Federal Decree Law No. (20) of 2020 Concerning Specifications and Standards (industry and technical standardisation law)

Article (1) 
Definitions  
In applying the provisions of this Law by Decree, the following terms and expressions shall 
have the meanings indicated opposite each of them, unless  the context otherwise requires:  
 State  : 
 UAE  
 Ministry  : 
 Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MOIAT)  
 Minister  : 
 Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology  
 Concerned 
Authorities  : 
 Federal or local government agencies concerned with standards, metrology and 
calibration affairs accreditation and compliance  
 Measuring 
Instruments  
 : 
 The machines, tools, and devices intended for measurement purposes, 
including direct m easures such as scales measurements, measures, lengths, 
standard units, etc. It also includes indirect measures such as thermometers, 
pressure meters, water and electricity meters, and others  
 Laboratory  : 
 The body that performs testing and calibration . 
 Calibration  
 : 
 Operations conducted to determine and control the efficiency and accuracy of 
measuring instruments and devices.  
 Standard 
specification  
 : 
 A document specifying the characteristics or descriptions of a commodity, 
product, material, service, or everything that is subject to measurement, its 
characteristics, level of quality, dimensions, standards, or safety and security 
requirements, as well includes terminology, symbols, test methods, sampling, 
pack aging, labels and labels.  
 Approved 
Standard 
Specifications:  : 
 Specifications approved by the Ministry, referred to as Standard Specifications 
for the UAE and symbolised by (SS/UAE)   
Federal Law by Decree No. (20) of 2020  concerning Specifications and Standards  3 
 
  Technical 
Regulations:  
 : 
 A Resolution of the Cabinet specifying  technical requirements, either directly or 
by reference or implication, for the contents of a standard, technical 
specification or practice, which have an enforceable nature.  
 Mark  
 : 
 Any drawing, mark, symbol, stamp, inscription, or picture indicating  the 
Ministry or what is issued In terms of specifications, standards, quality and 
conformity, or indicates any international body Related to specifications, 
standards, quality and conformity.  
 Conformity 
Assessment  : 
 Any activity used directly or indir ectly to verify the conformity of a commodity 
or product or material or service for the relevant technical requirements  
 Conformity 
Assessment 
Bodies  
 : 
 The entity registered, accredited or accepted by the Ministry to carry out 
confo rmity assessment procedures Testing and calibration laboratories, 
inspection bodies, merit testing bodies, and certificate awarding bodies for 
systems, individuals or products, with the exception of medical laboratories and 
research laboratories Developmen t and laboratories that are used for personal, 
training or educational purposes

Article (2) 
Ministry Competencies  
The Ministry shall be responsible for the following:  
1. Preparing, approving, publishing, reviewing and amending Standard Specifi cations, in 
coordination with the Concerned Authorities, and a Resolution is issued. The Minister 
shall apply the approved Standard Specifications, except for human and veterinary 
medicines, serums and the like;  
2. Proposing and preparing a national syst em for measurement and calibration in 
coordination with the Concerned Authorities, and its approval by the Cabinet'  
3. Proposing and preparing a national system for conformity, in coordination with the 
Concerned Authorities, and its approval by the Cabin et; 
4. Proposing and preparing national systems for monitoring the application of technical 
regulations to ensure the safety of products, goods and materials in coordination with 
the Concerned Authorities, and its approval by the Cabinet;   
Federal Law by Decree No. (20) of 2020  concerning Specifications and Standards  4 
 
 5. Proposing and preparing a national system for registering products, commodities, and 
materials, specifying the specifications and standards that make them up, and its 
approval by the Minister after coordination with the Concerned Authorities;  
6. Proposin g and preparing a national system for registering, accrediting and appointing 
conformity assessment bodies, in coordination with the Concerned Authorities, and its 
approval by the Cabinet;  
7. Proposing  and preparing a national system for local added value, in coordination with 
the Concerned Authorities, and its approval by the Cabinet;  
8. Developing and unifying means and methods of measurement, calibrating, controlling 
and monitoring them;  
9. Harmo nising Standard Specifications with international, regional or Gulf standards, and 
a Resolution is issued by the Minister after coordination with the Concerned Authorities;  
10. Adopting international, regional or Gulf specifications as approved Standard  
Specifications and issuing them in one of the two languages, Arabic or any other language, or both, and a Resolution is issued by the Minister after coordination with the 
Concerned Authorities;  
11. Coordinating with the Concerned Authorities to maintain, preserve and maintain 
approved basic measurement references for use in monitoring, auditing and calibration 
of measurement devices and instruments and organising the issuance of calibration certificates;  
12. Operating laboratories and institutes nece ssary to conduct examinations, tests, analyses 
and research related to specifications and standards, examining and testing materials 
and products, calibrating measurement devices and equipment, and contracting with 
accredited local or external laboratories ; 
13. Granting or recognising certificates of conformity to the approved standards and marks, 
identifying them and regulating their issuance and controls for their use;  
14. Issuing, publishing, distributing and selling publications related to approved Standard 
Specifications and publications related to standardisation;  
15. Agreement with Gulf, regional and international organisations and bodies concerning 
mutual recognition  of Standard Specifications, marks and certificates of conformity in  
Federal Law by Decree No. (20) of 2020  concerning Specifications and Standards  5 
 
 accordance with the procedures and legislation in force after coordination with the 
Concerned Authorities.  
16. Preparing and issuing examination and testing requirements and technical standards for innovative products, including advanced technological products, and procedures for their harmonisation with international standards, in coordination with the Concerned 
Authorities.  
17. Forming specialised technical councils and committees in the field of standards, 
metrology, calibration, accreditation and conformity activities and local added value.

