To whom it may concern,

As part of the ongoing commitment to enhancing the transparency and efficiency of the certification process under the Gulf Technical Regulations, the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) released an announcement regarding the updated requirements concerning the acceptance period of test reports and their traceability to products applied for G-Mark certification, the details are as follow:

1. Maximum Acceptance Period for Test Results:

(1)     Test results shall be generally considered valid only if obtained within a period no longer than3 years prior to the date of the manufacturer's application for G-Mark certification to the Notified Body (e.g. CQC).

(2)     Effective immediately, test results utilized for Gulf Type Examination certification will be considered valid if obtained within a period not exceeding three years from the date of actual test performance. This period is determined from the date when testing activities were completed and issued the test report, as explicitly stated in the laboratory testing report.

2. Traceability of the test reports to the products applied for certification:

(1)     Test reports shall explicitly reference the manufacturer, brand, and model of the products applied to be certified for G-Mark.

(2)     The manufacturing location (factory), if indicated in the test report, shall match the information provided in the application for certification.

(3)     The test reports shall include sufficient photo documentation of the tested products to permit the CQC to identify the applied product (model), in particular in case of family models or product series.

In cases where the test report does not directly correspond to the product model applied for certification, a Product Identity Declaration (PID) or Declaration of Identity (DOI) shall be provided by the manufacturer, but the following conditions shall be met:

1. If there are non-technical variances (e.g., branding, model numbers, external design) between the applied model and tested model, a PID showing the correlation, similarities and differences between the products applied for certification and the tested products and include the references to all test reports that show the relevant test results.

2. If there are technical differences (such as in design /construction, parts or materials used, assembly method, intended use, risks and hazards, manufacturing location/country, etc.) between the tested products and the products applied for certification, the PID is not acceptable, and samples need to be sent to qualified laboratories for testing, unless the manufacturer can demonstrate documented evidence to the CQC that such differences do not impair the conformity of the products, and the evidence can only be used after evaluation by CQC.

3. The PID/DOI shall be signed by an authorized person on behalf of the manufacturer or his authorized representative (e.g., technical responsible or top management representative) and issued on an official letter showing the name and address of the issuing company.

CQC will implement the above announcement requirements from today onwards, and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the following contact information:

▪       International Cooperation Dept.Eng. Zhang, 010-83886805

▪       Product Certification Dept.2, Eng.Zheng, 010-83886183

▪       Product Certification Dept.4, Eng.Chen, 010-83886496

▪       Product Certification Dept.6, Eng.Feng, 010-83886869

                                   China Quality Certification Centre

                                          August 5, 2024