The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) certification scheme has undergone an important adjustment. From 4 March 2026 the latest mandatory electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standard for household appliances, IEC 61000-3-2:2018/AMD2:2024, applies in full. All GCC certificates (G-Mark) issued under the previous version are no longer valid, and products whose certificates have not been updated cannot enter the markets of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Yemen.

Background and scope

GCC certification is a mandatory market access requirement for these seven Gulf states and in principle adopts the latest GSO/IEC standards directly. The newly mandated standard is IEC 61000-3-2:2018+AMD1:2020+AMD2:2024 CSV (the consolidated version), which addresses harmonic current emission limits for electrical and electronic equipment with an input current of not more than 16 A per phase connected to public low-voltage distribution systems.

The new standard applies to electrical and electronic equipment rated at not more than 16 A input current per phase and intended for connection to public low-voltage distribution systems, covering most household appliances and similar products.

Main changes

Compared with the previous version (IEC 61000-3-2:2018 and AMD1:2020), the main updates are:

1. Harmonic current emission limits for lighting equipment rated at 25 W have been updated to accommodate new lighting technologies;

2. A 5 W threshold has been introduced, below which lighting equipment is no longer subject to emission limits;

3. The technical requirements for dimmers driving non-incandescent lamps have been revised;

4. Test conditions have been added for digital load-side transmission control devices;

5. The use of reference lamps and reference ballasts in lighting equipment testing has been removed;

6. Terminology relating to lighting equipment has been simplified and clarified;

7. Professional luminaires for stage lighting and studios have been classified as Class A;

8. Classification requirements for emergency lighting equipment have been clarified;

9. The technical definition of lighting equipment that includes a control module and has an active input power of 2 W or less has been clarified;

10. Test conditions for television receivers and induction hobs, as well as other types of cooking appliance, have been updated;

11. For consistency with IEC 61000-3-12, the scope wording has changed from "input current of 16 A or less" to "rated input current of 16 A or less".

Recommended action

Exporters concerned should immediately review their existing GCC certificates to confirm whether the IEC 61000-3-2 version on which the product is based has been updated. If the old version still applies, they should contact a testing and certification body as soon as possible to complete EMC testing and remediation against the new standard and update the certificate, so that market access in the seven Gulf states is not affected.