Article (3) 
Standard Specifications (SS)  
1. The Ministry, in its capacity as the sole  reference in the State, shall issue the Standard 
Specifications of the UAE, and no other party may set or issue any Standard Specifications, or use, place or draw any sign that contains the words (Standards of the UAE) or (Standards Specifications of the UAE) or something similar to this phrase or its 
symbol in Arabic or in another language, or gives the same meaning, except with a 
licence from the Ministry.  
2. The Minister may approve optional Standard Specifications, provided that, when 
approving them,  the optional application shall be taken into account without prejudice 
to the following considerations:  
a. Preserve safety, public health, and the environment.  
b. Consumer protection;  
c. Guarantee the public interest; and  
d. Support the national economy and the policies and strategies of the industrial and 
commercial sector.  
3. Appy approved standards shall be mandatory by a Resolution of the Cabinet based on a 
proposal from the Minister. They are referred to as (Technical Regulatio ns). 
  
 
  
Federal Law by Decree No. (20) of 2020  concerning Specifications and Standards  6

Article (4) 
Mark Registration  
The Ministry is the only entity concerned with regulating the use of marks. The Ministry 
registers marks and all of this is known as (the Ministry marks). The Ministry has the right to 
grant, renew, suspend and cancel t he use of its marks and its registration outside the State in 
accordance with the rules issued by a Resolution of the Minister. In all cases, marks shall be published after their issuance or Approval in the Official Gazette.

Article (5) 
Offenses and Pena lties  
The penalties stipulated in this Law by Decree shall not preclude the imposition of any harsher penalty stipulated in any other law.

Article (6) 
He shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of no less than one year and a fine of no 
less than (AED 30,000) thirty thousand dirhams, or one of these two.  
The two penalties are for anyone who commits one of the following acts:  
 
1. Impersonating one  of the Ministry employees who is authorised to have the capacity of 
judicial police; and  
2. Issuing or using any mark without a licence from the Ministry.

Article (7) 
Whoever prevents or obstructs or evades inspection, or refrained from giving stateme nts, or 
made statements contrary to the truth.  
  
 
 
  
Federal Law by Decree No. (20) of 2020  concerning Specifications and Standards  7

Article (8) 
Whoever violates the technical regulations issued in accordance with this Decree Law shall 
be punished with imprisonment and a fine of no less than (AED 30,000)  
Thirty thousand dirhams, or one of these two penalties, with confiscation of the materials 
and products subject of the violation.

Article (9) 
Whoever declares, offers or sells a material or product that it bears the characteristic of approved Standard Specifications, contrary to the truth. In this case, all materials subject to 
the violation shall be confiscated.

Article (10) 
In the event of recurre nce, the Court may, in addition to doubling the prescribed penalty, 
rule to permanently withdraw the establishment licence.

Article (11) 
Whoever violates any of the provisions of the Resolutions issued in implementation of this Law by Decree shall be pun ished with imprisonment and a fine of no less than (AED 25,000) 
twenty -five thousand dirhams, or one of these two penalties.  
  
Final provisions

Article (12) 
Authorisation of the Concerned Authorities  
The Cabinet, based on the Minister proposal, may delegate government or private agencies to undertake the implementation of some of the Ministry competencies contained in this 
Law by Decree in accordance with the controls it decides in this regard.  
  
 
  
Federal Law by Decree No. (20) of 2020  concerning Specifications and Standards  8

Article (13) 
Judicial Police  
The Ministry employees who are  determined by a Resolution of the Minister of Justice in 
coordination with the Minister shall have the capacity of Judicial Police officers for crimes 
that fall within their jurisdiction and are related to their job duties.

Article (14) 
Executive Resolu tions  
Subject to the competencies entrusted to the Cabinet, the Minister shall issue the necessary Resolutions to implement the provisions of this Law by Decree.

Article (15) 
Cancellations  
1. Any provision that contravenes or contradicts the provisions of this Law by Decree shall 
be repealed.  
2. The Regulations, Laws and Resolutions in force concerning specifications, metrology, calibration, accreditation and conformity shall continue to be enforced until a 
replacement is issued in accor dance with this Law by Decree.  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Federal Law by Decree No. (20) of 2020  concerning Specifications and Standards  9

Article (16) 
Publication of the Law by Decree and its enforcement  
This Law by Decree shall be published in the Official Gazette, and shall come into effect 
from the date of its issuance.  
  
 
 
 
 
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan  
President of the United Arab Emirates  
 
 
Issued by us at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi:  
On: 10 / Safar / 1442 H  
Corresponding to September 27, 2020