Documents Needed to Import into Saudi Arabia

The core set

ZATCA requires an importer to present a commercial invoice, a bill of lading and a certificate of origin, with additional documents for particular commodities. That is the floor, not the ceiling: what a specific shipment needs is decided by its tariff code.

Commercial invoice

On the exporter’s letterhead. Must state the country of origin, the carrier, the brand and quantity, and a description of the goods including weight and value. Attested by the body responsible for trade in the exporting country where that is required.

Bill of lading / air waybill

Clean, and consistent with the manifest. Consignee details must match the importer named on the declaration exactly.

Certificate of origin

Original, certified by a chamber of commerce in the exporting country, and consistent with the invoice. Where goods contain foreign components, state their country of origin and share.

Packing list

Marks, numbers, contents, weights and dimensions per package, reconciling to the invoice and the transport document.

Insurance certificate

Where the sale is on CIF terms, or where the importer or a bank requires it.

SABER shipment certificate (SCoC)

For regulated goods. Requested per shipment against a valid product certificate, and verifiable in the system before arrival.

SOURCES · U.S. International Trade Administration, Saudi Arabia Country Commercial Guide — Import Requirements and Documentation, last published 11 May 2026; ZATCA.

Certification, attestation and apostilles

Certificates of origin are certified by a chamber of commerce in the exporting country. In the United States, the Saudi government requires local chambers of commerce to perform the authentication of shipping documents.

Consular legalisation is a separate question, and one where the answer has moved. Saudi Arabia acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention and it entered into force for the Kingdom on 7 December 2022, which removed embassy legalisation for public documents coming from other member states. The Convention does not cover everything, though: it excludes administrative documents dealing directly with commercial or customs operations, which is the category most trade paperwork falls into. Chamber certification therefore remains the working requirement for commercial documents, and legalisation may still be requested by a Saudi importer or by a bank under a letter of credit.

Ask the importer and the bank what they need, in writing, before the goods ship. A certificate that satisfies customs may not satisfy a documentary credit, and the two are assessed by different people against different rules.

SOURCES · HCCH (Saudi accession to the Apostille Convention, in force 7 December 2022); U.S. International Trade Administration, Saudi Arabia Country Commercial Guide.

Certificates that attach to the commodity

Food of animal origin

Health certificate from the competent authority, halal slaughter certificate and halal certificate for meat and poultry, and the establishment approvals SFDA requires of the exporting facility.

Food of plant origin

Phytosanitary certificate, and the certificates required for the specific commodity under SFDA’s import conditions.

Composite foods

Halal certification where the product contains meat or meat derivatives, animal fats, gelatin, collagen, animal rennet or enzymes of animal origin, or carries a halal logo.

Medicines and medical devices

SFDA registration or marketing authorisation, and an SFDA release for the consignment. Unregistered products need a shipment-specific import permit obtained by the local agent.

Electrical and electronic goods

SABER PCoC and SCoC, and an IECEE certificate where the product requires one.

Chemicals

An import permit — non-hazardous chemicals through the Ministry of Commerce, restricted chemicals for industrial use through the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, both requested via Fasah. Safety data sheets accompany the shipment.

Live animals, seeds, plants

Permits from the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and its agricultural quarantine service.

Vehicles

Conformity documentation, and evidence the vehicle is inside the permitted age and condition rules.

SOURCES · SFDA; SASO / SABER; Ministry of Commerce; Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources; U.S. International Trade Administration.

Labelling and marking

• Country of origin must appear on the commodity itself on an irremovable label — not only on the outer carton.
• Arabic labelling is required for products placed on the Saudi market, and food labels must carry the ingredients and the validity period in Arabic in line with Saudi or GCC specifications.
• Dangerous goods carry their UN number, hazard labels and marks per the applicable transport regulations, with GHS classification and labelling for chemicals.

Labelling is checked by the market regulator as well as at the border. A shipment can clear customs and still be unsellable, which is a slower and more expensive discovery.

SOURCES · SASO technical regulations; SFDA labelling requirements (GSO standards); U.S. International Trade Administration.

Official sources

ZATCA — customs services ↗

Declaration services, correction letters and the customs service catalogue.

SABER ↗

Where the product and shipment conformity certificates are requested and verified.

SFDA — imported food ↗

Import control for food: establishment registration, required certificates and consignment inspection.

RiyadhCargo.com is an independent news monitoring service. It is not a customs broker, freight forwarder, carrier or law firm, and nothing on this page is customs, tax or legal advice for a particular shipment. Procedures and rates change; the authorities named on this page are the only binding source. Check the current position with ZATCA or a licensed Saudi customs broker before you ship.

Frequently asked questions

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