GCC GSO 1785-1:2024: Mandatory Engine-Oil Conformity from 1 September 2026

Last verified: 26 Jun 2026. Standards, effective dates and certificate scopes change and enforcement dates move — always confirm the current position with the issuing authority or a licensed customs broker before acting. Altonex Global is a B2B trade-expo and supplier-discovery platform; it does not issue certificates, provide compliance services, or act in any of the regulatory processes described — these are obligations of the supplier/exporter and the importer.

GSO 1785-1:2024 is a Gulf Technical Regulation that replaces GSO 1785:2013 and sets mandatory API-based performance requirements for lubricating oils for gasoline and diesel internal combustion engines sold across GCC markets. Oman's Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP) has formally confirmed enforcement from 1 September 2026; the remaining GCC and GSO member states each enforce through their own national standards authority. Suppliers that register and list engine oil products on the platform and export to GCC markets must obtain conformity documentation against the 2024 edition before that date. This article explains what the standard covers, how enforcement differs by country, and the steps a supplier's export team needs to take now.

What does GSO 1785-1:2024 actually cover — and what does it exclude?

The full title of the standard is Lubricating Oils for Internal Combustion Engines – Part 1: API Classifications of Lubricating Oils for Gasoline and Diesel Engines. It was approved by the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) on 1 May 2024 and is classified under ICS 75.100 as a Gulf Technical Regulation — meaning it is binding, not voluntary, once activated in each member state.

The scope covers lubricating oils for internal combustion engines suitable for gasoline and diesel engine services, classified according to API performance standards. One explicit boundary is important for suppliers managing a broad product range: marine engine oils are excluded from GSO 1785-1:2024. Marine lubricants fall under separate regulatory instruments and must be assessed accordingly.

The 2024 update also restructured the former single standard (GSO 1785:2013) into two distinct parts. Part 1 (GSO 1785-1:2024) governs API-classified lubricants. A companion document, GSO 1785-2:2023, covers ACEA European Oil Sequences for the same engine types, again excluding marine applications. Whether GSO 1785-2:2023 carries the same 1 September 2026 mandatory date is not confirmed in publicly available sources at the time of writing; suppliers handling ACEA-classified products should verify the current status directly with the relevant national authority (verify-per-supplier).

Which engine oil grades and API service categories are permitted under the 2024 edition?

The standard adopts API performance classifications as its technical framework. For context, the superseded GSO 1785:2013 had already removed several older API service categories — including CG-4, CF-4, and CF from the diesel service side — from its permitted list (verify-per-supplier — confirm against the full GSO 1785:2013 text). The 2024 edition continues this direction by referencing current API performance standards for both gasoline service (such as API SP, SN Plus, SN, and SM) and diesel service (such as API CK-4, CJ-4, CI-4 Plus, CI-4, and CH-4).

However, the exact enumeration of every permitted and excluded category resides in the full purchased standard text, which is not reproduced in any publicly available summary. Procurement managers and supplier compliance teams must obtain the full GSO 1785-1:2024 document from the GSO Standards Store or through their national standards body to confirm precisely which API categories appear on the permitted list and which have been eliminated. Treating any API category as "safe" or "excluded" without reference to the actual standard text is a compliance risk (verify-per-supplier).

What is confirmed: the standard's direction aligns with the global API service category roadmap, which progressively retires older, lower-performance categories. Suppliers still offering products certified only to retired categories will need to reformulate, re-qualify, and re-certify before market placement in GCC states on or after 1 September 2026.

Does the 1 September 2026 date apply simultaneously in all GCC states?

This is the most operationally urgent question for any export team planning shipment schedules across multiple GCC markets. The short answer is: Oman's date is confirmed; the other states' dates should each be verified independently with the relevant national authority.

Oman's MoCIIP issued a formal announcement on 4 June 2026 confirming enforcement from 1 September 2026. All manufacturers and importers placing lubricating oils on Oman's market must complete conformity assessment through the Directorate General of Standards and Metrology (DGSM) before that date.

GSO 1785-1:2024 is a Gulf Technical Regulation, meaning it is designed for harmonized adoption across all seven GSO member states. In practice, however, each member state formally activates enforcement through its own national authority, and the timing of those national activation announcements can vary. No publicly available source reviewed during this session confirmed a simultaneous unified enforcement date for all remaining states beyond Oman's published announcement. Suppliers exporting into Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Yemen should contact the relevant national standards body — or a licensed customs broker in each destination market — to confirm the active enforcement date before finalising shipment timelines.

What happens to existing inventory certified under GSO 1785:2013 after 1 September 2026?

