On October 28, 2024, the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO), together with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs of Saudi Arabia, officially issued the Mandatory Specification for Safety Management of Elevators and Escalators, which comprehensively upgraded the product certification, safety control and maintenance management of elevators in the Saudi market. The core contents include: First, it is clarified that all complete elevator machines and core safety components entering the Saudi market must obtain mandatory SASO certification and GCC Gulf Conformity Certification, and uncertified products are prohibited from being imported, sold and used. Second, tighten the inspection at import ports. The customs must conduct 100% verification of the SASO certificate, certificate of origin and type test report of imported elevators. Products with inconsistent certificates will be directly returned, and unqualified products are prohibited from flowing into the market. Third, strengthen the annual inspection requirements for in-use elevators. All in-use elevators must carry out a SASO standard compliance inspection once a year. Elevators that fail to meet the standards must be shut down for rectification immediately, and elevators that fail the inspection twice in a row will be compulsorily scrapped. Fourth, it is clarified that elevator maintenance units must obtain the official qualification license of Saudi Arabia. Passenger elevators carry out routine maintenance once every 14 days, and freight elevators carry out routine maintenance once a month. Maintenance personnel must pass the official assessment of Saudi Arabia and work with certificates. Fifth, upgrade the emergency rescue requirements, clarifying that the elevator entrapment alarm must be responded within 5 minutes and handled on site within 30 minutes. The maintenance unit must establish a 24-hour emergency rescue duty system and carry out at least 2 emergency rescue drills every year. Sixth, standardize the management of elevator safety files. All elevator design, manufacture, installation, maintenance and inspection records must be completely archived, with a retention period not less than the full service life of the elevator, and must be open to the supervision department for inquiry. The new regulation has a 6-month transition period and was officially implemented on April 28, 2025.