UAE Updates Implementing Rules for Audio, Video, IT & Office Equipment

The Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology (ESMA) has issued Version 1.2 of the document providing implementing rules for the regulation of audio/video and IT/office equipment categorized under the Low Voltage Equipment Regulation in the United Arab Emirates.

Updates include:

• Inclusion of standard IEC 62368-1:2014 (2nd Edition)
• Acceptance of CBTRs and CBTCs (within 3-year validity) issued against either 2nd or 3rd Edition of the IEC 62368-1
• Inclusion of 20 December 2021 – Transition from 2nd to 3rd edition of the IEC 62368-1 standard
• Inclusion of the product categories/classifications to be used when dealing with EQM Applications

Important Dates

From 1 November 2019, all products defined within the document shall comply with applicable standard/s and have a valid Certificate of Conformity (CoC) issued under ECAS/EQM.

From 20 December 2020, all products defined within the document shall comply with the IEC 62368-1 standard (2nd or 3rd Edition) and have a valid Certificate of Conformity (CoC) issued under ECAS/EQM. All ECAS/EQM Certificates of Conformity (CoCs) issued under the IEC 60065 and/or IEC 60950-1 are considered invalid/void.

From 20 December 2021, all products defined within the document shall comply with the IEC 62368-1 standard (3rd Edition) and have a valid Certificate of Conformity (CoC) issued.

Scope

The scope includes all audio/video and IT/office equipment categorized as Low Voltage Equipment (LVE) designed to be purchased and used by end-users or consumers for daily and non-commercial/non-professional purposes. It includes all products supplied through both B2B and B2C commercial transactions.

Products covered include:

• Non-professional stand-alone audio products:
  • Radio
  • Record players
  • Disc players
  • Mp3 players
  • Speaker systems
  • Amplifiers
  • Sound bars (Bluetooth or otherwise)
  • Other audio products
• Non-professional stand-alone video playing and recording systems:
  • VCD, DVD, Blu-ray players
  • Digital still and video cameras
  • Game consoles
  • Projectors
• Videoke/Karaoke multimedia systems
• TV decoders and set-top boxes
• Consumer series desktops and laptop computers, all-in-one PCs
• Tablets and palm pilots
• Desktop/computer monitors
• Printers/scanners (i.e. inkjet, laser, etc.) – includes office printers, multi-function printers (MFP), label printers, portable or stand-alone
• Non-professional routers, repeaters
• Microphones
• Touch drawing pads
• Landline phones (corded/cordless)
• External hard drives supplied with an external power supply (i.e. NAS – Network-attached storage, etc.)

The following products are exempted:

• Industrial / Commercial / Professional audio/video systems
• Industrial / Commercial / Professional IT equipment
• Large format printers
• Interactive displays or smart boards
• Mobile phones, network and/or IP phones
• Two-way radios
• Keyboards, mouse, trackball/trackpad (wired/wireless)
• Stand-alone (plug-in) external hard drives, USB thumb drives, SD cards, etc.
• Spare parts and/or accessories (i.e. lenses & flashes for cameras, ink/ink cartridges for printers, etc.)

Product Categories (Grouping intended for EQM Applications)

• Stand-alone audio products
• Stand-alone video playing and recording systems
• Computing products
• Telecommunication products
• Printing products

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