Oman's MoCIIP announcement states that products must meet the new standards before they can be offered for sale in the market, effective from 1 September 2026. No grace period or sell-through window for existing inventory certified under the superseded 2013 edition is mentioned in the official announcement or in any source reviewed during this session.

The practical implication is that importers and distributors holding stock certified only under GSO 1785:2013 face a material inventory risk if that stock has not cleared customs and reached the end buyer before the enforcement date. Export teams should:

Steps to protect in-transit and warehouse inventory:

• Audit current stock positions in GCC distribution warehouses and confirm which GSO edition the product certificates reference.
• Accelerate clearance of GSO 1785:2013-certified stock through each market's customs before 1 September 2026.
• Confirm with the national authority in each destination market whether any sell-through window exists — since none is publicly confirmed, assume none applies until the authority says otherwise.
• Do not schedule new shipments of 2013-certified product with arrival dates on or after 1 September 2026 without written confirmation from the destination market's authority.

How does Saudi Arabia's SABER platform apply to this standard?

In Saudi Arabia, lubricating oils are a regulated product category on the SABER electronic conformity platform administered by SASO. Importers must obtain two distinct documents before a shipment can clear Saudi customs:

SABER conformity requirements for lubricating oils:

• Product Certificate of Conformity (PCoC): a product-level certificate issued once testing and documentation confirm compliance with the applicable Saudi standard. Once GSO 1785-1:2024 is formally activated on SABER, the PCoC must reference the 2024 edition.
• Shipment Certificate of Conformity (SCoC): a per-shipment document required for each consignment; it links the shipment to the valid PCoC and is required for customs clearance.

The PCoC is issued by a SASO-approved conformity assessment body following a conformity assessment that includes test reports and, for some product types, a manufacturing facility audit. Suppliers exporting engine oils to Saudi Arabia should engage a SASO-approved conformity assessment body well in advance of the September 2026 deadline to allow time for laboratory testing and certificate issuance — these processes do not complete overnight. Check the current SABER portal for the precise assessment type applicable to your product classification, as SASO periodically updates regulated-product lists and assessment requirements.

How does UAE's ECAS scheme apply, and what does an ESMA certificate cover?

In the UAE, lubricating oils for internal combustion engines fall under the Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme (ECAS), administered by ESMA (Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology) under Federal Law 28 of 2001. The ECAS certificate is required for customs clearance and market placement in the UAE.

The ECAS process for lubricating oils involves:

• Submission of application and supporting technical documentation.
• Document review by ESMA.
• Manufacturing facility audit.
• Issuance of the ECAS certificate (valid for one year, renewable at least one month before expiry per ESMA official guidance; engaging earlier is advisable given processing lead times) and, where applicable, the Emirates Quality Mark (EQM), which has a three-year validity. Verify current EQM applicability and all renewal requirements directly with ESMA before submitting an application (verify-per-supplier).

The test report submitted must reference the mandatory UAE GSO standard applicable to the product. Once GSO 1785-1:2024 is activated as the mandatory UAE standard for engine oils, test reports referencing only GSO 1785:2013 will no longer satisfy the ECAS assessment. Suppliers should confirm the current activation status directly with ESMA, and factor certificate renewal lead times into their export planning.

What is the G-Mark, and does it apply to lubricants under this regulation?

The G-Mark is the GCC-wide mandatory conformity mark administered by the GSO. It is required for products covered by certain Gulf Technical Regulations before they can be placed on GCC markets. However, the mandatory applicability of the G-Mark to lubricating oils under GSO 1785-1:2024 specifically is not confirmed from live GSO sources reviewed in this session. The G-Mark scheme's currently confirmed mandatory categories include toys and low-voltage electrical equipment. Whether lubricants under the 2024 technical regulation will require the G-Mark as part of their conformity evidence needs to be verified directly with the GSO or the relevant national authority (verify-per-supplier).

How can a supplier preparing for GCC export use Altonex Global?

Altonex Global is a B2B trade-expo and supplier-discovery platform. Suppliers that register and list engine oil products on the platform present their product range — including specification data such as API service category, viscosity grade, and any conformity documentation they hold — to import-side buyers, distributors, and procurement managers sourcing from the GCC and beyond.

Buyers use the platform to discover qualified suppliers and compare product specifications before initiating commercial discussions. The commercial process begins with a Request for Quote (RFQ), which connects the buyer directly with the supplier. All conformity assessment, documentation, and customs clearance obligations rest with the supplier and the importer as the actors in the supply chain — not with the platform. Suppliers seeking GCC market access for GSO 1785-1:2024-compliant engine oils can register a supplier booth and reach buyers actively sourcing compliant lubricants for the GCC corridor. Buyers can submit an RFQ to connect with listed suppliers.