Overview

Import Guide for the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Overview

This document is intended to give DHL Customers an overview to essential elements of
the import and export regulations implemented by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The details discussed are not new regulations by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia rather the
enforcement of existing legislation.
Should you have any questions on any point covered in this briefing please do not
hesitate to contact your account manager or co
Note that all documents referenced in this document can be found at



Import Commodity Restrictions
Prohibited & Restricted Commodities
The following goods are not allowed to be imported into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
under any circumstances and will be destroyed upon arrival at the Saudi border.
Alcoholic beverages Alcohol distilling equipment All animal blood products All kinds of Liquor, or items containing liquor as an ingredient All narcotics without exception regardless of form.(Including poppy seeds) Annoying car horns or horns that play tunes Antiques & works Art (Standard DHL restriction) Asbestos Blank invoices for companies established abroad Christmas Trees Counterfeit products that bear the brand of a manufacture or brand name of a commercial product, or a commercial title, (Over & Above DHL Restrictions) Crosses, Crucifixes or stars of David Dangerous goods, hazardous or chemical combination materials (Over & above DHL restrictions) Dogs except with permission from the Saudi Arabian embassy in origin country (live Animals Banned for Carriage with DHL Express) Explosives except by licensed importers (Over & above DHL restrictions) Firearms & parts thereof (Over & above DHL restrictions) Frogs meat Furs & Ivory (Standard DHL Restriction) Gambling devices or Slot machines Gemstones (Standard DHL Restriction) Jewellery (Standard DHL restriction) Label and packing material (can be imported only if consignee has a license agreement with the shipper or with permission from the customs authority Laser pens or pointers Masks Massage equipment indecently packaged Musical greeting cards Night vision binoculars or similar items Nutmeg, seeds & powder thereof Phonographic/Audio Visual media products, subject to authorization by the Ministry of Information Pigs (Swine) and pork products Pornography Postal envelopes Soil samples Spawn of silk-worms, any kinds of soil, leaf, stem, straw and natural manure used for agriculture, Tobacco advertising materials Used tires or retread tires Controlled Goods

This section covers a range of commodities that require specific authority to import into
the Kingdom form various government ministries or require certificates of conformance
from the shipper
The guidelines and links for the requirements of each of these government ministries are
found on pages 10 to 14 of this guide.
Description
Ministry Approval From
information – e.g. satellite TV cards, ID cards, Maps Chemicals Ministry Of Commerce And Industry (MOCI) Compact discs – music or data files Ministry Of Information (MOI) Communications And Information Technology Commission (CITC) Ministry Of Commerce And Industry (MOCI) Satellite communication equipment Communications And Information Technology Ministry Of Commerce And Industry (MOCI) Communications And Information Technology Communications And Information Technology General Import Rules

IMPORTANT: There are different value splits and accompanying rules depending upon
the point of clearance in Saudi Arabia
By Value - Under US$100 (All of Saudi Arabia)

Non document shipments, under US$100 and not mentioned on the list of commodities
on pages # 4 and 5 of this document need only a detailed invoice from the shipper to
clear through customs formalities into Saudi Arabia.
By Value – Between US$ 100 and US$ 2,500 (Destined for Riyadh
and Jeddah only)

For Commercial Establishments

Non document shipments, between US$100 and US$ 2,500 as well as not being
mentioned on the list of commodities on pages # 4 and 5 of this document need the
following documentation;
 A detailed commercial invoice, with full accurate descriptions and preferably the  A copy of the consignees Company Registration document (once supplied this will be held by DHL for future imports until it expires) For Private Individuals

Non document shipments, over US$100 and not mentioned on the list of commodities on
pages # 4 and 5 of this document need the following documentation;
 A detailed commercial invoice, with full accurate descriptions and preferably the  A copy of the consignees Personal ID (Iqama) IMPORTANT NOTE: Private individuals may not import any items that require SFDA approval, including medicines or drugs covered by a prescription, cosmetics, herbal supplements etc. By Value – Over US$ 2,500 (Destined for Riyadh and Jeddah
only)

Note that due to the sheer volume of imports processed in Dhahran there is a higher
value limit than is allowed by customs authorities in Riyadh and Jeddah.
For Commercial Establishments

Non document shipments, over US$ 2,500 and not mentioned on the list of commodities
on pages # 4 and 5 of this document need the following documentation;
 A detailed commercial invoice, with full accurate descriptions and preferably the  A Certificate of Origin attested by a competent authority, generally the shipper’s local chamber of commerce, and needs to be created by the shipper prior to export.  A copy of the consignees Company Registration document (once supplied this will be held by DHL for future imports until it expires)  An authorization letter from the consignee authorizing DHL’s broker to clear the shipment through customs (once supplied this will be held by DHL for future imports) For Private Individuals

Non document shipments, over US$ 2,500 and not mentioned on the list of commodities
on pages # 4 and 5 of this document need the following documentation;
 An authorization letter addressed to customs allowing DHL’s broker to clear the  A Certificate of Origin attested by a competent authority to be created by the IMPORTANT NOTE: Private individuals may not import any items that require SFDA approval, including medicines or drugs covered by a prescription, cosmetics, herbal supplements etc. Electronic items for personal use cannot exceed 4 of the same item. 5 or more will be classed as a commercial shipment and will require CITC and / or SASO approval prior to importation By Value – Between US$ 100 and US$ 13,250 (Destined for
Dhahran)

