Traders and manufacturers intending to manufacture or sell lighting equipment in the UAE market are required to ensure they are safe for public use. The government mandates that the lighting products must undergo product registration in the UAE under the Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme ( ECAS). The process of product registration for lighting products is regulated by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA).
The ESMA product registration process involves highly streamlined procedures and requirements for which the businesses often seek the help of a product registration firm in the UAE. In this blog, we discuss the technical requirements, procedures as well as importance of registering a lighting product with ESMA. Read on.
Type of Lighting Products Covered under the Scheme
In February 2016 the U.A.E. Government issued ‘Cabinet Decision No 34 of 2013 V0, U.A.E. System for Lighting Products’ to regulate the registration of lighting products in the country. This regulation covers the following type of lighting products:
- Incandescent lamps ≥ 16W (watts)
- Linear fluorescent lamps
- Compact fluorescent lamps(CFLs)
- Halogen lamps
- Light Emitting Diode (LED)lamps
- Control gears for general lighting purposes
- Luminaires for general lighting purposes
Mandatory Standards for Obtaining Certificate of Conformity
The UAE government has entrusted ESMA with the registration of lighting products to ensure that all products that reach the market are created using the best engineering standard. All lighting products must be compliant with consumer safety, energy conservation, and environmental protection. All the lighting products will be tested and monitored to ensure they are complying with the following specifications,
a) Electrical Safety
b) Performance and energy efficiency
c) Functionality
d) Hazardous Chemicals
e) Safe Disposal of the lighting products
General Requirements for Lighting Products
All manufacturers and traders intending to register lighting products in the UAE must comply with the registration requirements set out in the Cabinet Decision No 34 of 2013. The following are the general requirements that manufacturers and traders should be aware of,
a) Valid UAE Industry/Trade License
b) IEC CB Test Reports and Certificates
c) PID – Product Identity Declaration (applicable only if the models mentioned in the test reports differ from the models you are applying for approval)
d) Photos of the rating label/plate on the product
e) Packaging should comply with all parameters required as per UAE Cabinet Decision No. 34 of 2013
f) Compliance of the equipment plugs ( only for portable Luminaires)
g) Plugs with earth and fuse for Class I Appliances
h) BS 1363 plugs with a dummy plastic earth pin for Class II Appliances
i) BS 546 Plug Configurations for 15 Ampere Appliances
- j) Performance and RoHS test report
- k) Electronic Declaration of Conformity
- l) Official Fees
Marking Requirements for ESMA Registration
Every electrical product should contain instruction manuals and safety markings to ensure the safety of the user. The government has provided detailed instruction regarding the marking requirements for the lighting products in the Cabinet Decision. Products that fail to comply with the regulations will be rejected.
The manufacturers and traders must ensure that the product in question meets the following requirements,
- Instruction manuals and energy efficiency labels supplied with the product should include the Arabic language
- Safety warnings for the direct user should be in Arabic as well as the English language
- The product shouldn’t contain images or any material that’s against the Islamic faith
- Special purpose lamps should mention their intended purpose and why they are not fit for household illumination
Product Information Requirements
All vital information regarding the lighting products must be visibly displayed on the packaging before purchasing by end-users. Product information should be available on the Internet and free access websites. Apart from that, the following information should be supplied,
- Nominal lamp power
- Nominal luminous flux
- Nominal lifetime in hours
- Colour temperature
- Lamp mercury content
- Lamp power factor
- Starting time in seconds
- Colour rendering
- Instruction on how to clean lamp debris in case the lamp breaks
- Suggestion on how to dispose of the lamp at the end of its life
How Can Product Registration Agents in Dubai Help You?
The process of product registration in the UAE for lighting products is controlled, regulated and monitored by the Federal Department ESMA. All manufacturers and traders must register their lighting products with ESMA before start selling in the market. Products that are not registered with ESMA will be regarded as fake and will be seized with serious punishments.
Consulting with top product registration consultants in Dubai such as Jitendra Intellectual Property (JIP) will ease the struggles of traders in getting their products registered with ESMA. JIP has a dedicated team of consultants who will check to ensure that the products are meeting all the standards specified by the ESMA. Consult with JIP today for successfully selling lighting products in the UAE market without any legal hassle.