Electrical Storage Water Heaters are a regulated product category in the UAE, which means suppliers must obtain a Conformity Certificate from Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA) before distributing the products in the local market. Conducting product registration in the UAE is a mandatory requirement for the manufacturers, importers and distributors of Electrical Storage Water Heater products. Marketing the product without ESMA certification will lead to rejection during shipment or will be removed from the market.
Obtaining a Certificate of Conformity for Electrical Storage Water Heaters is not an easy task as ESMA has set out a detailed line of mandatory standards, tests and technical regulations. You can navigate such a complex set of requirements by hiring product registration agents in the UAE. Before enlisting product registration services in the UAE, we will guide you through the basics of the ESMA certification process in this article. Read ahead.
Types of Certification Required for Water Heaters
To complete the procedure of product registration in the UAE, businesses need to meet the requirements under two types of Certification processes. They are:
Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme
ESMA has implemented the Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme (ECAS) in accordance with the Federal Law 28 of 2001. The businesses need to comply with the ECAS requirements to get customs clearance during import as well as to place the products in the UAE market. ECAS sets out the quality and safety requirements for all the ESMA regulated products in the UAE, including the water heaters. By obtaining an ECAS Certificate in the UAE, the businesses can demonstrate that their products have been approved by the Federal government through ESMA.
Emirates Quality Mark
It is mandatory for the manufacturers and distributors of water heaters to obtain an Emirates Quality Mark (EQM) issued by the ESMA to market the products in the UAE. EQM is a full assessment scheme being implemented by the ESMA to certify that the products comply with the UAE technical regulations and standards as well as regional and/or international standards. The EQM is an approved quality mark issued to products that are produced by companies that implement Quality Management systems to ensure continuous compliance.
Requirements for ESMA Product Certification
The requirements stipulated by EMA to conduct product registration in the UAE may vary depending on the scope of products. However, the following requirements are common for all types of water heater products regulated by the ESMA:
- Application form
- Valid industry/trade license
- Declaration of conformity
- List of components including additives used
- Test report in accordance with UAE GSO standard
- Validity of test report
- Proof of exclusive distributorship from manufacturer if the applicant is an agent
- Location details of factory or warehouse used for storage
- Artwork for labelling of the product
Additional Requirements for Factory Audit
The process of obtaining an ESMA conformity certificate in the UAE involves a factory audit in the case of locally manufactured products. The ESMA officials or representatives will visit the manufacturing facility to ensure that the factory is in compliance with the relevant standards. The following are the additional requirements to successfully complete the factory audit:
- Controlled Copy of relevant QMS/ISO 9001 Manual
- Brief Description of the Manufacturing process
- Copies of labels, markings, logos as required by Specific Standard
- List of finished products
- Plant Equipment Layout
- Vicinity Map of the Factory
- Quality Plan showing how to comply with Specific Standard
- Copies of labels, markings, logos as required by Specific Standard
ESMA Certification Procedure for Water Heater Products
The process of UAE product registration needs to be executed carefully to have a faster certificate clearance. All the relevant documents must be submitted and must be drafted without any error. If the documentation is perfect, the following steps must be undertaken:
- Apply for the certification
- Submission of documents
- Application evaluation by ESMA conformity officer
- Detailed documents review
- On-site audit by the ESMA officials
- Additional documents are needed in case of insufficient information
- Issuance of Conformity Certificate
Renewal of ESMA Conformity Certificates
The conformity certificate issued by the ESMA is valid for only one year. However, the certificate can be renewed two months before its expiry. The certificate issued for the factory is valid for three years and can be renewed three months before the expiry. The ESMA officials will conduct surveillance visits to the factory to ensure that the manufacturer is maintaining continued compliance.
Hire the Best Product Registration Agents in Dubai, UAE
Water heaters imported and manufactured in the UAE need to be registered with ESMA before being placed in the local market. The process of product registration in the UAE must be performed in accordance with ESMA-approved standards and technical regulations. Understanding local and international standards will be a tough task for businesses. This is where the services of leading product registration agents in Dubai, such as Jitendra Intellectual Property (JIP), comes in handy for businesses.
JIP is an IP firm that also provides reliable product registration services in the UAE. JIP has built a strong relationship with the government officials at the ESMA, which makes the certification process easier. The manufacturers and importers need not worry about laboratory tests, document drafting, and other approvals if they apply for ESM product certification in the UAE through JIP.