Many businesses in Europe and America eye the Middle East as fertile grounds for their products. Affluent buyers in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE is one of the reasons why businesses want to export and why it is worth the effort. However, the growing middle class in other Middle Eastern countries like Lebanon and Iraq means that there is a growing demand for many western products.
Before you think about exporting to any Middle Eastern countries, it is essential to be aware of the mandatory requirements. The requirements need to be met to ensure that the goods are of high quality and that there is a demand for them. Many times, despite meeting all the requirements the products are not successful because the local population has no idea of their benefits.
Inspection and certification
All products exported to the Middle East are inspected and then certified. Each product needs to conform with the documentation, export, and other requirements. It needs to have associated safety test reports as well as tech data sheets (where applicable). Other than that, the requirements may vary slightly from one country to the next.
It is crucial to understand these compliance requirements and differences. You can’t use a one size fits all approach when shipping to different countries in the middle east. If you do then expect shipping delays and other issues.
Each Middle Eastern Country has its own certification program. We’ve listed the program for each country below:
- SASO Certificate of Conformity in Saudi Arabia
- KUCAS in Kuwait
- ICIGI in Iraq
- QGOSM in Qatar
- IRI Certification for Lebanon
There are also a batch of countries that all follow the same Gulf Standards Association (GSO). The list includes:
- Sultanate of Oman
- Kingdom of Bahrain
- State of Qatar
- United Arab Emirates
- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Republic of Yemen
- State of Kuwait
Hire Locals for Arabic Translation
As mentioned above some exported products don’t get much attention in Middle Eastern countries. The reason for that is these products are not marketed in the local language. The labels and literature are either in English or some other language. Even if it is in Arabic, it may not be in the local dialect.
One of the first steps you should take when exporting products to the Middle East is to have a team of local translators. Ideally, you should have translators from each country you want to export to. That way they will also give you some insight into how the country works and help with the legality of the export procedure.
Banned Products in the Middle East
Since Middle Eastern countries are Muslim countries by default, there are a list of items which are permanently banned. Any food products containing alcohol is forbidden. The same goes for products with pork or meat that’s not halal slaughtered. Other prohibited products are soft, and hard porn related videos, pictures, magazines, etc. However, any local translator or a legal advisor in any one of these countries will be aware of what’s not allowed which makes exporting products easier. It will also make it easier to modify the products for export to the Middle East.