Saudi Arabia and UAE LiFePO4 Battery Import Compliance: SABER (SASO) and ECAS (MoIAT) Buyer Checklist

Importers, distributors and project buyers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE often ask the same question before the first order: who must hold which certificate, for which exact model, and when? This guide summarises what the official Saudi and UAE texts say for lithium batteries, what usually trips up an OEM or private-label order, and which details to send with an inquiry so the supplier can prepare the right documents. It covers Saudi Arabia (SASO, SABER) and the UAE (MoIAT, ECAS) only; other GCC states have their own rules.

LJY Energy is a China-based LiFePO4 battery supplier and OEM/ODM solutions provider offering customization, project-confirmed specifications and export supply coordination. Certificate holders, test-report scope and the producing site are stated per model in the quotation; this page makes no certificate claim.

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How to read Status: [Official text] = stated in the regulation text linked in the Sources section. [Industry reference] = common practice or a third-party description, not an LJY statement. [Optional configuration] = LJY can support this per OEM/ODM project. [Confirmed per project] = fixed only in the quotation or order agreement.

Side by side: what each market asks for

Topic Market What the sources say Status and source
Regulation Saudi Arabia Technical Regulation for Electric Batteries (SASO), first published 21 Dec 2018, Amendment 1 published 11 Nov 2022. Applies to all types of electric batteries; customs headings listed: 8506 and 8507. The HS list on the SABER platform is the approved one. [Official text] · SASO text
Regulation UAE Cabinet Resolution No. 10 of 2020, UAE Control System for Solar Products, in force from 17 Feb 2020. Solar products include storage batteries; Schedule 1 lists cells and batteries for renewable energy storage against IEC 61427-1:2013 (off-grid PV) and IEC 61427-2:2015 (on-grid). Free zones are included; large solar farms are excluded. [Official text] · Resolution text (LEXAI copy of the official text)
Certificate Saudi Arabia A Certificate of Conformity from a SASO-approved (notified) body under conformity model Type 3 (ISO/IEC 17067): production safety management system approval with a factory visit and periodic surveillance, plus a technical file. Product certificate (PCoC) per product and a shipment certificate (SCoC) per shipment through SABER before customs clearance. [Official text] (Type 3, technical file) · [Industry reference] (PCoC and SCoC process: Intertek)
Certificate UAE An ECAS Certificate of Conformity before the product is introduced to the market. Test report from a laboratory recognised by the authority, not older than three years. The certificate is valid for one year and renewed annually. [Official text]
Who applies Saudi Arabia The “supplier” is the manufacturer if resident in the Kingdom; otherwise the manufacturer’s agent, or the importer where there is no agent. That party carries the legal responsibility and signs the supplier declaration of conformity. [Official text]
Who applies UAE The supplier applies, with a valid trade or industrial licence valid in the UAE and a signed conformity declaration. The resolution defines the supplier as a party operating through a company licensed in the UAE. [Official text]
Documents Saudi Arabia Supplier declaration of conformity; product description and area of use; country of origin; a safety label form per battery batch; list of tests and specifications. Keep the declaration and file available for at least ten years. [Official text]
Documents UAE Product registration, trade licence, conformity declaration, design, manufacture, installation, operation and maintenance documents, drawings and component list, nominal characteristics as printed on the label, accredited test report. [Official text]
Label Saudi Arabia Supplier name and address, trademark, rechargeable or not, current type, A, V and Ah, country of origin, warnings. All label information must be true and verifiable. [Official text]
Changes Saudi Arabia If the product is modified during the certificate validity (except morphological changes, which in practice means appearance-type changes), the certificate or declaration is annulled and a new request is needed. [Official text]

Why this matters for OEM and private-label orders

  • Freeze the configuration before testing. In Saudi Arabia a change to the product during validity (other than morphological, appearance-type changes) cancels the certificate. For an OEM/ODM project that means cell type, BMS settings and protocol, enclosure and label content should be frozen before samples go to the test body. Logo and colour changes are treated separately; ask the certification body.
  • The certificate follows the exact model and the producing site. Type 3 includes a factory visit. A change of production site means a new audit, so decide the production site before you certify, and have the certificate holder and the listed manufacturer written into the quotation.
  • The importer or local agent is usually the applicant. LJY can prepare the technical documents, datasheets, label drafts and sample logistics per project, but the Saudi supplier declaration and the UAE application are made by your licensed entity.
  • Transport papers are separate. The UN 38.3 test summary and the safety data sheet are for shipping. They do not replace SABER or ECAS conformity documents.

