Importing From China to the Middle East: SABER, ECAS, G-Mark in 2026

The six countries belong to the Gulf Cooperation Council customs union, in effect since January 1, 2003: a duty collected once at the first point of entry, then free circulation between member states. The common external tariff applies a general rate of 5% ad valorem on the CIF value for most goods, with higher rates on alcohol, tobacco and certain protected categories depending on the country.

None of the six country guides consulted identified a free trade agreement between China and the Gulf, or with any of its members: Chinese goods enter everywhere under the standard duty regime. Each country then differs from the others on four points: VAT, product certification, access to import licenses, and the role of free zones.

The same 5% duty comes with, or without, VAT at a widely varying rate. Saudi Arabia applies 15% since July 2020 (ZATCA). Bahrain moved to 10% in 2022, after launching at 5% (National Bureau for Taxation). The United Arab Emirates and Oman apply 5%, under the unified Gulf VAT agreement.

Qatar and Kuwait apply no VAT as of September 27, 2026: a common 5% framework remains planned for Qatar with no confirmed date, while in Kuwait the bill transposing the February 2017 framework agreement was still under discussion in Parliament according to a tax firm consulted on July 22, 2026. This status can change and should be reconfirmed before placing a large order.

In Saudi Arabia, the SABER platform, developed by ELM under SASO's supervision, registers products subject to technical regulation (air conditioners, paints, telecommunications, vehicles). It issues a product certificate (PCoC, 500 riyals excluding VAT, valid for the model's lifetime) then a shipment certificate (SCoC, 350 riyals excluding VAT per shipment, validity extended from 60 to 90 days).

All six countries share the Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO), founded in December 2001, operational since May 2004, headquartered in Riyadh, with seven members: the six countries covered in this article plus Yemen since 2010. Through notified bodies, it issues the G-Mark, whose categories identified in our sources include vehicles, motorcycles, tires and the energy label for air conditioners.

In the United Arab Emirates, MoIAT centralizes conformity through its Product Conformity Hub: certificates for regulated and non-regulated products, national conformity marks, and accreditation of assessment bodies by ENAS. The acronym ECAS, widely used for this scheme, was not found as such on the MoIAT pages consulted: to be confirmed directly with MoIAT before any production run. In Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, no platform distinct from the GSO was identified.

In several countries, importing for resale is not open to a foreign company acting alone. In Qatar, the license is reserved for a Qatari national or their partner in the company. In Kuwait, it is reserved for a Kuwaiti citizen or a registered intermediary, valid for one renewable year. In Saudi Arabia, only Saudi nationals may import for resale according to the official US guide, a rule eased in 2016 for wholesale, retail and franchise trade, now open to full foreign ownership.

In the United Arab Emirates, no equivalent restriction was identified, and a company registered in a free zone such as Jebel Ali can be 100% owned by foreign shareholders. For Oman and Bahrain, no comparable rule was found in our sources: to be verified with a local partner before assuming free access.

Goods that remain in a bonded free zone incur neither duty nor VAT as long as they do not enter the domestic market: the mechanism mainly serves re-export to the Gulf or Africa. Jebel Ali (JAFZA), in the United Arab Emirates, brings together more than 11,000 companies and 130,000 jobs for 190 billion dollars in trade in 2024 according to its operator: 100% foreign ownership, 0% corporate tax for 50 years, 0% import or re-export duties, no restrictions on capital or currency exchange.

In Oman, Duqm is a free zone and logistics hub covering 800 square miles, and Sohar hosts a free zone run as a joint venture with the Port of Rotterdam, according to the US commercial guide. A comparable regime may exist elsewhere in the Gulf without having been confirmed in our sources: to be verified with the local authority.

None of the six country guides consulted made it possible to find a verifiable transit time between a port in southern China and a Gulf port: to be confirmed with the freight forwarder at booking. FOB from southern China remains the most straightforward choice for a first order, CIF or CFR if an intermediary handles it through to the port, DDP not recommended as long as the Chinese seller is not the customs declarant on arrival.

Payment stays the same across all six countries: a deposit on order then the balance before shipment, to the Chinese company's business account, never a personal account; any change of bank details by email should be verified with a direct phone call. Most Gulf currencies remain pegged to the dollar (Qatari riyal at 3.64 per dollar since July 9, 2001, Bahraini dinar around 0.376); the Kuwaiti dinar follows a separate mechanism, not detailed in our sources.

A first order into the Gulf typically runs as follows: specifications, factory verification, approved sample, proforma invoice with incoterm, certification in parallel with production (SABER, G-Mark or MoIAT depending on the country), confirmation that the license or local partner covers the product, production follow-up, pre-shipment inspection, freight to the chosen port or free zone, then customs clearance by the client or their local agent, never by the Chinese seller.

Sorva is a sourcing and trading house between China and the world, based in Guangzhou, Tianhe district, backed by a Chinese subsidiary whose corporate purpose covers the purchase, resale and export of goods, and by a parent company in France. Our Chinese-speaking team finds and verifies factories, arranges visits and samples, negotiates, has quality checked before loading and arranges freight to the chosen port or free zone, gathering the documents needed for local certification. Sorva is never the official importer in the client's country, does not clear customs locally, and does not export vehicles without a licensed Chinese exporter. Base offer in dollars outside the European Union, with an optional SABER package for Saudi Arabia quoted on request. Contact: WhatsApp +33 6 15 55 62 52, [email protected].