Overview
Elevators and escalators are treated differently from most SABER products. A passenger lift is not something you certify once at the factory and ship — it is designed, manufactured as components, and then assembled and commissioned in the building, and the safety of the finished installation depends on the shaft, the pit and headroom, the machine room, the electrical installation and the way the components work together. Saudi Arabia therefore regulates elevators and escalators under a specific technical regulation that requires: type-examination certificates for the individual lift safety components, verification of the complete installation against EN 81-20 / EN 81-50 (lifts) or EN 115-1 (escalators), an installation / commissioning inspection by an approved body before the lift is put into service, and a periodic inspection at defined intervals for the life of the installation.
The conformity route is managed through SABER registration on the Saudi platform. Where lift equipment or components are imported, a Product Certificate of Conformity (PCoC) is issued for the product and a Shipment Certificate of Conformity (SCoC) is required for each consignment before it can clear Saudi customs. Cranes, hoists, winches and other lifting machinery that are not lifts for persons or goods fall under our industrial machinery page instead.
Product Types
The SABER route and the Technical Regulation for Elevators and Escalators cover:
- Passenger elevators — traction (geared and gearless) and machine-room-less (MRL)
- Hydraulic elevators — direct and indirect acting
- Goods / freight elevators and goods-passenger elevators
- Hospital, bed and stretcher elevators
- Panoramic / observation elevators
- Home lifts and low-speed residential elevators
- Firefighters' lifts and lifts with defined fire behaviour
- Escalators and moving walks (inclined and horizontal)
- Vertical and inclined platform lifts and stairlifts for accessibility
- Dumbwaiters and small goods-only lifts
- Lift safety components — safety gears, overspeed governors, landing and car door locking devices, buffers, rupture valves, unintended car movement (UCM) protection and ascending car overspeed protection
The scope of the certification is defined from the equipment type, the rated load and speed, the travel and number of stops, the drive type and the safety components used, so the certificate matches the installation as actually built.
HS Codes
Lift and escalator equipment is classified in Chapter 84. These are examples only — the correct code depends on the exact equipment.
- 8428.10 — Lifts and skip hoists
- 8428.40 — Escalators and moving walkways
- 8431.31 — Parts of lifts, skip hoists or escalators (guide rails, doors, controllers, safety gears, governors, ropes and other components)
- 8428.90 — Other lifting, handling, loading or unloading machinery (for certain goods-only and special hoisting equipment)
Applicable Saudi Requirements
Elevators and escalators are certified through SABER registration under the Technical Regulation for Elevators and Escalators. The main requirements are:
- A valid certificate / PCoC covering the lift or escalator model and its configuration
- An SCoC for each shipment of equipment or components before customs clearance
- Type-examination certificates for every lift safety component used — safety gear, overspeed governor, door interlocks, buffers, UCM protection, ascending car overspeed protection and, for hydraulic lifts, the rupture valve
- A technical file for the installation — layout drawings, calculations (traction, guide rails, buffers, ropes / chains), wiring diagrams and the safety-circuit description
- Verification of the complete installation against EN 81-20 / EN 81-50 for lifts, or EN 115-1 for escalators and moving walks
- Accessibility provisions in line with EN 81-70 for lifts serving the public
- Fire-related requirements where applicable — landing-door fire behaviour, lift behaviour in the event of fire, firefighters' lift provisions
- An electrical installation and EMC that meet the Saudi LV and EMC technical regulations
- An installation / commissioning inspection by an approved body, including load, overload, brake, levelling, safety-gear and door tests
- A periodic inspection programme for the installation after handover
- An operation and maintenance manual and emergency instructions in Arabic, and a registered Saudi importer / installer on the SABER platform
Technical Regulation
Elevators and escalators are assessed under Saudi Arabia's Technical Regulation for Elevators and Escalators, issued by SASO, which sets the essential health and safety requirements for lifts and their safety components and mandates conformity assessment before an installation is placed into service. Conformity is demonstrated against the harmonised standard set: EN 81-20 (safety rules for the construction and installation of passenger and goods passenger lifts) and EN 81-50 (design rules, calculations, examinations and tests of lift components), which together replace the withdrawn EN 81-1 (traction) and EN 81-2 (hydraulic). Supporting parts include EN 81-28 (remote alarm), EN 81-58 (landing doors — fire resistance test), EN 81-70 (accessibility), EN 81-71 (vandal resistance), EN 81-72 (firefighters' lifts) and EN 81-73 (behaviour in the event of fire). Escalators and moving walks follow EN 115-1. The global equivalents ISO 8100-1 / ISO 8100-2, and the ASME A17.1 code for equipment of US origin, are recognised routes where the installation is designed to them consistently. Electrical and control equipment must also meet the LV and EMC technical regulations. The exact standard set is confirmed at assessment. Our Technical Regulations guide explains how regulations are matched to products.
