy for the Saudi quality mark and certificates of conformity, its development, and marketing, and providing opinions on the actions taken.

  • 7/2/10 Ensuring the compliance of the quality mark and certificates of conformity granting system in the authority with the requirements of the ISO IEC 17065 standard.

• 7/3 Committee Meetings

• The committee meetings are held at least once a year, and the chairperson or vice-chairperson of the committee is responsible for the conduct of these meetings. The committee may meet (either in person or remotely) to conduct its business.

• This Committee reviews all information and results related to the evaluation and any other relevant information, and issues a recommendation regarding the granting, renewal, withdrawal, suspension, or expansion of the License for products and goods, based on all results related to the evaluation.

• 8/1 Formation of the Committee

• This Committee consists of one or more members who possess the necessary expertise and technical competence in the fields of standardization and laws related to the concerned sectors, and the requirements for conformity assessment of products and goods. Observers or experts with special competencies may also attend the meeting, in addition to its core members, whenever necessary, by inviting them to attend the meeting, in accordance with the meeting agenda.

• 8/2 Tasks of the Committee

  • 8/2/1 Reviewing the files of establishments and the results of conformity assessment operations for products and goods, and evaluating the management system within the concerned establishments, in order to issue a recommendation regarding the granting, renewal, withdrawal, suspension, or expansion of the License for products and goods.

  • 8/2/2 Submitting proposals regarding any matter related to the improvement and procedures of conformity assessment for products and goods.

  • 8/2/3 Submitting the decision made by the Committee within a period not exceeding the specified time frame, which is approved by the Director General of the General Administration for Certification Issuance.

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• 8/3 Meetings of the Committee

• The Committee meeting is held whenever necessary, after all data and reports related to the concerned products and goods are available. The Chairperson of the Committee is responsible for the conduct of this meeting, and the Committee may meet (either in person or remotely) to carry out its business.

The Authority is the sole entity authorized to conclude agreements with organizations and bodies at the regional and international levels, regarding the quality mark and its recognition.