The GSO updated requirements concerning the acceptance period of test reports and their traceability to products applied for G Mark certification.This decision will take effect from July 31, 2024.

1. Maximum Acceptance Period for Test Results

a) Test results shall be generally considered valid only if obtained within a period no longer than 3 years prior to the date of the manufacturer’s application for G-Mark certification to the Notified Body.

b) Effective immediately, test results utilized for Gulf Type Examination certification will be considered valid if obtained within a period not exceeding three years from the date of actual test performance. This period is determined from the date when testing activities were completed and issued the test report, as explicitly stated in the laboratory testing report.

c) Any re-issuance of test report shall fulfil ISO/IEC 17025 relevant requirements. For example, test reports shall be re-issued only for the correction of errors and the inclusion of omitted data available at the time of tests.

Note: The practice which consists, in some accredited laboratories, of re-issuing a test report under accreditation coverage after the end of three years from the end date of performing the test (without re-testing) is not permitted, even with a clear reference to the initial report that it replaces.

d) The issue date of the laboratory testing report may be later than the date of completion of testing, which is the date to be considered for calculating the 3 years period.

e) The validity periods of the applied Harmonized Standards are not affected by this rule and must always be observed.

2. Traceability of the test reports to the products applied for certification

To ensure the unambiguous association of test reports with the certified products, the following traceability requirements are now mandated on the test report:

a) Test reports shall explicitly reference the manufacturer, brand, and model of the products applied to be certified for G-Mark.

b) The manufacturing location (factory), if indicated in the test report, shall match the information provided in the application for certification.

c) The test reports shall include sufficient photo documentation of the tested products to permit the Notified Body to identify the applied product (model), in particular in case of family models or product series.

3. Product Identity Declaration (PID)

a) In cases where the test report does not directly correspond to the product model applied for certification, a Product Identity Declaration (PID) or Declaration of Identity (DOI) shall be provided showing the correlation, similarities and differences between the products applied for certification and the tested products and include the references to all test reports that show the relevant test results.

b) The PID/DOI shall be signed by an authorized person on behalf of the manufacturer or his authorized representative (e.g. technical responsible or top management representative) and issued on an official letter showing the name and address of the issuing company.

c) The Notified Body shall include the PID/DOI in the certification documentation as submitted to the GCTS platform.

d) Generally, PID acceptable if there are no technical differences (such as in design / construction, parts or materials used, assembly method, intended use, risks and hazards, manufacturing location/country, etc.) between the tested products and the products applied for certification shall be accepted, unless the manufacturer can demonstrate documented evidence to the Notified Body that such changes do not impair the conformity of the products.

e) Non-technical variances (e.g., branding, model numbers, and external design) are permissible, contingent upon a Notified Body's documented evaluation of non-impact on product conformity.

f) Any remaining differences identified by the manufacturer, or the Notified Body shall be evaluated by review and testing of product samples as required in a qualified testing laboratory and the resulting test report shall form part of the certification documentation per the Conformity Assessment Procedures described in the GSO Technical Regulations.

BACL is a notified body (NB) recognized by GSO for low-voltage electrical equipment (LVE) and children's toys. We can help you to ensure that your products comply with the requirements of GCC technical regulations, and successfully obtain G-MARK certification, and successfully export your products to Gulf countries.

BACL Services:

BACL can provide you efficient and reliable global market certification services, such as IECEE CB Scheme NCB and CBTL, United States(NRTL, FCC, ENERGY STAR), Canada(ISED, SCC), EU(CE), United Kingdom (UKCA AB & AOC), Northern Ireland(UKNI), Korea(KC), Japan(MIC), Singapore(IMDA),China Hong Kong(OFCA), China Taiwan (NCC, BSMI), Egypt (NTRA, GOEIC), South Africa(SABS), Vietnam (MIC), Saudi Arabia (SASO, CITC), Philippines (NTC), Thailand (NBTC), Malaysia (SIRIM), India(BIS, WPC, TEC)and other services to assure your products still smoothly entering into the international trade market even when the international trade barriers are becoming increasingly fierce.