A consignment into Saudi Arabia is processed through the national single window, FASAH, which connects importers, brokers, carriers and the regulatory agencies involved in the clearance of goods. It is operated by the tax and customs authority, and it is the point at which the customs declaration and the related approvals come together.

The importer's side

The importer has to be registered for customs purposes, and the consignment has to be declared. An importer may access the single window directly or appoint a licensed customs broker to submit on its behalf; where the importer has no presence or registration in the country, a broker is the usual route.

Where the goods attract a conformity requirement, the approval for that sits alongside the declaration rather than instead of it. A consignment can be complete on customs documents and still be held because a product approval has not been obtained, which is why the two are prepared together.

The shipment documents

  • Commercial invoice, matching the goods as described for customs purposes.
  • Packing list, consistent with the invoice.
  • Bill of lading or air waybill.
  • Certificate of origin, where origin affects the treatment of the goods.
  • Conformity documentation for the product and the shipment, where the goods are in a covered category.

Consistency across the set matters more than completeness of any single document. The description of the goods on the invoice, on the transport document and on the declaration is checked against each other, and a difference between them is a delay even where each document is individually correct.

Regional framework, national administration

Saudi Arabia applies the common external tariff of the Gulf Cooperation Council, but national clearance and conformity requirements are administered separately. They are not interchangeable with those of other member states, and a consignment cleared in one member state is not thereby cleared in Saudi Arabia.

What to state in your enquiry

Give the product description and its intended use, the importer, the shipment timing, and any conformity documentation you already hold. Those four things decide what can still be arranged and in what order.

TCSA reviews the requirement and confirms what is possible, who would carry it out and at what rate before anything is commissioned. Coverage for Saudi Arabia is confirmed with your enquiry rather than assumed.