If you want to ship goods from the Emirates to Saudi Arabia, you must be aware of the import conditions in Saudi Arabia. These conditions are not complicated and have been developed to facilitate import operations to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to reduce the risk factor in importing goods into the Kingdom.

Also, these conditions included many facilities that relieved merchants in import operations from abroad, as import operations are the most successful projects, so the Saudi government worked to establish facilities for merchants. Through this article, we will clarify everything related to shipping from the United Arab Emirates to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, whether it is personal goods or for commercial purposes.

Documents required to ship personal goods from the UAE to Saudi Arabia:

• A copy of the passport or identity card of the sender and the contact number
• A copy of the passport or identity card of the recipient and the contact number
• The purchase invoice is in Arabic and certified by one of the chambers of commerce in the United Arab Emirates.
• packing statement
• Certificate of origin (authenticated)
• An electronic authorization for the clearance office at the Saudi borders through the Najiz application

Documents required to ship commercial goods from the UAE to Saudi Arabia:

• A copy of the passport or identity card of the sender and the contact number
• A copy of the passport or identity card of the recipient and the contact number
• A commercial invoice written in Arabic and certified by one of the chambers of commerce in the United Arab Emirates
• packing statement
• Certificate of origin for the goods attested by one of the chambers of commerce in the Emirates
• Health certificates if the shipment is foodstuff
• An electronic authorization from the institution receiving the customs clearance office at the Saudi borders (Al-Batha) through the Fasah system on the Saudi Customs website.

The required certificates for the Saber platform:

Recently, a platform was created and called it "Saber". It is an electronic system that takes place through the registration and approval of products shipped to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in order to ensure the quality and safety of the product before its arrival in the Kingdom. This platform has been developed for the following purposes:

• Ensuring that the products that are exported to Saudi Arabia comply with the specifications and quality standards in accordance with the requirements of the Standards and Quality Authority.
• Contribute to limiting the entry of adulterated or non-conforming products into Saudi Arabia.
• All operations on the Saber system are carried out electronically to ensure the speedy issuance of conformity documents for products.
• Conformity certificates for products are issued as soon as the exporter fulfills all the conditions required to approve the product before it is allowed to be traded in Saudi Arabia.

SASO certificate of conformity from the Saber platform:

The Saudi Certificate of Conformity (SASO) is a certificate of conformity for products imported into Saudi Arabia, as this is part of the conformity assessment program in the Kingdom.

The SASO certificate is required for all imported goods to complete the customs clearance process; And to confirm that the shipments comply with the relevant technical regulations and meet the safety standards of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, and the suitability for the use of the goods in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The SASO certificate is issued by the authorized body in the country of origin of the product upon approval of the shipment to ensure that it conforms to quality standards in Saudi Arabia, and this certificate is valid for a certain period of time only.

Steps to obtain the SASO Certificate of Conformity from the Saber platform:

• Log in to the Saber platform.
• Choose the type of product (commercial products).
• Choose to request a new product conformity certificate, select the product and add the model numbers.
• Select the conformity assessment body and submit the application.
• Approval of the application by the conformity assessment body.
• Complete payment procedures.
• Studying the application and making a decision by the conformity assessment body.

Product conformity certificate (COC) or (QM) from Saber platform:

A Product Conformity Certificate (COC) is required to prove that products shipped to Saudi Arabia have been registered on the Saber platform and are in compliance with the technical regulations in force in the Kingdom. The COC certificate is valid for one year from the date of issue.

Steps to obtain a Product Conformity Certificate (COC) from the Saber platform:

• Enter all required product data on the Saber electronic platform.
• Choose an Accreditation and Certification Body (CB), such as Tabseer, to proceed with the certificate issuance process.
• Pay the Product Conformity Certificate (COC) fee.
• Tabseer, as an accreditation and certification body appointed by the client, reviews and follows up on the application.
• Tabseer cooperates with the service applicant to ensure the provision and submission of all required data and documents.
• Tabseer uploads the documents to the Saber system after verifying their validity and accuracy.
• Finally, a Certificate of Conformity (COC) is issued through the SABER electronic platform.

Customs broker authorization request

An electronic service that allows the importer to authorize one of the customs brokers to conduct the customs transactions in the desired service, and the authorization is specified for import only, export only, or both, and the importer determines the authority for the broker to use the authorization for one time or several times.

Steps to submit a request for customs broker authorization from Fasah portal:

• Log in to Fasah portal.
• Go to Importers and Exporters Services.
• Choose sincere negotiation service.
• Choose to create a new authorization request.
• Fill out the required form (choose the authorization customs, the broker’s license number, the type of authorization, the authorization validity).
• Click (Send) to receive a verification code on your mobile phone.
• The authorization will be activated immediately.

Conditions for importing from the UAE to Saudi Arabia:

Product compliance with import requirements in Saudi Arabia:

One of the most important conditions for importing into Saudi Arabia is that the product conforms to the standards set, and among other conditions is that Saudi Arabia is aware of the condition of the imported product, its details, and its conformity or violation of the standards for imports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For example, the product should not be pork, drugs, alcohol, or any kind of intoxicants

Availability of the import card:

Where the import card is one of the conditions for importing in Saudi Arabia in general, and the reason for its importance lies in the fact that it allows its holder to practice import operations so that the government can exercise control over import business, and also to protect you as an importer from any legal problems when obtaining the goods.

Tax card:

It is the one that is issued by the Zakat and Tax Authority, and gives you the authority to engage in commercial activity (import) inside Saudi Arabia.

Customs handling card:

This card is considered several documents in one document, as it dispenses you with many documents, as it clarifies your personal data, the size of your business, and the type of your activity, even the customs violations you committed and the penalties imposed on you. It is an important official document to complete the customs clearance process.

Incoming financing application document:

This document is issued by the bank through which you transferred the consideration for the shipment to the supplier, and it is necessary to mention the value of the amounts you transferred in addition to the type of contract that was concluded between you and the supplier.

Choosing a customs broker and making a general authorization for him:

As the customs broker acts as an intermediary and is considered necessary when importing into the Kingdom, and the authorization document is a necessary document when clearing customs for your imported goods, and it is necessary that you submit a document containing the full data of the customs broker.