UK – MIDDLE EAST – WORLDWIDE – For the inexperienced manufacturer or trader the thought of exporting to certain areas of the globe, such as the Middle East, can seem a daunting, if not insurmountable task. The supply of a new product into such markets can be fraught with regulatory pitfalls and mountains of red tape, not to mention hidden financial penalties which sometimes catch out even the most experienced of freight forwarders. Many governments within the Middle East have put stringent requirements in place to ensure their consumers are protected from sub-standard products and goods including Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Conformity Assessment Programmes have been implemented not only to verify safety and performance of goods but also to ensure that correct import duty revenues are paid.
With this in mind Intertek, the Certification and Inspection Body (CIB) for many such programmes in a host of countries have put together a set of on line advice documents to assist the inexperienced, or others wishing to stay abreast of the requirements, with the latest rules and regulations and guide exporters through the relevant processes. Traders exporting to the affected countries need to be fully aware of applicable requirements since failure to comply with them can be costly, leading to potential delays in Customs clearance, financial penalties or even goods being returned to the port of origin.
Two recent rulings for example need to be heeded by suppliers of certain goods regularly exported from Europe. In Saudi Arabia the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has recently extended a 20-year old decree banning Freon 11 and Freon 12 in cooling equipment such as freezers, air conditioners, compressors and refrigerators to include Freon 22 and Freon 123 refrigerants as well. Spare parts needed for the maintenance and operation of older models of cooling and air conditioning appliances are exempted from this requirement.
Meanwhile in the UAE the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) has changed the rules for electrical plug adaptors, an essential item for many imported goods, and details of changes such as this can prove crucial to a European or other global exporter. Through Intertek’s worldwide networks situated in over a hundred countries the agency employs in excess of 33,000 people working throughout more than a thousand offices and laboratories dedicated to ensuring that goods comply in every respect with local requirements.
By clicking on the relevant country interested parties can download Intertek’s free guides on advice on trading to Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia here.
To learn more about the requirements for Certificates of Conformity – essential to ensure the items you intend to send are not proscribed by the importing Middle Eastern state click HERE and to register for a Guide to Doing Business with Saudi Arabia click HERE whilst a short video explains more about the conformity process in the country HERE.
Further information can be obtained by following the relevant links on the Intertek website or by e mailing queries directly to info.government@intertek.com
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