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
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
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 Aramex guidelines to ensure timely and efficient clearance Read More
(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 Aramex
Waybill or shipment labels
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 Chambre 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 Chambre 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 Chambre 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
When exporting goods from
Saudi Arabia some documents and regulations will be applied before the exit of
goods to the destination. Failure to submit required documents may delay goods
when exporting
Exporters need to include the
following documents with their goods:
Original Commercial Invoice
Fee: SAR 132 (equivalent to USD 75) per shipment presented to customs authorities
For
certain goods, a strategic export
license is required. Example where these licenses are needed include: military, dual-use, chemicals, technological, medicines, and radioactive material
Other documents that
could be required would depend on the specific requirements of the destinations. Aramex maintain a list of needed documents and customs information per country (please
select country name on this
page)
Important Notes
All exported goods might be
inspected by Customs Authorities
Aramex will not transport
goods that are prohibited by the laws or regulations of Saudi Arabia