Tobacco & Nicotine Products
GSO Certificate of Conformity for Tobacco Products
This service enables manufacturers, importers, and distributors of Tobacco Products — including Dokha tobacco, pipe-mixed tobacco, manual rolling tobacco, and molasses tobacco — to obtain the required Certificate of Conformity (CoC) in accordance with GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) standards and national regulatory frameworks. The certification confirms that tobacco products meet the established requirements for health, safety, packaging, and labeling prior to being imported, marketed, or distributed within GCC member states.
The CoC serves as a mandatory approval document for customs clearance and market authorization. It ensures that tobacco products undergo comprehensive conformity assessment, including testing, ingredient declaration, packaging review, and verification of mandatory health warnings. By obtaining certification, stakeholders demonstrate compliance with GCC regulations, safeguard public health, and secure lawful access to regional markets, thereby supporting responsible trade practices in the tobacco sector.
Certificate Types:
- Conformity form for manual rolling tobacco products to GCC Standardization Organization GSO 246/2011
- Conformity form for Dokha tobacco products to GCC Standardization Organization GSO 246/2011
- Conformity form for molasses tobacco products to GCC Standardization Organization GSO 1415/2021 and GSO 246/2011
- Conformity form for pipe-mixed tobacco products to GCC Standardization Organization GSO 2050/2010 and GSO 246/2011
Required Documents and Compliance:
- Attach a valid commercial registration certificate and a health certificate for the importer that includes tobacco trade activity.
- Attach the factory registration certificate issued by the country of origin.
- Attaching a pledge from the importer to maintain documented records showing the distribution locations of the products that are authorized to be released in the market for all consignments.
- "Attach a photo of the explanatory data label and health warnings on the product (front and back of the package) “Artwork.
- Attach a declaration from the factory stating that the product conforms to the Gulf technical regulations GSO 2050/2010 and GSO 246/2011.
- Attach a valid inspection certificate from an accredited laboratory according to GSO ISO 17025 for nicotine levels, radioactive levels, pesticide residues, and other materials stipulated in the Gulf technical regulations GSO 2050/2010
- Attach a declaration from the factory stating that the product conforms to the Gulf technical regulations GSO 1415/2021 and GSO 246/2011
- Attach a declaration from the factory stating that none of the prohibited substances mentioned in the Gulf technical regulations GSO 1415/2021 have been added
- Attach a valid inspection certificate from an accredited laboratory according to GSO ISO 17025 for the components of tobacco used in manufacturing
Artwork and Labeling Requirements:
- Pack the product in appropriate containers in a hygienic manner that protects it from contamination.
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Writing the following data on the packages directly in a way that is difficult to remove
- Product name, variety and brand.
- Nicotine percentage (in Arabic and English)
- Net weight when packing
- Batch number.
- The country of origin.
- The phrase 'for sale in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries'.
- Develop a health warning about the harms of tobacco and its products in Arabic and English
- Not to use any names, symbols, signs or images that violate public order.
- Not to describe the product with data that may lead to a false impression regarding its qualities or that it is less harmful.
- Write the warning text in black on a white background, with a size of no less than 12 Bold and in Simplified Arabic & Times New Roman style.
- The health warning area is not less than 50% of the basic display area on the bottom of the front and rear facades.
- The area of the written warning does not exceed 40% of the total area of the warning, and it is written in Arabic on the front and in English on the back and on the bottom of the package.
- The health warning images are identical to the images attached to regulation GSO 246/2011.
- The health warning is surrounded by a black frame 1 mm thick.
Artwork and Labeling Requirements:
- The product is free of flavors and scents of spices or/and chewing gum or/and vanilla or/and coffee or/and cocoa or/and tea or/and cola or/and alcohol.
- Packing the product in packaging that does not absorb or interact with its components and prevents moisture loss, while packing the packaging in tightly sealed outer containers
- The weight of the package offered for sale to the consumer ranges between 250 grams - 500 grams
- The packages must not contain printed coupons, discount offers, indications of free distribution, or any similar offers that suggest benefits that encourage the purchase of the product
- Packages intended for sale in cafes do not exceed 5 kilograms
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Write the following data directly on the packages in a way that is difficult to remove:
- Product name (molasses tobacco/flavor name/brand)
- Production and expiration date, in month and year, provided that the validity period does not exceed one year only
- Ingredients in the order of weight, including additives
- Batch number.
- The country of origin.
- The phrase 'for sale in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries'.
- Nicotine percentage (in Arabic and English)
- Develop a health warning about the harms of tobacco and its products in Arabic and English
- Not to use any names, symbols, signs or images that violate public order.
- Not to describe the product with data that may lead to a false impression regarding its qualities or that it is less harmful.
- Write the warning text in black on a white background, with a size of no less than 12 Bold and in Simplified Arabic & Times New Roman style.
- The health warning area is not less than 50% of the basic display area on the bottom of the front and rear facades.
- The area of the written warning does not exceed 40% of the total area of the warning, and it is written in Arabic on the front and in English on the back and on the bottom of the package.
- The health warning images are identical to the images attached to regulation GSO 246/2011.
- The health warning is surrounded by a black frame 1 mm thick.
Target group
Importers and distributors of tobacco and nicotine products subject to health and customs surveillance
Time Required
5 Working days
Fees
Free
Participating parties
- Ministry of Health – The Anti-Smoking & Tobacco Group
- Ministry of Interior – Customs Affairs (National Bureau for Revenue – oversees customs fees and excise duties).
- Ministry of Industry, Commerce & Tourism
- Ministry of interior – General Directorate of Traffic.
Legal tools
- Law No. 8 of 2009 on combating smoking and all forms of tobacco governs the control and regulation of tobacco product imports, including conformity requirements.
- GSO 246/2011 — GCC-wide technical regulation for tobacco labeling.
- BH 2:2021 — Bahraini regulation for electronic nicotine products, effective from November 11, 2021 (enforced from May 12, 2022)