Testing / Standards
What is required depends on the equipment and how much valid evidence already exists. Typical work includes:
- Review of lift safety component type-examination certificates against the components actually fitted
- Design verification — traction / suspension calculations, guide rail and bracket calculations, buffer selection, car and counterweight framing
- Review of the well, pit, headroom, machine room / machinery space and refuge spaces against EN 81-20
- Safety-circuit and electrical safety-device assessment
- EMC test evidence for the controller and drive (emissions and immunity)
- On-site commissioning tests — rated-load and 125% overload run, brake test, traction test, safety-gear and overspeed-governor trip, buffer test, ascending car overspeed and UCM tests, door force and closing tests, levelling accuracy, emergency operation and alarm
- Escalators — braking distance and stopping tests, skirt / step gap checks, handrail speed, comb-plate and entry-guard checks to EN 115-1
- Periodic inspection tests at the defined interval after handover
Existing accredited certificates and type-examination documents are accepted where they cover the exact component and remain valid. We review your documentation before arranging any new testing or inspection, so effort goes only where evidence is genuinely missing.
Documents Required
A typical elevator or escalator application uses the set below; our full documents required guide explains each item.
- Commercial invoice and packing list for the equipment / component shipment
- HS code of the equipment and parts
- Equipment specification — rated load, speed, travel, stops, drive type, control system
- General arrangement and shaft / pit / headroom drawings
- Design calculations (traction, ropes / chains, guide rails, buffers, car frame)
- Wiring diagrams and safety-circuit description
- Type-examination certificates for all lift safety components
- EN 81-20 / EN 81-50 (or EN 115-1) conformity evidence and any test reports
- EMC and electrical safety test reports for the controller / drive
- Declaration of conformity from the manufacturer / installer
- Operation, maintenance and emergency-rescue manuals in Arabic
- Installer / maintenance company credentials and Saudi importer registration
PCoC Process
The Product Certificate of Conformity covers the lift or escalator model and its safety components. In outline:
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Scope and configuration
We confirm the equipment type, rated load and speed, travel, drive type, the safety components used, the applicable standards, the HS code and the project details, and define what the certificate should cover.
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Component and design review
We check that every lift safety component holds a valid type-examination certificate and that the design file, calculations and drawings meet EN 81-20 / EN 81-50 or EN 115-1.
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Testing and evidence
An accredited laboratory or body carries out the EMC, electrical safety and any component testing the existing data does not cover.
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Technical review
An approved certification body reviews the full technical file against the Technical Regulation for Elevators and Escalators.
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PCoC issued
Once the review is satisfied, the PCoC is issued on the SABER platform. It is typically valid for one year.
SCoC Process
A Shipment Certificate of Conformity is issued per consignment of equipment or components and is what customs checks at the border. In outline:
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Shipment details submitted
The invoice, packing list with the equipment and parts, and the linked PCoC are submitted for the specific consignment.
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Verification
The shipment is verified against the valid PCoC, the equipment and components are checked against the certified configuration, and the SCoC fee is settled on the platform.
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SCoC issued
The SCoC is issued for that shipment, allowing it to clear Saudi customs. The installation inspection then follows once the lift is assembled on site.
