If you plan to import and export goods between China and Saudi Arabia, you have come to the right place. This will be your guide, and all the procedures are well explained.
Saudi Arabia is the largest economy in the Middle East and the richest Arab country in the region. Importing goods from China to Saudi Arabia has become an active area for the kingdom due to the strong ties between the two countries at all levels. China is Saudi Arabia’s largest partner in the Arab region.
Danteful is your ideal freight forwarding partner to connect the two countries and deliver your goods efficiently.
We offer you different ways to find the best shipping rates from any city in China to Saudi Arabia, such as free shipping quotes or free online books. Coupled with our decades of experience in the Asian market, we have spent several hours researching this topic to answer any questions or concerns you may have about it. If you are a beginner in the import/export field, this article will help you get started, or help you improve your business and diversify it.
In this guide, we will go into detail about all the elements of shipping and Cargo, location, size, and shipping rates: FCL by sea, LCL by sea, air, or express. In addition, we will provide you with shipping estimates for each type of shipping and each type of shipping.
We will try to clarify all shipping procedures from China to Saudi Arabia, but you can still contact us for more information.
Here is a summary of what we will be dealing with Directory Sheet
- What is the best and cheapest way to ship goods to Saudi Arabia?
- Duties and taxes in Saudi Arabia
- Customs Clearance
- Import conditions
- Import procedures
- Necessary documentation
- Prohibited and restricted items
- By sea to Saudi Arabia
- Professional ports
- The main port on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
- The main port of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf
- Sea freight transit times
- Sea freight rates
- Air freight to Saudi Arabia
- Major ports
- Air freight transit times
- Air freight rates
- When is it cheapest to ship from China to Saudi Arabia?
- Freight insurance
- RECCURENT issues
Duties and taxes in Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, customs duties and import taxes average about 4.85%.
Only Saudi companies 100% owned by Saudis are allowed to import. Importers must obtain a license from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and then consult with the relevant ministries, depending on the nature of the goods they import.
Customs clearance
How much duty do I have to pay from China to Saudi Arabia?
Before your product is released in Saudi Arabia, you must pay customs duties and GST on imports from China to Saudi Arabia. These costs can be substantial. Researching your expenses early can prevent you from being caught out by accident.
How does the customs process work?
When the goods arrive at the port, the customs authorities will check all the documents, calculate the debt owed, and collect the installments. After the installment payment, the product will be released.
To deal with customs flexibility, you can find a representative or use financing provided by your freight forwarder. If you choose a medium ship, you can also use our funding.
Importers must start the customs clearance at least 48 hours before the goods arrive at the port, submit the required documents, and create a customs declaration.
Import Conditions
Importing goods from China to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia must meet some simple conditions, as follows:
- Have a valid business record, provided the activity shown is the same as the cough listed.
- Ensure you obtain your own customs code, which is readily available when you submit your business records to customs authorities.
- Documents of the original origin of the goods, as long as they are certified by the chamber of commerce in the receiving country.
- An import invoice issued by the Ministry of Commerce of the country of origin of the Goods.
- A document certifying that the imported goods meet Saudi or international specifications.
- The goods have labels that cannot be removed, identifying the country of origin or country of export.
- The expiration date of the goods should be by Saudi standards.
- Imported medical supplies must be registered with the Ministry of Health.
- For video, audio, or print publications, customs will send samples to the Ministry of Information and Culture to ensure they do not infringe intellectual property rights.
- As for animals and plants, they are subject to inspection by the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure they comply with sanitary standard
import procedures
- Determine the desired quantity of the target commodity.
- Transport the goods to the designated port in the country of origin in preparation for shipment to Saudi Arabia.
- Ship the goods to the agreed Saudi port.
- After customs clearance, submit documents and pay finance fees for the goods.
- Receive the goods and store them in the warehouse, ready for distribution.
Note： You must be completely transparent in declaring the amount paid to you by the Chinese source and attach all the correct documents required without forgery or tampering, all of which will save you from losing your goods due to legal sanction.
Necessary documentation
When shipping goods from China to Saudi Arabia, have all the necessary documents to import goods into Saudi Arabia.
- The certificate of origin should be certified by the local chamber of commerce and translated into Arabic. The country of origin of the goods should be stated. The certificate of origin is the identification of the goods.
- Saudi Customs Invoice (in triplicate)- Most imported products entering Saudi Arabia (except those with low monetary value) must provide an invoice.
- Bill of Lading: A certified document (in triplicate) that clearly states the country of origin, the name of the carrier, the brand and quantity of the goods, and a clear description of the goods, including weight and value
- Commercial Invoice: This descriptive invoice describes all of the goods and contains the HS code.
- Packing list: This should detail the HS code of the goods to be transferred.
- If the imported goods are forwarded, please provide insurance documents. An Arabic translation must accompany the original documents.
- SASO(Saudi Arabian Standards Organization) Certificate of conformity, issued by a certification body recognized by the country of origin.
