SABER DESKSaber Desk · Free article
SASO 3114:2026: the three dates for ICT equipment, and the question to ask your Certification Body now
The short answer
SASO has replaced SASO CITC GEN-002, the standard named in Annex 1 of Saudi Arabia’s Technical Regulation for Communications and Information Technology Devices, with SASO 3114:2026, “Requirements for Specific ICT Equipment”. A SABER circular sets three dates:
- a grace period until 31 October 2026;
- from 1 November 2026, no certificate of conformity for a covered product unless it meets the updated requirements;
- certificates of conformity and shipment certificates issued under GEN-002 are discontinued by 31 March 2027 at the latest — they do not run to their printed expiry.
If you import anything in the six covered categories below, the question for your Certification Body this month is: does my current test report satisfy SASO 3114:2026 — and if not, what does the gap check cost and how long does it take?
By product: mobile phones and tablets · routers, CPE, ONT/HAG and Wi-Fi distribution devices.
What the official circular says
SABER published a one-page circular in Arabic and English (PDF on saber.sa). It:
- confirms the replacement, GEN-002 → SASO 3114:2026, “based on what has been approved and published” on SASO’s official website and its standards store, Wasif;
- grants a grace period until 31 October 2026;
- instructs importers and local manufacturers not to issue any certificate of conformity for covered products “unless they meet the updated requirements, starting from 01/11/2026”;
- states that valid certificates of conformity and shipment certificates issued under GEN-002 “shall be discontinued no later than 31/03/2027”.
The circular links to the standard on Wasif but does not list the products. The scope is in the standard’s own store record, quoted next.
Which products are covered — the official scope
SASO’s standards store, Wasif, lists SASO 3114:2026 as an active standard specification, approved on 29 January 2026, and states its scope as follows (record read on 28 September 2026):
“This document specifies the minimum requirements for the following product categories:
1.0.1 Mobile Phones
1.0.2 Tablets and Mobile Computers
1.0.3 Routers and Customer Premises Equipment (CPE)
1.0.4 Other Cellular-enabled Devices
1.0.5 ONT (Optical Network Terminal) and HAG (Home Access Gateway), intended to be used either for carrier-owned or open-access network
1.0.6 Wi-Fi Distribution devices”
Three practical notes. The record gives the categories, not their definitions — those sit inside the standard itself (15 pages, English; the store sells it, and no Arabic edition was offered at the time of reading). “Cellular-enabled” is broad: a cellular IoT module or a tablet with a SIM slot sits in the same list as a phone. And “Tablets and Mobile Computers” is not defined in the record, so a laptop is a classification question for your Certification Body, not a settled fact either way.
What changes for importers
- New certificates. From 1 November 2026, a covered product gets a new PCoC only if it meets SASO 3114:2026. A test report that satisfied GEN-002 may not be enough; ask the lab for a gap check against the new standard.
- Existing certificates. A PCoC or SCoC issued under GEN-002 stops by 31 March 2027, even if it shows a later expiry. Plan re-certification so that no shipment after March 2027 depends on one.
- Timing. Retesting and certification take weeks. The practical deadline for a gap check is well before 31 October, not on it.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Now → 31 October 2026 | Grace period. Confirm scope with your CB, gap-check test reports, book retests |
| From 1 November 2026 | New certificates for covered products only under SASO 3114:2026 |
| By 31 March 2027 | GEN-002 certificates of conformity and shipment certificates discontinued |
What it does not change
- The rest of the SABER sequence is the same: CST type approval for wireless devices, IECEE recognition via JEEM where required, then the PCoC per model and the SCoC per shipment.
- The SCoC remains valid for 90 days (SASO, 15 Sep 2026).
- Products outside the covered categories are not affected — confirm with your CB.
Frequently asked questions
Is my phone’s certificate still valid after 1 November?
Yes, until 31 March 2027 at the latest. But no new certificate can be issued for a covered product after 1 November unless it meets SASO 3114:2026.
Where can I read the standard?
On SASO’s standards store, Wasif; the SABER circular links to it. The store record (title, status, scope, price) is public; the full text is sold — 15 pages in English at the time of reading.
Does this cover laptops?
The official scope lists “Tablets and Mobile Computers” without defining the term in the store record — check your exact model with your CB.
Sources: SABER circular updateStandardSpecification.pdf (saber.sa, read 28 Sep 2026; md5 d41e7bc3…) · SASO Wasif store, record SASO-3114, read 28 Sep 2026 · SASO news, 15 September 2026, on the 90-day SCoC validity — saso.gov.sa (in Arabic); read 12 Oct 2026.
Go deeper, in both languages
The free sample covers the prerequisite stack, PCoC basics and 3 of the 7 traps — one English PDF and one Arabic PDF. The full Compliance Guide has the whole enforced path, every fee and timeline, all 7 traps with fixes, the invoice-matching checklist and a first-year budget worksheet.
Saber Desk is an independent reference — not a certification body, and not affiliated with SASO. We do not issue certificates. Fees and processing times are the official figures published on saber.sa unless marked as observed practice; confirm HS codes and required standards for a specific shipment with your Certification Body. Edition: October 2026.