Certification Timeline
Elevator and escalator certification takes longer than a typical boxed product because it involves component review, a technical file and an on-site inspection that has to be scheduled around the construction programme. Our SABER timeline guide covers the general process.
- With complete, valid safety-component certificates and a standards-compliant design file — a PCoC can typically be arranged within one to three weeks
- When component certificates, calculations or EMC evidence are missing — allow several weeks for the additional documentation and testing
- The installation / commissioning inspection is scheduled once the lift is erected and ready — plan it into the project timeline in advance
- Periodic inspection recurs at the defined interval (commonly annual) for the life of the installation
- SCoC — normally issued quickly per shipment once a valid PCoC is in place
Common Problems
- Certifying the "product" only and overlooking that the regulation certifies the installed system
- One or more lift safety components without a valid type-examination certificate
- Design evidence prepared to the withdrawn EN 81-1 / EN 81-2 instead of EN 81-20 / EN 81-50
- Pit depth, headroom or refuge spaces not meeting EN 81-20 for the rated speed
- No accessibility provisions (EN 81-70) on a lift serving the public
- Controller / drive with no EMC test evidence
- Operation, maintenance and emergency-rescue manuals supplied only in English
- No periodic inspection plan or maintenance contract in place at handover
We check these points up front — above all the safety-component certificates and the EN 81-20 / EN 81-50 design basis — so the installation inspection is not delayed for avoidable reasons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an elevator certified as a product or as an installation?
As an installation. The individual lift safety components (safety gear, overspeed governor, door interlocks, buffers, UCM protection) each carry their own type-examination certificate, but the certificate that lets the lift be put into service is for the complete assembled installation, verified to EN 81-20 / EN 81-50 and inspected on site by an approved body.
Which standards does Saudi Arabia accept for lifts and escalators?
Lifts are assessed to EN 81-20 (construction and installation) and EN 81-50 (component design, calculations and tests), with the supporting EN 81 parts for alarms, fire behaviour and accessibility. Escalators and moving walks follow EN 115-1. The global equivalents ISO 8100-1 / ISO 8100-2, and ASME A17.1 for US-origin equipment, are recognised where the design is applied consistently. EN 81-1 and EN 81-2 are withdrawn and should not be the design basis.
Do lift safety components need separate certificates?
Yes. Safety gears, overspeed governors, landing and car door locking devices, buffers with energy dissipation, ascending car overspeed protection, unintended car movement protection and, for hydraulic lifts, the rupture valve are lift safety components and each must hold a valid type-examination certificate. A missing or expired component certificate is one of the most common reasons an installation cannot be signed off.
Is there an inspection after the lift is installed?
Yes. Before the lift or escalator is put into service, an approved body carries out an installation / commissioning inspection — including rated-load and overload runs, brake and traction tests, safety-gear and governor trips, buffer tests, door tests and levelling checks. After handover the installation is subject to a periodic inspection at a defined interval (commonly annual).
How much does SABER certification for an elevator cost and how long does it take?
It depends on the equipment type, whether all lift safety components already hold valid type certificates, and whether the design file and EMC evidence are complete. With complete documentation a PCoC can often be arranged within one to three weeks; missing component certificates or testing add several weeks, and the installation inspection is scheduled to the construction programme. Send your equipment specification and component certificates for a specific quote and timeline at no cost. See our SABER certificate cost guide.
Does this cover cranes, hoists and goods lifts?
Dumbwaiters and goods-only lifts serving fixed landings are covered here. Cranes, winches, chain hoists, work platforms and other lifting machinery that are not lifts for persons or goods between floors are assessed under the Machinery route — see our industrial machinery page. We confirm the correct route for your equipment at assessment.
Get Your Elevator or Escalator Certified
Send us the equipment type, the rated load, speed, travel and number of stops, the drive and control system, the list of lift safety components with their certificates, the design calculations and drawings, and the project location and programme. We will confirm the applicable standards, review the component certificates and technical file, arrange any testing and the installation inspection, and coordinate the PCoC and each SCoC so your equipment clears Saudi customs and your installation can be put into service without delay.