The following bodies must stamp all these documents:the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the exporting country”Bilateral” chambers of commerce the Saudi Arabian consulate of the exporting country
Watch for:
- A phytosanitary certificate is required for meat, fruits, vegetables, and seeds.
- In the case of meat, a health certificate from the veterinary department of the exporting country is required, as well as a slaughter certificate issued by the Islamic competent authority of the exporting country, indicating that Islamic rituals slaughtered the meat.
The Chamber of Commerce must sign these documents or The Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Prohibited and restricted items
By sea to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is the world’s 20th largest exporter of goods and 32nd largest import market. Foreign trade accounts for 67% of its gross domestic product (2019). Petroleum products account for most of its exports (78.5% of total exports in 2018).
2019 Saudi Arabia’s exports reached $170 billion, and its imports reached $96.2 billion. Its main customer is China.
($29.1 billion, or 3.3 percent of exports), Japan ($25 billion) and India ($19.4 billion).
Its main suppliers were China ($18.3 billion, or 16.5 percent of imports), the United States ($7.66 billion) and Germany ($7.19 billion).
Import and export procedures are simple and well-organized; sea, land, and air shipping routes and ports are abundant.
Sea transport accounts for about 59.5 percent of Saudi Arabia’s total imports, followed by air transport at 24.8 percent and land transport at 15.7 percent.
Professional ports
Most ports service several classes of vessels, including bulk carriers, bulk cargoes (goods individually packed in bags, boxes, crates, or barrels, sometimes loaded on pallets), containers, ro-ro ships, and passenger ships.
The kingdom has ten ports, four of which overlook the shores of the Persian Gulf and six of which are located on the Red Sea and carry 13% of world trade
Through these ports, and directly connected to all economic, industrial, and commercial activities established in all regions and cities of the Kingdom.
The main port on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
- Jeddah
Jeddah is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest city and a major trading hub located on the Red Sea coast.
Regarding maritime transport, the port of Jeddah is the most important port in Saudi Arabia and one of the most important ports in the world for the transfer of goods from the West to the country’s interior. The city serves as a transit point on the road to India.
Seventy-five percent of the cargo is transported by sea through the port of Jeddah, making it the most important port in the country, with a capacity of 130 million tonnes or 39 ships simultaneously.
- Jazan
The port of Jazan is characterized by its location close to the east-west maritime trade routes between Europe and the Far East, the Persian Gulf, and East Africa. The city of Jizan is connected to the rest of the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia by a modern road network that allows it to serve the southern part of the kingdom. The port of Jazan is a modern port with modern facilities. The port also has eight vessels, including locomotive and service boats.
- King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu
It is a port located in Yanbu province on the Red Sea coast. It is the Red Sea’s largest loading port for crude oil, refined oil products, and petrochemicals. It is dedicated to serving the industrial complex and meeting its needs, exporting crude oil, refined derivatives, and liquid and solid petrochemicals to the international market. The port was built to serve the industrial complex and meet its needs.
It is located on the line between the United States and Europe, mediated by the Suez Canal and accessible to the Far East via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
- Yanbu mercantile Port
One of the oldest ports overlooking the Red Sea, it is located on the east coast, about 460 nautical miles south of the Suez Canal, And 168 nautical miles northwest of the Islamic port of Jeddah.
For the transfer of trade between economically promising areas across the country, the port is connected to a modern overland network that mainly connects the Medina and Mukarama areas of Mecca, making it the most important strategic seaport in these areas.
In 2018, the port handled 45 percent more cargo than the previous year (4 million tons compared to 2.8 million tons).
- Port of Duba
It is located in Dubai in the Tabuk region in the northwestern part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was opened as a link between the northwest region of the kingdom and the global economy.
The port contains geographical elements that support it in attracting cargo destined for the northern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, as well as Iraq, which lies at the far end of the northern coast of the Red Sea.
The port of Duba is the closest Saudi port to an Egyptian port and overlooks the Red Sea. It is also the closest Saudi port to the Suez Canal and
Therefore, the closest port to the countries of the Mediterranean basin and international trade routes in the region.
The main port of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf
- Port Abdulaziz: Dammam
Located on the Persian Gulf, it was built in the late 1940s and is the second-largest port in Saudi Arabia after Jeddah. The King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam is considered the main port of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf. It is the main port through which goods from all over the world are shipped to the eastern and central regions of the kingdom.
The entire port covers 193 million square meters and is connected to Riyadh’s dry port by several highways and railways. It is an important center at the national, regional, and international levels, serving importers and exporters in the field of cargo handling. It provides them with modern logistics services to help them in the shipping industry.
- Ras Al-Khair port
Construction began to be created in 2008, so the port is the last industrial port in Saudi Arabia, and its importance lies in its new industrial zone with diversified production.
It is a Saudi industrial port located in Ras Al-Khair on the Persian Gulf coast in eastern Saudi Arabia, about 80 km from the Saudi industrial city of Jubail.
