Market Entry Brief
Digital air fryer
into Saudi Arabia
- Product
- 5.5L digital air fryer, 1,700 W, non-stick basket, touch-screen controls, rated voltage 220–240V
- Origin
- Manufactured in Shunde, Guangdong, China — a major small-appliance manufacturing hub
- Channel
- Sold to Saudi consumers through Noon.com/Amazon.sa via a Saudi importer
- Verified
- Every statement checked against primary sources on 9–10 October 2026 (see labels)
How to read the labels:
Regulation text of the Gulf Technical Regulation for Low Voltage Electrical Equipment (BD-142004-01) ·
GSO GSO's own published lists or standards store ·
Reported consistent secondary sources (market research, notified-body bulletins), no official text found ·
Expert-reviewed our assessment for this product, reviewed by our editor from testing and certification experience
The short answer
- Yes, it is regulated under the Gulf Technical Regulation for Low Voltage Electrical Equipment and Appliances (BD-142004-01), applied in Saudi Arabia via SASO. Regulation
- Route in practice: Gulf Type Examination by a GSO Notified Body against GSO IEC 60335-2-9:2008 → G-Mark with QR code → Product Certificate of Conformity (PCoC) on SABER, started by the Saudi importer → a Shipment Certificate of Conformity (SCoC) for every consignment. GSO Expert-reviewed
- Classification isn't guesswork, but it isn't automatic either: air fryers aren't named by product name anywhere in GSO's published list — they're classified by HS code (85.16.60.00, "other ovens; cookers, cooking plates, boiling rings, grillers and roasters"), the standard route customs and labs use. Confirm it against your exact model before paying for anything. GSO Expert-reviewed
- One genuinely open question: whether a separate SASO IECEE Recognition Certificate (SIRC) also applies — see section 4. Reported
1Does the regulation apply?
Yes. BD-142004-01 covers "all electrical and electronic devices and appliances and fixtures that contain electrical and/or electronic components designed for use with a voltage rating of between 50 and 1000 V for alternating current" (Article 1, clause 8). A 220–240V air fryer is squarely within that range. Regulation
| Regulation | Gulf Technical Regulation for Low Voltage Electrical Equipment and Appliances, BD-142004-01, via GSO's own explanatory guidance (WDT-152201-01) Official source |
|---|---|
| Issued by / applied by | GSO (Gulf Standardization Organization) / SASO in Saudi Arabia |
| Risk tier | List 2 (higher-risk, currently enforced) — List 1 has never been published |
| List reference | GSO List No. 2, TC143307-01, version 1, 6 August 2014 |
Classification isn't an explicit naming. "Air fryer" as a product name doesn't appear on TC143307-01 — the list was last versioned in August 2014, before air fryers were a mass-market category. Item 9 on the list, "Other ovens; cookers, cooking plates, boiling rings, grillers and roasters," HS 85.16.60.00, is the category electric ovens and convection-style cooking appliances are classified under internationally, and it's the standard customs/lab classification path for air fryers — not a guess invented for this brief, but a classification judgment your Notified Body or customs broker should confirm against the exact model. GSO Expert-reviewed
2The route to market — two layers, not one
Most generic guides blur these together. They are two separate steps, in sequence.
- Gulf Type Examination & G-MarkThird-party testing and review by a GSO-accredited Notified Body against GSO IEC 60335-2-9:2008, per Annex 4 of BD-142004-01. A pass gives a Gulf Type Examination Certificate and the right to affix the G-Mark and its tracking QR code. In force since 1 July 2016 across GSO member states.Manufacturer, with a Notified Body. GSO date Reported, corroborated in Arabic and English sources
- Register on SABER (Saudi-specific)G-Mark alone doesn't clear Saudi customs. The importer registers the product for a Product Certificate of Conformity (PCoC), using the G-Mark technical file. Mandatory since 1 January 2025.Saudi importer. Reported (RIZ & MONA, Motaded, Fahes exporter guides — saber.sa's own portal is JS-rendered and didn't surface a clean process breakdown directly)
- Shipment Certificate of Conformity (SCoC) for each consignmentRequired before customs clearance, referencing the live PCoC.Saudi importer, on SABER. Reported
3Required safety standard
The applicable standard is GSO IEC 60335-2-9:2008 — GSO's own adoption of IEC 60335-2-9, "Household and similar electrical appliances – Safety – Particular requirements for grills, toasters and similar portable cooking appliances," confirmed as a published, purchasable standard on GSO's own standards store. GSO Manufacturers already holding IEC 60335-2-9 test reports from an accredited lab have a direct starting point, though the GSO-adopted edition should be checked for regional deviations.
