In force
Saudi Product Safety Law
نظام سلامة المنتجات
Sets safety requirements for products in Saudi Arabia, including the duties of manufacturers, importers and distributors, recalls, traceability, technical regulations, market surveillance, liability for defects and penalties.
- Articles
- 37
- In force
- 37
- Amended
- 0
- Issued
- 29/1/1446 AH
Issued by: مرسوم ملكي رقم (م/36) وتاريخ 1446/1/29هـ. · قرار مجلس الوزراء رقم (93) وتاريخ 1446/1/24هـ
Each article shows the official Arabic text, which is the only legally binding version, followed by our plain-English explanation.
Browse Product Safety Law by topic
Scope of the Product Safety Law6 articlesSafe Products and the Ban on Unsafe Ones4 articlesObligations of Manufacturers and Importers3 articlesObligations of Distributors1 articleProduct Recalls and Reporting Hazards2 articlesProduct Traceability in the Supply Chain2 articlesTechnical Regulations and Conformity Assessment4 articlesConformity Assessment Bodies5 articlesMarket Surveillance and Inspection7 articlesLiability for Defective Products3 articlesConfiscating and Destroying Violating Products2 articlesProduct Safety Penalties4 articles
Articles of the Saudi Product Safety Law
الباب الأول: التعريفاتArticles 1–1
الباب الثاني: أحكام عامةArticles 2–4
- Article 2The Law aims to protect the consumer by preventing the hazard associated with products placed or made available on the Kingdom's markets, and by setting out how hazards and risks are dealt with.
- Article 3The Law applies to all products, including those circulated electronically, except products whose competence is assigned to the Food and Drug Authority.
- Article 4The article sets the principles for applying the Law: no discrimination between local and imported products, proportionality of requirements and penalties to the hazard, coordination between bodies, and transparency and stakeholder involvement.
الباب الثالث: التزامات السلامة العامةArticles 5–15
- Article 5The Law prohibits manufacturing, importing, marketing, circulating or advertising unsafe products.
- Article 6A product is safe if it presents no hazard or its risks are acceptable in normal use, with the essential requirements and technical regulations met; otherwise by conforming to Saudi, regional or international standards.
- Article 7The article sets what is taken into account when assessing a product's safety: its properties and instructions, its effect on other products, its presentation and information, the consumer exposed to the hazard, and the consumer's legitimate expectations.
- Article 8The possibility of achieving higher levels of safety, or of obtaining another less hazardous product, is not sufficient by itself for considering a product unsafe.
- Article 9The manufacturer, authorized representative and importer responsible for placing the product on the markets must ensure its safety and conformity with the technical regulations, assess its risks, and provide proof of its safety on request.
- Article 10The manufacturer, authorized representative and importer must give the consumer all information that is not clear to them about the hazard associated with the product, so that the consumer can take the necessary precautions.
- Article 11The manufacturer, authorized representative and importer must put on the product their personal or trade name or their trademarks and their contact details, and the regulations set the conditions for this.
- Article 12The manufacturer, authorized representative and importer must stay informed about the risks of their products and take appropriate corrective actions, including warning the consumer and recalling the product.
- Article 13The distributor must, within the limits of its activity, act with due care to help ensure compliance with the requirements, not make available products it knows or is presumed to know do not comply, and cooperate on information, traceability and corrective actions.
- Article 14An economic operator that knows, or is presumed to know, that a product presents a hazard must notify the competent bodies immediately and provide information on the corrective actions it has taken.
- Article 15When the competent bodies request, an economic operator must identify to them which other economic operators supplied it with the product and to which it supplied the product.
الباب الرابع: التزامات السلامة الخاصةArticles 16–18
- Article 16If an economic operator has its own traceability system it must be linked to the Authority; otherwise the Authority may require it to use the Authority's traceability system for a fee set by the Board.
- Article 17The technical regulations must include what verifies a product's safety, including the essential requirements, reference to standards, risk assessment, conformity assessment, consumer information, documents and marks.
- Article 18The manufacturer, authorized representative and importer placing a product subject to a technical regulation must assess its conformity, engage an accepted body where needed, prepare a technical file, issue a declaration of conformity and affix the conformity mark.
الباب الخامس: جهات تقويم المطابقةArticles 19–23
- Article 19If the technical regulations require a conformity assessment body to carry out a specified assessment, the party responsible for placing the product on the market must assign the task to one of the accepted bodies.
- Article 20The competent authorities may use the services of conformity assessment bodies accepted by the Authority to assess the conformity of a specific product under the Law and regulations.
- Article 21Accepted bodies must keep professional confidentiality about all facts, practices and information they learn through the tasks assigned to them within the scope of their acceptance.
- Article 22Accepted bodies must not impose conformity assessment procedures other than those in the technical regulations, and must stay within the scope of their acceptance when providing services.
- Article 23Conformity assessment bodies are responsible for the services they provide and for the services they subcontract in order to provide them.
الباب السادس: مراقبة الأسواقArticles 24–30
- Article 24The competent authorities carry out market surveillance in accordance with the rules, procedures and tasks set by the regulations.
- Article 25The Authority prepares a national strategy for product safety and market surveillance, ensures compliance with operators' requirements, and maintains the minimum conformity index.
- Article 26Inspectors appointed by the Board detect and document violations of the Law and regulations. They may enter and inspect facilities, draw up reports, temporarily close premises, seize products, review documents and take samples.
- Article 27Financial rewards are granted to the inspectors referred to in Article 26 by decision of the Board on the Governor's proposal, as set by the regulations.
- Article 28It is prohibited to prevent an inspector from carrying out inspection and detection work, or to obstruct them in doing so.
- Article 29The inspector must keep confidential the information obtained through their work, but confidentiality does not prevent the competent authorities from disclosing information needed for effective market surveillance or to prevent a safety risk.
- Article 30The Authority, in coordination with the competent authorities, may order the destruction of a violating product after a final judgment confiscating it, through a committee formed for the purpose, at the violator's cost.
الباب السابع: المسؤولية عن الخلل في المنتجArticles 31–32
- Article 31The manufacturer is responsible for any damage resulting from a defect in the product it placed on the market, and the regulations define the defect that gives rise to liability.
- Article 32Manufacturers include raw material and component makers and anyone marking the product as manufacturer; the importer or representative bears a foreign maker's duties; operators are jointly liable if unidentified.
الباب الثامن: إيقاع العقوباتArticles 33–35
- Article 33The Board forms a committee of five members, including at least three legal advisers. It imposes corrective measures and fine and closure penalties and asks the court for confiscation. Its decisions may be appealed to the Administrative Court within 60 days.
- Article 34A violator of the Law and regulations is punished by a warning, a fine of up to SAR 10,000,000, or closure of the establishment for up to one year. The decision may be published, and the Governor imposes warnings and fines of up to SAR 10,000.
- Article 35A person who deliberately causes an unsafe product, capable of harming the consumer, to be placed or offered on the market is punished by imprisonment of up to ten years, and the Public Prosecution investigates and prosecutes.
الباب التاسع: أحكام ختاميةArticles 36–37
- Article 36The Authority's board issues the regulations within ninety days of the Law's publication in the Official Gazette, and they take effect from the date the Law takes effect.
- Article 37The Product Safety Law takes effect 90 days after its publication in the Official Gazette and repeals any provisions that conflict with it.