Standards named in the official texts

The Saudi Annex 1-A (Amendment 1, 2022 edition) names, among others, SASO IEC 62133-2 (portable lithium cells and batteries), SASO IEC 62281 (safety of lithium cells and batteries during transport), SASO IEC 61427-2 (secondary cells and batteries for renewable energy storage, on-grid), SASO IEC 62485-2 (stationary batteries) and SASO IEC 62660 (lithium-ion cells for electric road vehicles). That edition does not name IEC 62619 or UL 1973. Which standard a notified body applies to a given LiFePO4 pack, for example a 51.2V rack or a golf-cart battery, is the body’s decision, so ask it before you order test samples. For the UAE, Schedule 1 names IEC 61427-1:2013 and IEC 61427-2:2015 for batteries used in renewable energy storage. If your battery is for another use, such as a forklift or golf cart, confirm with MoIAT or a conformity assessment body which rule applies.

A new Saudi regulation is in the pipeline

SASO notified a draft revised Technical Regulation for the General Safety of Electric Batteries to the WTO in March 2026, with the comment period closing at the start of May 2026 (DEKRA regulatory update; LabNorm summary). Per those summaries it would apply 180 days after publication in the Official Gazette, with up to 365 days for market operators to comply. The summaries also report Arabic instructions and technical file, expanded BMS protection requirements and an emergency switch-off function. We found no confirmation that it has been published or has an enforcement date. Treat the summaries as indicative, check the SASO website for the final text, and avoid freezing a design that cannot be changed later.

Checklist: what to send with your inquiry

  • Target market (Saudi Arabia, UAE or both) and the importer or licensed agent who will hold the certificate
  • Application (solar storage, telecom, golf cart, forklift, other) and the HS code your broker uses
  • Model and configuration you want certified, and whether it is already frozen: voltage, capacity, BMS and communication settings, enclosure, label text and language
  • Whether your conformity assessment body or test laboratory is already chosen, and which standards list it gave you
  • Certificates and test reports you require, with the party that must be named as certificate holder and as manufacturer
  • Sample plan (one unit for the test body, then pilot order) and the date you need the certificate
  • Label requirements: importer name and address, Arabic text, country of origin
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What LJY can support, per project

Group Parameter Value Status
Documents Technical file inputs: datasheet, product description, drawings, label draft, country of origin, component list Prepared per model so your agent or certification body can use them [Optional configuration] · [Confirmed per project]
Samples Frozen-configuration samples for the test body Quantity, delivery route and lead time stated in the quotation [Confirmed per project]
Test reports and certificates Which reports exist for the exact model, which are being arranged, who holds the certificate and which production site is named Listed in the quotation. Not stated on this page [Confirmed per project]
Label and packaging Label text, language and importer details; carton marking Per your instructions [Optional configuration] · [Confirmed per project]
Shipping UN 38.3 test summary, safety data sheet and dangerous-goods packing details for shipping Provided per order where available; confirm at inquiry [Confirmed per project]

Frequently asked questions

Does LJY Energy hold SABER or ECAS certificates?

This page makes no such statement. Certificate and test-report status is confirmed per model in the quotation, together with the certificate holder and the producing site.

Who applies for the Saudi certificate, the factory or the importer?

Under the SASO definition the supplier is the manufacturer only if resident in the Kingdom; otherwise it is the agent, or the importer when there is no agent. In practice the importer or agent registers on SABER and works with the notified body, using documents from the manufacturer.

Can I use IEC 62619 or UL 1973 reports for SABER or ECAS?

The 2022 Saudi standards list does not name IEC 62619 or UL 1973, and the UAE schedule names IEC 61427 for energy-storage batteries. Whether a notified body accepts an existing report is its decision. Ask the body before you pay for new tests or reuse old ones.

Is a certificate needed for every shipment?

In Saudi Arabia a shipment certificate (SCoC) is issued through SABER for each shipment, based on a valid product certificate (PCoC). In the UAE the ECAS certificate is valid for one year and then renewed.

What if I change the BMS or the cell supplier after certification?

Under the Saudi text, a modification during validity other than morphological changes cancels the certificate or declaration and a new request is needed. Agree the configuration freeze before testing.

Do you publish a fixed list of approved models?

No. Standard models, OEM and ODM configurations are quoted per project, and the document scope is confirmed in writing for the exact model.

Related guides and products

Sources (checked 15 October 2026)

General information compiled from the public sources listed above on 15 October 2026. It is not legal advice and not a compliance opinion. Regulations, standards lists and fees change: confirm the current text with SASO, MoIAT or an accredited conformity assessment body before you order. Nothing on this page states that LJY Energy or any LJY model holds a SABER, ECAS or other certificate or test report; certificate status is confirmed per model in the quotation.