General Import Guidelines
- Imported goods must be accompanied with an International Waybill , a Commercial Invoice, and a Packing List
- Importers in Saudi Arabia are required to have a Commercial Registration number
- Imported goods must conform to licensed activities of the importer
- All importers are required to include payment method “for imported goods” detailing bank name, payment date and reference number with Customs Declaration. Failure to comply with this regulation may delay entry of goods
- Imported goods into Saudi Arabia must have the country of origin printed or embossed physically on each item; for example “made in China”, “made in Japan”, etc. The country of origin must also be stated on the Commercial Invoice, failure to comply with this regulation will prohibit entry of the goods
- Validity period with ingredients should be labeled in Arabic for food items in accordance to regulations
- Express shipments may only remain in customs for 21 days from the date of arrival into the country.
- All food supplements to individuals will be accepted with a limit of 15 KG per month without the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) approval. Commercial quantities will be held by customs and will require SFDA approval from the receiver. Failure to submit SFDA approval may prohibit the entry of goods.
- Commercial imports cannot be imported by foreigner residents in Saudi Arabia. Failure to comply with this regulation may prohibit entry of the goods.
- Mobile phones can be imported for personal use 1 – 2 mobiles with a commercial invoice. Mobile phones more than 2 will be considered as commercial, and will require commercial invoice including the manufacturing country, and a conformity Certificate.
- Shipments containing watches will require a certificate of origin. Failure to comply with this regulation, may cause it to seized by customs.
- Personal supplements or cosmetics goods, are only allowed to be imported with a limited quantity. Three boxes per product with a max of five different product per shipment.
- HS Codes must be stated clearly on Commercial Invoice. If the HS Codes are not stated, Customs will determine proper HS Codes based on the goods based on the stated description
Import Duties and Fees
- The customs valuation is based on CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) which means that the amount used to assess customs duty is the sum of cost of goods, insurance and shipping cost to Saudi Arabia
- Customs tariff on imported goods varies between 5% to 12% levied on CIF value
- All non document express shipments destined to Saudi Arabia are subject to a 5% VAT on goods value regardless of value
- International express or courier imports with declared value below SAR 1,000 (equivalent to USD 270) are duty free
- Goods with declared value of more than a SAR 1,000 (equivalent to USD 270) will be treated as normal cargo goods, and will require a formal customs clearance
The following are trade agreements with Saudi Arabia that can benefit from customs reduction rate. To benefit from customs reduction, Certificate of Origin accompanied with Commercial Invoice are required for shipment value at USD 3,000 or above
- Arab League
- Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC)
Duties Exemption
A number of goods are exempted from customs duties. Below are some of the applied exemptions:
- Goods addressed to government or semi-government agencies
- Raw materials for manufacturing in Saudi Arabia destined for companies holding industrial license
- Goods originating from any GCC member state as long as 51% of the factory equity is owned by a GCC national
- Personal effects addressed from one individual to another and within a reasonable quantity for personal use only. Personal effects must be second hand
- Companies, agencies or projects that have official exemptions letters from the Saudi Arabia government
Still have a question? Contact us: saudi@myfreightksa.com
Imports Required Documents
Import regulations vary depending on both Declared Value of Goods and Clearance Port in Saudi Arabia
Due to the sheer volume of imports processed in Dhahran Port (King Fahad Causeway) there is a higher value limit than that allowed by customs authorities on other Port. The following table shows the needed documents required to clear goods:
When completing your Commercial Invoice, we recommend that you abide by MYFREIGHT guidelines to ensure timely and efficient clearance.
(SASO) certificate
Saudi Arabian Standard Organizations (SASO) is the regulatory authority controls quality of goods imported into Saudi Arabia. The conformity certificate is required to ensure all imported goods conform with Saudi standards below is an example of some commodity:
- Mobile phones
- Computers, Electronics and Electrical Products
- Auto spare parts
- Cosmetics
- Toys
- Chemical products
- Perishables
You can find more information on SASO under Reference (2) SASO
Click here to view list of authorized companies for generating conformity certificate
Personal Effect
- Copy of the receiver Personal ID or Iqama (For personal effects only)
- Packing list
Imports Required Documents
All incoming goods valued at USD 100 or more to destined to businesses in Saudi Arabia need to have the Commercial Registration Number of the business (importer) written (printed) clearly on Waybill. If package is destined to individuals in Saudi Arabia, the full receiver name, and national ID (for Saudi citizens), or residency number need to be written (printed) clearly on AWB or BL of the shipments.
Please refer to the below table for required documents:
| Declared Value of Goods | |||
| Clearance Port | Less USD 100 | USD 100 – USD 2,500 | USD 2,500 – US 13,250 / or above USD 13,250 |
| Riyadh and Jeddah Airports | o Copy of Commercial Invoice o Copy of importer’s Commercial Registration o Authorization letter attested by Chamber of Commerce in KSA | o Original Commercial Invoice o Copy of importer’s Commercial Registration o Authorization letter attested by Chamber of Commerce in KSA o Translated Commercial Invoice if requested by customs | o Original Commercial Invoice attested by Chamber of Commerce at origin o Copy of importer’s Commercial Registration o Authorization letter attested by chamber of commerce in KSA o Original Certificate of Origin stamped by Chamber of Commerce at country of origin o Translated Commercial Invoice if requested by Saudi Customs |
| Dhahran Airport | o Copy of Commercial Invoice o Copy of importer’s Commercial Registration o Authorization letter attested by chamber of commerce in KSA | o Original Commercial Invoice o Copy of Commercial importer’s Registration o Authorization letter attested by Chamber of Commerce in KSA o Translated Commercial Invoice if requested by customs | o Original Commercial Invoice attested by Chamber of Commerce at origin o Copy of importer’s Commercial Registration o Authorization letter attested by chamber of commerce in KSA o Original Certificate of Origin stamped by Chamber of Commerce at country of origin o Translated Commercial Invoice if requested by Saudi Customs |
| King Fahad Causeway | o Copy of Commercial Invoice o Copy of importer’s Commercial Registration | o Original Commercial Invoice o Copy of importer’s Commercial Registration | o Original Commercial Invoice attested by Chamber of Commerce at origin o Copy of importer’s Commercial Registration o Authorization letter attested by chamber of commerce in KSA o Original Certificate of Origin stamped by Chamber of Commerce at country of origin |
Failure to submit required documents might lead to customs clearance delay or returning goods to origin with no pre notification
Thanks and Regards,
