Saudi Arabia Type Approval Summary
The Saudi Arabian telecommunications market is the most promising and aggressive in the Middle East in terms of digital transformation. It has seen significant growth, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 3.92% from 2025 to 2030. It is estimated to reach a value of USD 23.07 billion by 2030.
To access the Saudi Arabian market, especially for telecom and wireless products, companies must comply with a type of compliance instrument called “CST certification.” CST stands for The Communications, Space and Technology Commission.
This institution acts as a regulator in several important sectors such as telecommunications, space, technology, and spectrum frequency management. Additionally, CST is also responsible for managing Saudi Arabian Type Approval.
Obtaining CST type approval certification can be challenging. No need to worry, Narmadi Company can be the right partner for you to navigate the complexities of the certification process and remove obstacles. We even ensure that you receive your certificate by your desired target date. This is thanks to our extensive experience, expertise, and global connections in the field of certification.
Who Can Be an Applicant?
- Local representative
- Required
Local companies play a key role in type approval certification in Saudi Arabia. This is because the CST requires that local companies be registered as certificate applicants.
These local companies can be importers, distributors, or local brand representatives. Foreign companies cannot apply directly. To sell their products in Saudi Arabia, foreign companies must ensure that they have a local partner.
Application Method
- In-country testing
- No
- Paperwork only
- Yes
This certification only requires paperwork. This means that you do not need to conduct testing at a local laboratory. However, you need to provide test results for Radio Frequency (RF), Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), and Safety testing from an international laboratory that complies with European Norm (EN) standards.
Sample Requirements
Sample requirements are not a concern when applying for type approval certification in Saudi Arabia. This is because local testing is not a mandatory process.
All you need to prepare is a test report from an international laboratory recognized by Saudi Arabia. If you do not already have one, you will need to have the testing performed first.
If this is the case, samples will be required for testing at an overseas laboratory. The number and type of samples will depend on the device’s features and the tests to be conducted.
Document Requirements
To obtain this certification, several document requirements must be met, including:
- Safety, EMC, and RF test reports issued by an accredited test laboratory. The test report should be within 3 years of its issuance date; older reports are not accepted.
- Declaration of conformity (DOC)
- Internal & external photos of the product
- User manual
- Datasheet of the product
- Risk analysis and ROHS declaration (draft will be prepared by agency)
- Application form (draft will be prepared by agency)
Submission process
- Submission
- Online
CST requires that all applications be submitted through the Saber app. Therefore, all documents that have been collected and prepared must be submitted online.
The relevant authorities will review the submitted documents to ensure they are complete. If the application passes the review, the certificate will be issued immediately. If it does not pass the review, the missing documents must be submitted, and the application will be reviewed again.
Lead Time of Certification
- Lead time
- About 2 weeks
The lead time required for type approval certification in Saudi Arabia is approximately two weeks. This process begins on the date the certificate application is submitted through the Saber portal.
The document evaluation process in Saudi Arabia is certainly not short. However, it cannot be considered excessively long, given the large number of certification applications submitted.
Validity Period
- Validity
- 1 year
CST requires certificates to be renewed annually. This is because these certificates are valid for one year from the date of issuance.
This short validity period is intended to ensure that devices on the market always meet regulatory requirements. This is done because regulatory updates may occur within one year.
The recertification process follows the same procedures and documentation as the initial application. Given the short validity period, certificate holders must be vigilant and mindful of the renewal obligation.
Label Requirements
- Product label
- Not required
- Approval mark
- Not required
- Label registration
- Not required
Telecom and wireless products that have been certified by CST are not required to affix labels to the products and their packaging. Unlike other countries that have strict regulations regarding labeling, Saudi Arabia has relaxed these requirements by not mandating them.
Simply put, products can be marketed with only the manufacturer's original label. Typically, this label contains important information such as the type of equipment, brand name, model name, country of origin, and compliance logos such as FCC or CE.
More on Labeling
There are no label requirements for CST certification.
Certificate Example
- Issued under
- The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST)
- Certificate
- CST certification
- Validity
- 1 year
- Lead time
- About 2 weeks
Alternative Country Names
SA, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Al-Mamlakah al-‘Arabiyyah as-Su‘ūdiyyah, Saudi-Arabien, Arabie Saoudite, Saudijska Arabija, Arabia Saudita, Arabia Saudí, Саудовская Аравия, サウジアラビア, Saudiarabien, 사우디아라비아, Saudi
Product Scope
This certification is not limited to telecommunication products only. However, this certification is also mandatory for all products that have telecommunication features or radio frequency.
Some examples of products that are mandatory to apply for CST certification are:
Rules by Technology
Allowed, approval required
- Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz
- Wi-Fi 5 GHz
- Wi-Fi 6E (6 GHz)
- Wi-Fi 7
- Bluetooth Classic
- Bluetooth Low Energy
- NFC
- RFID
- UWB
- Zigbee
- Thread
- Z-Wave
- DECT
- 2G/3G
- 4G LTE
- 5G NR
- NB-IoT
- LTE-M
- LoRa / LoRaWAN
- Sigfox
- Automotive radar (77 GHz)
- Short-range radar (24 / 60 GHz)
- GNSS (GPS)
- Satellite communication
- Wireless charging (Qi)
- PMR / Walkie-talkie
- Amateur radio
- Passive Optical Network (PON)
- Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM)
- Coaxial Cable
- ISDN
- Ethernet
- VoIP
- IPv6
- Power Line Carrier
- Microwave Link
- Free Space Optics
- Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB)
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