The port is considered one of the pillars of the Saudi economy, providing support for important programs and projects implemented by the public and private sectors in the Ras al-Khair Industrial Zone.
- King Fahd Industrial Port
King Fahd Industrial Port is located in Jubail, in the eastern part of the kingdom, on the western coast of the Persian Gulf, adjacent to the industrial city of Jubail, 90 km northwest of Dammam. It has 34 berths.
Established in 1974, it imports raw materials for local industry and industrial products such as petrochemicals and refined oil.
- The commercial port of Jubail
It was established in 1977 – all facilities were completed in 1980, and with an area of about 4 million square meters, it is one of the largest projects of its kind;
It is located on the east coast of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, overlooking the Persian Gulf, 80km north of Dammam.
The port has 16 berths: eight general cargo handling berths, Four for bulk cargo handling, and four for container handling. It has equipment such as towing locomotives, navigation boats, mooring boats, and a fleet of warships, which makes it ready to conduct berthing and disembarkation drills safely and without delay in all weather conditions.
Sea freight transit times
How long does it take to get from China to Saudi Arabia? Your shipment time will depend on the location, size, and season. Here is the delivery time estimate sheet:
Sea Freight Rates
Sea freight lets you ship large items at highly competitive costs and reasonable transit times. For regular shipments, this is the most cost-effective.
- Average price of an FCL container from China to Saudi Arabia (peak season): $1500
China to Saudi Arabia container rate: 20ft container
The quoted price (estimate) is the daily freight rate for FCL during peak season from port to port.
The freight rate for CFS from China to Saudi Arabia is 40 feet container.
The quoted price is FCL daily freight from port to port for peak season.
- Average sea freight rate of LCL: $100
Example: Chongqing to Jubail freight: LCL
| Shipping from Chongqing (CNCKG Port) | |
| Shipping to Jubail (SAJUB Port) | 50$ |
Air freight to Saudi Arabia
Generally, air freight is faster than sea freight but costs more.
Major ports
- King Khalid International Airport (ruh)
Located 35 km (22 miles) north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Khalid International Airport was designed in 1983.
The airport covers an area of approximately 225 square kilometers and includes terminal buildings, a mosque, control tower. And has two parallel runs.
Dao’s airport, each 4,200 meters (13,800 feet) long, has a royal Pavilion, an air cargo building, a post office, a private aviation building, ground crossings, aircraft parking, and a shopping mall.
The airport is the gateway to the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a hub for air transport across the country. It was built to serve the international and local air transportation needs of the Riyadh area.
- King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA)
King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) is a facility located 19 km north of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Named after King Abdulaziz Al Saud, the airport is the third largest airport facility in Saudi Arabia.
The airport covers an area of 15 square kilometers. This area includes the airport itself and a royal terminal, Royal Saudi Air Force facilities, and accommodation facilities for airport staff.
- King Fahd International Airport (KIA)
It is located 25 km northwest of Dammam, Saudi Arabia. It is the largest airport in the world by area (780 sq km), larger even than neighboring Bahrain.
On 28 November 1999, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation of Saudi Arabia finallyThe new King Dammam Fahd International Airport opened to commercial traffic, and all airlines moved operations from Dahran Airport, which they had been using until now.
The new Dammam airport serves the entire eastern region of Saudi Arabia.
- Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport
Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport is a regional airport in the western Saudi city of Medina. It is the fourth busiest airport in Saudi Arabia, with 1 million passengers a year, including those heading for the Hajj 378,715 charter passengers. An average of 20 to 25 flights are operated daily.
It is a major hub and operations center for Saudi Arabian Airlines. It is also known as the gateway to Mecca Air,
Saudi Air Cargo is one of the leading companies in the global cargo market. It operates direct flights from China to Saudi Arabia to meet the growing demand for cargo business and facilitate commercial traffic to and from the Asian continent.
Air cargo transfer times
When you have a small amount of cargo that needs to be delivered at the expected speed, consider express delivery.
* Courier is always door-to-door
Air freight rates
The cost of air freight is based on the heavier weight value between gross weight and volumetric weight. The average price for air freight from China to Saudi Arabia is about $500, and the average price for express air freight is
$600
Shipping costs from Shanghai to Dammam
When is it cheapest to ship from China to Saudi Arabia?
Seasonal factors affect freight costs, especially the level of freight for FCL sea and air freight. Factor in the high season in China and Saudi Arabia when shipping.
High season for shipping from China to Saudi Arabia
Freight insurance
Do I need insurance for my shipment from China to Saudi Arabia?
When calculating freight costs, remember to protect yourself if the goods are damaged or lost. You can do this through your freight forwarder.
Dantful offers you tailored commercial insurance that gives buyers a full refund if your goods are stolen, damaged, or lost in transit.
Generally, depending on the type of item, the insurance will cost about 1% to 3% of your commercial invoice price, which is the shipping cost + shipping value you should pay for the item.
