Saudi Arabia / SASO

Saudi Arabia replaces its ICT certification standard 31st October 2026

Q: What is SASO 3114:2026 and what does it replace?

SASO 3114:2026, 'Requirements for Specific ICT Equipment', replaces the older CITC/CST specification GEN-002 as the technical standard Saudi Arabia's SASO applies when certifying ICT products for the Saudi market. It covers mobile phones, tablets and mobile computers, mobile routers, customer-premises equipment (CPE), cellular-enabled IoT devices, ONT and HAG equipment, and Wi-Fi distribution devices.

SASO 3114:2026 replaces GEN-002 as the technical standard for certifying mobile phones, tablets, routers, CPE, cellular-enabled devices, ONT/HAG equipment and Wi-Fi distribution devices.
A grace period runs until 31st October 2026; from 1st November 2026 no certificate is issued for a covered product unless it meets the new standard.
Certificates already issued under GEN-002 must be phased out no later than 31st March 2027.

Last updated 23rd September 2026 · By Vas Parshin and Anabel Amar

SASO 3114:2026 ICT Certification — GEN-002 Ends 31st Mar 2027

31st Oct 2026Grace period ends for SASO 3114:2026 compliance

31st Mar 2027Certificates issued under old GEN-002 standard must be phased out

What changed: SASO 3114:2026 replaces GEN-002

SASO has revised and replaced the CST specification GEN-002 with the new Saudi Standard SASO 3114:2026, "Requirements for Specific ICT Equipment." A grace period runs until 31st October 2026 for relevant products to be brought into compliance with the updated standard. From 1st November 2026, no certificate of conformity will be issued for products covered by this circular unless they meet the updated requirements. Certificates of Conformity and Shipment Certificates already issued under the old GEN-002 standard remain valid only until 31st March 2027, after which they are discontinued outright.

Laptops, tablets and phones on a laboratory bench — Illustration: ICT products of the kind the new standard covers.

Which products are covered

SASO 3114:2026 applies to the same product scope GEN-002 covered: mobile phones, tablets and mobile computers, mobile routers, customer-premises equipment (CPE), cellular-enabled IoT devices, ONT (optical network terminal) and HAG (home access gateway) equipment, and Wi-Fi distribution devices being placed on the Saudi market. Any manufacturer already holding a GEN-002-based PCoC, CoC-CST or SCoC certificate for one of these product types needs to plan re-certification against the new standard ahead of the 31st October 2026 grace-period end, not wait for the certificate to lapse naturally.

How a Saudi certificate is issued: SABER, then a shipment certificate

The transition dates above name two kinds of certificate because Saudi import certification has two steps. SASO's electronic certification and conformity assessment system, Saber, rolled out in January 2018 and became mandatory for all imported goods entering Saudi Arabia in July 2018. It connects importers, SASO-approved certification bodies and Saudi customs in one online system. For a regulated product, the importer registers the product in Saber with its details and classification, a SASO-approved certification body is assigned to carry out the conformity assessment, and the product receives its approval certificate. Only then is a shipment certificate issued, and that has to be sent to Saudi customs before the goods can enter the market.

For a product in scope of SASO 3114:2026, that means the product-level certificate has to be issued against the new standard first; a shipment certificate cannot be issued without it. The US government's guide also notes that the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), whose GEN-002 specification this standard replaces, has authority over imported telecommunications and IT products. For the equivalent two-step process in the UAE, where a type approval and a per-shipment customs permit both apply, see UAE TDRA type approval and customs permit; low-voltage goods for GCC markets are covered under the GCC G-Mark.

Who this actually lands on

Any manufacturer of mobile phones, tablets, routers, CPE, cellular-enabled devices or Wi-Fi equipment already certified for Saudi Arabia under GEN-002 needs a re-certification plan against SASO 3114:2026 before the 31st October 2026 grace period ends. Saudi Arabia joins the other jurisdictions already covered here -- US, EU/UK, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, Japan, India, China, Australia, Canada and Taiwan -- as an electronics-import market with an active, dated compliance requirement rather than a static baseline.

Questions

What is SASO 3114:2026 and what does it replace?

SASO 3114:2026, "Requirements for Specific ICT Equipment," replaces the older CITC/CST specification GEN-002 as the technical standard Saudi Arabia's SASO applies when certifying ICT products for the Saudi market. It covers mobile phones, tablets and mobile computers, mobile routers, customer-premises equipment (CPE), cellular-enabled IoT devices, ONT and HAG equipment, and Wi-Fi distribution devices.

What is the deadline for SASO 3114:2026?

There is a grace period until 31st October 2026 to bring affected products into compliance with SASO 3114:2026. From 1st November 2026, SASO will not issue a new certificate of conformity for any covered product unless it meets the updated standard. Certificates already issued under the old GEN-002 standard must be phased out no later than 31st March 2027.

Which products are covered by SASO 3114:2026?

SASO 3114:2026 applies to mobile phones, tablets and mobile computers, mobile routers, customer-premises equipment (CPE), cellular-enabled devices, optical network terminals (ONT) and home access gateways (HAG), and Wi-Fi distribution devices being certified for the Saudi market -- the same product scope the old GEN-002 standard covered.

What is SABER and how does it relate to SASO 3114:2026?

Saber is SASO's online certification and conformity assessment system, mandatory for imported goods since July 2018. For a regulated product the importer registers it in Saber, a SASO-approved certification body assesses conformity and issues the product certificate, and a shipment certificate is then issued for customs. Under SASO 3114:2026, product certificates for covered ICT equipment must be issued against the new standard from 1st November 2026, and certificates issued under GEN-002 end no later than 31st March 2027.

Where we fit

Adding Saudi Arabia to a market-access review means mapping a product against SASO 3114:2026's requirements ahead of the 31st October 2026 grace-period end. We fold Saudi Arabia's SASO requirements into the same market-access review we run for the US, EU/UK and the other jurisdictions we cover, so it is one process per product, not a separate one to track per country.