4The open question: does SIRC also apply?
SASO's own Arabic-language announcement (scope expansion effective 1 September 2021) names electric oil fryers, water kettles/boilers, and coffee-making devices as products additionally requiring a SASO IECEE Recognition Certificate (SIRC) — a separate requirement from G-Mark/SABER, run through an IECEE-approved Certified Body Testing Laboratory. GSO
Not a settled fact, stated plainly: SASO's named category is specifically oil fryers. An air fryer cooks by rapid air circulation with little or no oil — a functionally different appliance from a deep oil fryer, even though both sit in the same retail "fryer" category. Whether a testing lab or SASO itself would classify an air fryer under this oil-fryer category for SIRC purposes isn't resolved by the source text and shouldn't be assumed either way. Raise it with your Notified Body alongside the HS-code confirmation in section 1 — before paying for testing, not after. Expert-reviewed
5Labelling
| Item | Requirement | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| G-Mark | Visible, legible and indelible, with the tracking QR code, per GSO's general marking principles for BD-142004-01. | GSO |
| Supplier name / CR number on-product | SASO Circular (effective 1 Oct 2026) requires this on products under 10 named technical regulations. Low-voltage household appliances like this one are not among the 10 — the list covers tanks, watercraft, trailers, self-balancing boards, pressure vessels, child restraint systems/strollers, building materials, solar PV and electrical lifts. | GSO — circular read directly |
| Arabic | Saudi consumer-product labelling generally expects Arabic for safety/use information; confirm the exact wording requirement with your Notified Body for this specific appliance category. | Expert-reviewed |
Note: this is the same pattern seen elsewhere in MutabiqAlerts' coverage — a new labelling circular doesn't automatically apply to every product category, and it's worth checking explicitly rather than assuming. Expert-reviewed
6Open points to confirm before you book
- HS classification: will your Notified Body or customs broker confirm HS 85.16.60.00 against this exact model?
- SIRC applicability: does your chosen Notified Body treat an air fryer as an "electric oil fryer" for SIRC purposes, or not? Get this in writing before testing.
- Existing reports: will the Notified Body accept your current IEC 60335-2-9 test reports, and from which labs?
- Fees and lead times: get written quotes from two or three Notified Bodies — costs vary by body and by how much can be reused from existing reports.
7Sources (checked 9–10 October 2026)
- Gulf Technical Regulation for Low Voltage Electrical Equipment and Appliances, BD-142004-01, via GSO's explanatory guidance (WDT-152201-01): saso.gov.sa — read directly for this brief
- GSO List No. 2 (TC143307-01), "Electrical equipment and appliances subjected to CAP in Annex 4 of LV TR," 6 Aug 2014: gso.org.sa — read directly; source of the HS 85.16.60.00 classification
- GSO IEC 60335-2-9:2008 standard listing: gso.org.sa/store
- SASO IECEE Recognition Certificate (SIRC) scope, naming electric oil fryers, water kettles and coffee-makers: saso.gov.sa — Arabic-language announcement, read directly
- SASO Circular (supplier name/CR number on-product, eff. 1 Oct 2026): saber.sa — read directly
- SABER PCoC/SCoC two-certificate structure, mandatory since 1 Jan 2025, as reported by RIZ & MONA Consultancy, Motaded and Fahes exporter guides Reported
- G-Mark enforcement date (1 July 2016), corroborated in English (QIMA, export2gulf.com, Bureau Veritas Verigates) and Arabic-language sources (nemko, qima.com/ar, export2gulf.com/ar) Reported
- Saudi small-appliance and air-fryer market demand: synthesis of commercial market-research providers (Research and Markets, Euromonitor, Mordor Intelligence and similar) — industry estimates, not government statistics Reported
Need this for your own product and market?
A MutabiqAlerts Market Entry Brief covers one product in one Arab market: the regulation, conformity route, required standards, labelling, and the open questions a generic guide would skip past. Contact [email protected].
Sample brief prepared by MutabiqAlerts for an illustrative product. Verified against the sources above on 9–10 October 2026. Regulatory information only, not legal advice; requirements change, so verify with the Notified Body and SASO before acting. MutabiqAlerts is an independent information service: not a laboratory, certification body or notified body, and not affiliated with GSO, SASO or any government body. Standards are copyrighted by their publishers and are referenced here by number and title only.