United Arab Emirates - Country Commercial Guide
Standards for Trade
Last published date:

Overview

In 2020, the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) was established to promote industrialization in the UAE. The Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), established in 2001, was merged into the structure of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology.

Standards

Industry associations and individual companies have provided important feedback to MoIAT/ESMA as it develops and implements new standards. In general, UAE standards reference international and regional standards such as those of the GCC Standardization Organization.

MoIAT/ESMA’s work includes:

  • Develop, provide, and adopt national standards prepared by its technical committees at the request of the government, industry, and consumers.
  • Ensure consumers safety and environmental protection through the implementation of UAE standards.
  • Provide up-to-date information on standardization and relevant activities and stakeholders at the national, regional, and international levels.
  • Manage the Conformity Assessment Scheme (ECAS) which determines whether imports meet national or international standards for products.
  • Manage the National Accreditation Scheme (ENAS) which accredits conformity assessment bodies.
  • Monitor the implementation of approved UAE standards.
  • Grant the Emirates Quality Mark (EQM) to national products.
  • Issue certificates of conformity.

Testing, Inspection and Certification

The National Accreditation Department, within the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), is responsible for conformity assessment and accreditation.

Web link: https://moiat.gov.ae/en/about-us/national-accreditation-system-enas

Publication of Technical Regulations

Interested companies can find a list of regulated products for reference. The national standards are numbered and published on the official gazette and can be downloaded from the Standards Store.

Resources

The U.S.-UAE Business Council report on UAE standards and technical regulations is a helpful resource.

Web link to the U.S-UAE Business Council standards report:

https://usuaebusiness.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Standards-and-Technical-Regulations-in-the-UAE-Final1.pdf

Contact Information

Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology - Standards and Technical Regulations Sector

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Tel: +971 4 2944434 / +971 600 565554

E-mail: contact@moiat.gov.ae


Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA)
P.O. Box 2166, Abu Dhabi - UAE
P.O. Box 48666, Dubai - UAE
Phone: +971 600 565554
Fax: +971 4 294 4428
Email: customercare@esma.gov.ae


Emirates National Accreditation Department

Abu Dhabi
Phone: +971 600 565554
Fax: +971 2 403 2772
Email: customercare-enas@enas.gov.ae

Dubai

Phone: +971 600 565554
Fax: +971 4 294 4428
Email: customercare-enas@enas.gov.ae
 

Use ePing to review proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures

The ePing SPS&TBT platform (https://epingalert.org/), or “ePing”, provides access to notifications made by WTO Members under the Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), distributed by the WTO from January 16, 1995 to present.  ePing is available to all stakeholders free of charge and does not require registration unless the user wishes to receive customized e-mail alerts.  Use it to browse notifications on past as well as new draft and updated product regulations, food safety and animal and plant health standards and regulations, find information on trade concerns discussed in the WTO SPS and TBT Committees, locate information on SPS/TBT Enquiry Points and notification authorities, and to follow and review current and past notifications concerning regulatory actions on products, packaging, labeling, food safety and animal and plant health measures in markets of interest.

Notify U.S., operated and maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) since 2003 to distribute and provide access to notifications (and associated draft texts) made under the WTO TBT Agreement for US stakeholders, has reached its end of life.  Per obligation under the TBT Agreement, each WTO Member operates a national TBT (and an SPS) Enquiry Point.   National TBT Enquiry Points are authorized to accept comments and official communications from other national TBT Enquiry Points, which are NOT part of the WTO or the WTO Secretariat.  All comment submissions from U.S. stakeholders, including businesses, trade associations, U.S domiciled standards development organizations and conformity assessment bodies, consumers, or U.S. government agencies on notifications to the WTO TBT Committee should be sent directly to the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point.  Refer to the comment guidance at https://tsapps.nist.gov/notifyus/data/guidance/guidance.cfm for further information.