For Commercial Establishments

Non document shipments, between US$ 100 and US$ 13,250 as well as not being
mentioned on the list of commodities on pages # 4 and 5 of this document need the
following documentation;
 A detailed commercial invoice, with full accurate descriptions and preferably the  A copy of the consignees Company Registration document (once supplied this will be held by DHL for future imports until it expires) For Private Individuals

Non document shipments, between US$ 100 and US$ 13,250 as well as not being
mentioned on the list of commodities on pages # 4 and 5 of this document need the
following documentation;
 A detailed commercial invoice, with full accurate descriptions and preferably the  A copy of the consignees Personal ID (Iqama) IMPORTANT NOTE: Private individuals may not import any items that require SFDA approval, including medicines or drugs covered by a prescription, cosmetics, herbal supplements etc. By Value – Over US$ 13,250 (Dhahran)
For Commercial Establishments

Non document shipments, over US$ 13,250 and not mentioned on the list of
commodities on pages # 4 and 5 of this document need the following documentation;
 A detailed commercial invoice, with full accurate descriptions and preferably the  A Certificate of Origin attested by a Chamber of Commerce at origin created by  A copy of the consignees Company Registration document (once supplied this will be held by DHL for future imports until it expires)  An authorization letter from the consignee authorizing DHL’s broker to clear the shipment through customs (once supplied this will be held by DHL for future imports) For Private Individuals

Non document shipments, over US$ 13,250 and not mentioned on the list of
commodities on pages # 4 and 5 of this document need the following documentation;
 An authorization letter addressed to customs allowing DHL’s broker to clear the  A Certificate of Origin attested by a Chamber of Commerce at origin created by IMPORTANT NOTE: Private individuals may not import any items that require SFDA approval, including medicines or drugs covered by a prescription, cosmetics, herbal supplements etc. Electronic items for personal use cannot exceed 4 of the same item. 5 or more will be classed as a commercial shipment and will require CITC and / or SASO approval prior to importation Government Ministry Approvals
SFDA - Saudi Food & Drug Authority

The Saudi Arabian Customs Regulations require that the following products and
commodities require SFDA approval prior to entry clearance into Saudi Arabia;
 Medications and pharmaceuticals (prescription and non prescription)  Dietary supplements including vitamins  Cosmetics and perfumes SFDA approval should be obtained by the consignee prior to shipping to Saudi Arabia. Once the SFDA has approved the product for entry into Saudi Arabia then a copy of this will be required to be attached to each individual import shipment. For further information on the process to get samples into Saudi Arabia then please website; For full details on how to obtain approval to import goods in this category please read . IMPORTANT NOTES: If shipments arrive for clearance but your consignee does not have the necessary approvals then long delays will occur before clearance (up to 90 days) while permission to import is obtained from the SFDA. Private individuals may not import any items that require SFDA approval, including medicines or drugs covered by a prescription. CITC - Communications & Information Technology Commission

The following products and commodities require approval from Communications and
Information Technology Commission (CITC) prior to entry clearance of shipments into
Saudi Arabia:
All wireless telecommunications equipment The full list of items as well as the application form and processes are fully covered in CITC approval should be obtained by the consignee prior to shipping to Saudi Arabia IMPORTANT NOTES: If shipments arrive for clearance but your consignee does not have the necessary approvals then long delays will occur before clearance (up to 90 days) while permission to import is obtained from the CITC Private individuals may import up to 4 items of personal use equipment such as Smart or GSM phones (handhelds), PC’s, Tablets etc. 5 or more items will be classed as a commercial importation and require CITC approval. MOCI - Ministry of Commerce & Industry

The following products and commodities require Ministry of Commerce and Industry
(MOCI) approval prior to entry clearance of shipments into Saudi Arabia;
 Chemicals, including Dangerous Goods MOCI approval should be obtained by the consignee prior to shipping to Saudi Arabia IMPORTANT NOTES: If shipments arrive for clearance but your consignee does not have the necessary approvals then long delays will occur before clearance (up to 90 days) while permission to import is obtained from the MOCI Generally permission to trade in chemicals or dangerous goods will also be part of the consignees Company Registration document. MOI - Ministry of Information

100% of all shipments entering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are inspected by any of the
following means; X-Ray, sniffer dogs, manually. The following products and commodities
may be intercepted at the time of import and sent to the Saudi Arabian Ministry of
Information for review and approval;
 Compact discs – music or data files  Cards containing electronic information – e.g. satellite TV cards, ID cards, Maps IMPORTANT NOTES: Products may be selected at random by the inspecting customs Officer. Delays may be incurred. Should the material be rejected by MOI following inspection it will be confiscated for destruction and cannot be returned to the shipper. SASO – Saudi Arabian Standards Organization

A large number of items that are used on a domestic basis require a Certificate of
Conformance, CoC, (also known as a Clean Report of Findings – a CRF).
This certificate is obtained by the shipper, prior to export.
The Certificate of Conformance is issued by a few certification bodies around the world
where the goods to imported in to Saudi Arabia will be tested to ensure the goods meet
the standards of SASO.
The list of commodities can be found on our website, . The
document is titled
Appendix 1, Websites

For the Government of Saudi Arabia

SASO – Saudi Arabian Standards Organization

SFDA - Saudi Food & Drug Authority

MOCI - Ministry of Commerce & Industry

CITC - Communications & Information Technology Commission

For SASO – Certification Bodies

If you need to have goods certified prior to export then please check which of these
service providers have an agreement with SASO for your country of origin.
Intertek


SGS Group


Bureau Veritas

Source: http://www.dhl.be/content/dam/downloads/g0/express/shipping/customs/import_guide_sa_en.pdf