How to Import Commercial Goods into Saudi Arabia

Who is allowed to be the importer

The importer named on a Saudi customs declaration must be an entity registered in the Kingdom and registered with ZATCA. A foreign supplier cannot be the importer of record; somebody inside Saudi Arabia has to own the declaration, the duty liability and the compliance record behind it.

In practice that means one of three things: you have a Saudi company with a commercial registration; you sell to a Saudi buyer who imports in their own name; or you appoint a Saudi entity to act as importer of record for you. Which of those you choose changes who carries the risk, not what the paperwork looks like.

The U.S. International Trade Administration’s country guide notes a further restriction worth knowing before you plan a distribution model: only Saudi nationals may import goods for resale and conduct direct marketing, although foreign industrial entities may trade in the products they themselves manufacture and GCC nationals may engage in certain retail and trading activities.

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

What must exist before the goods move

Almost every avoidable delay at a Saudi port is something that should have been done before the container was sealed. Four things, in this order:

1. Commercial registration and ZATCA registrationthe importing entity needs a valid commercial registration and must be registered with ZATCA. Individuals importing in their own name need a national ID or a valid residence permit.
2. A Fasah accountthe importer registers on fasah.sa as an importer, then authorises a licensed customs broker electronically. The authorisation is done in the platform, not on paper.
3. The correct HS classificationthe 12-digit GCC Integrated Customs Tariff code decides the duty rate, whether a technical regulation applies, and which regulator has to approve the shipment. Getting it after the goods arrive is the expensive way.
4. Conformity and permitsregulated goods need a SABER Product Certificate of Conformity and, per shipment, a Shipment Certificate of Conformity. Food, medicines, medical devices and cosmetics need SFDA registration and clearance. Chemicals, seeds, live animals, wireless equipment and several other categories need a named regulator’s permit.

SOURCES · SASO / SABER programme rules; ZATCA; Fasah.

The shipment, step by step

1. Contract on an Incoterm you understandduty and VAT are charged on the CIF value, so freight and insurance are inside the tax base whichever Incoterm you agree. DDP means your supplier is promising to handle a Saudi clearance they usually cannot legally own; check who is actually named as importer.
2. Supplier issues the shipping documentscommercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, and a certificate of origin certified by a chamber of commerce in the exporting country.
3. Importer or broker obtains the SCoCrequested in SABER against the existing product certificate, per shipment, before the vessel arrives.
4. Advance filing into Fasahthe manifest and the customs declaration go in before arrival. ZATCA’s published instruction is to complete Fasah clearing procedures at least 48 hours before the shipment reaches the port of entry; advance submission of the manifest and declaration has been mandatory for goods arriving by sea since 29 October 2025.
5. ZATCA assesses and Fasah calculatesduty, VAT, excise where it applies and the customs service fee are computed from the declared HS code, value and origin.
6. Risk channela compliant, complete declaration can clear on documents alone. An incomplete one, a doubtful classification or a regulated commodity without its approval goes to document review or physical inspection.
7. Paycustoms duty and tax are paid to ZATCA through SADAD; the platform’s own service invoices are billed separately by the Fasah operator.
8. Release and delivery orderthe delivery order is issued through Fasah and the cargo is collected from the port, airport or land border.

ZATCA runs a “Clearance Within Two Hours” programme: under measures set by Royal Decree in 2022, regulatory agencies must review documents and notify their inspection decision within two hours of the declaration being received, and inspect within two hours of a consignment being ready. Under the same programme the number of documents a trader physically submits was cut from twelve to two — the invoice and the bill of lading — with the rest exchanged between agencies inside Fasah. Two hours is the clock on the agencies, not a promise about your shipment.

SOURCES · ZATCA (import instructions; advance cargo information at seaports, effective 29 October 2025); World Customs Organization, WCO News on ZATCA’s Clearance Within Two Hours initiative.

What an import actually costs

The customs service fee is capped at SAR 130 for shipments exempt from duty and tax, and at SAR 15 for a low-value shipment bought by an individual from an online store where the value does not exceed SAR 1,000. Port, terminal, handling, storage and broker charges are commercial and sit outside this table.

SOURCES · ZATCA, Fee Rules on Customs Services (effective 6 October 2024); U.S. International Trade Administration, Saudi Arabia Country Commercial Guide — Import Tariffs, last published 11 May 2026.

Where first shipments stop

• The HS code on the SABER certificate does not match the code on the declaration — since 1 January 2026 SABER uses codes aligned to ZATCA’s tariff, and a mismatch means the certificate cannot be verified against the declaration.
• No shipment certificate at arrival. A product certificate on its own does not clear cargo.
• The certificate of origin is missing, uncertified, or names a different manufacturer from the invoice.
• The declared value excludes freight or insurance. The basis is CIF, and a value that does not reconcile invites reassessment.
• A regulated commodity filed as an ordinary one — food, supplements, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals, wireless equipment and seeds all have a named regulator, and Fasah routes the declaration to them automatically.
• The importer is not registered, or the broker was never authorised in Fasah.
• Country-of-origin marking. The origin must be shown on the goods themselves in a form that cannot be removed, not only on the carton.

Since 8 May 2025 containerised imports arriving at Saudi ports are required to be palletised, on a phased rollout, with exemptions available for goods that cannot be palletised — bulk, heavy machinery and oversized items. Packing decisions taken at origin now have a clearance consequence at destination.

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

Official sources

ZATCA — Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority ↗

The customs authority. Rules and regulations, e-services, the Integrated Tariff and the 24/7 line on 19993.

Fasah — the national single window ↗

Where importers, brokers, shipping agents and government agencies exchange the declaration. Registration, filing, status and delivery orders.

SABER — SASO conformity platform ↗

Product and shipment certificates of conformity under the SALEEM product safety programme.

SFDA — Saudi Food and Drug Authority ↗

Food, medicines, medical devices, cosmetics and feed — registration, import control and consignment clearance.

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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