Importing from China to Saudi Arabia: customs, SABER and VAT in 2026

Saudi customs tariff sets a base duty of 5% on most food products, but raises it to as much as 40% ad valorem once an agricultural product crosses a local self-sufficiency threshold: a form of protection that opens niches for processed products not covered by local production. Rice, livestock, fresh red meat, coffee and tea enter duty-free.

Consumer products subject to technical regulation, air conditioners, paints, telecom equipment, vehicles, must go through the SABER platform before being placed on the market, detailed further below. Sugary drinks, energy drinks and tobacco also carry an excise tax on top of that.

Saudi Arabia belongs to the Gulf Cooperation Council customs union, in force since 1 January 2003, which organizes the free movement of locally originating goods among the six member states but changes nothing for a good coming from China. The official US guide to the country's trade agreements lists no free trade agreement, bilateral or through the Gulf, between China and Saudi Arabia: every Chinese shipment stays at the standard tariff.

ZATCA, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, oversees Saudi taxation and customs. Before arrival, the Fasah platform requires finalizing formalities and filing the required documents at least 48 hours in advance, either directly or through a customs broker.

The Gulf's common external tariff applies a duty of at least 5% on most goods from outside the Gulf, calculated ad valorem on the CIF value. Since January 2025, Saudi Arabia has used a 12-digit tariff system based on the 2022 Harmonized System. VAT was raised from 5% to 15% in July 2020, unchanged since.

Example on a CIF value of 100,000 riyals and a 5% duty: the duty comes to 5,000 riyals. Common Gulf practice then applies VAT on the customs value plus the duty, that is 15% of 105,000 riyals, 15,750 riyals; this specific point could not be confirmed article by article on the ZATCA website and should be reconfirmed with a freight forwarder. The overall tax burden then exceeds 20% of the CIF value, before shipping costs.

A standard import requires a commercial invoice, a bill of lading or air waybill, a certificate of origin, and, depending on the product, additional certificates (IECEE) as well as proof of registration. These documents are filed on Fasah before arrival, not after.

Since 8 May 2025, all containerized imports at a Saudi port must be palletized, with a twelve-month transition period and exemptions for bulk cargo, heavy machinery and oversized packages.

SABER is the electronic platform that organizes the registration of products subject to technical regulation and the issuance of their conformity certificates, under the supervision of SASO, the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, developed and operated by the company ELM. An air conditioner, a paint, a telecom device or a vehicle cannot enter the market without prior registration.

The process includes a product certificate, PCoC, priced at 500 riyals excluding VAT and valid for the model's entire lifetime, then a shipment certificate, SCoC, priced at 350 riyals excluding VAT for each shipment, with validity extended from 60 to 90 days. From 1 May 2026, new port requirements will apply to cameras, e-readers, speakers, keyboards, mice and routers.

For food, cosmetics, medicines and medical devices, the SFDA, Saudi Food and Drug Authority, regulates market entry: more than 2,000 licensed establishments, more than 163,455 authorized medical devices, more than 8,870 regulated medicines, and the Gulf Rapid Alert System for Food shared between Gulf authorities.

Saudi Arabia bans the import of weapons, alcohol, narcotics, pork, pornographic material, distillery equipment, retreaded or used tyres, second-hand clothing and certain sculptures, as well as vehicles more than five years old or damaged in an accident.

A second list requires prior authorization: agricultural seeds, live animals, books and recordings, religious material, chemical and pharmaceutical products, wireless equipment, alcohol-containing products such as some perfumes, and archaeological items.

Jeddah Islamic Port, on the Red Sea, and King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, on the Gulf, are the kingdom's two main maritime gateways for containerized freight. Across all ports combined, Saudi traffic passed 341 million tonnes in 2025 according to GASTAT, with no public breakdown by port. The choice depends on the final destination: west coast for Jeddah, east coast for Dammam.

From southern China, freight most often leaves from Guangzhou, Shenzhen or Yantian; no verifiable transit time was found in our sources and should be confirmed at booking. Air freight, via King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah or King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, remains reserved for urgent shipments. FOB suits a buyer who organizes transport; CIF or CFR suits a case where an intermediary handles it up to the port. DDP remains inadvisable as long as the seller is not a licensed customs declarant in Saudi Arabia.

On payment, common practice remains a deposit on order followed by a balance before shipment, paid into the Chinese company's business account, never a personal account: any change of bank details received by email should be verified with a direct phone call before any transfer. The Saudi riyal has been pegged to the US dollar for decades, which simplifies an order invoiced in dollars.

The official US guide to selling in Saudi Arabia states that only Saudi nationals may import for resale, while foreign industrial entities may market their own products; in 2016, however, the kingdom opened wholesale, retail and franchise trade to full foreign ownership, removing the former requirement for 25% local participation. Local counsel should confirm the status that applies.

A first order follows a precise sequence: specifications, factory verification, approved sample, proforma invoice with incoterm, SABER registration in parallel with production, production monitoring, pre-shipment inspection, SCoC certificate before loading, filing documents on Fasah 48 hours before arrival, then customs clearance by the client or their local agent. Sorva, a sourcing and trading house based in Guangzhou's Tianhe district, backed by a Chinese subsidiary whose corporate purpose covers buying, reselling and exporting goods, and by a parent company in France, researches and verifies factories, negotiates, has quality checked before loading and organizes freight to the chosen port, while gathering the documents needed for SABER registration. We never act as the official importer in Saudi Arabia, do not clear customs locally, and do not export vehicles without a licensed Chinese exporter. Our base offer is invoiced in dollars, with an optional SABER add-on priced on quote.