Quick answer
The 12-digit tariff line decides which Saudi approvals your goods need before the customs declaration. Since 1 October 2025 every import needs a SABER shipment certificate; food, cosmetics and medicines go through SFDA instead, and chemicals, petroleum, drones, media and waste each have their own authority. ZATCA's tariff lists the required procedure for every line.
Which approval platforms apply, and what are their official fees?
| Authority and platform | Products | Official fee / time |
|---|---|---|
| SASO via SABER | Every import (shipment certificate); products under a technical regulation (product certificate) | SABER fee SAR 500 + VAT per PCoC; SAR 350 + VAT per SCoC, 1–2 working days |
| SFDA via GHAD and FASEH | Food, supplements, cosmetics, medicines, medical devices, feed | Conventional food registration: no fee; supplements SAR 5,000 per product; medical device MDMA SAR 15,000–23,000 |
| CST rules with the SASO ICT regulation on SABER | Phones, routers, laptops, radios, SIM cards, smartwatches | SABER fees; Type 1a certificate |
| SASO energy-efficiency label | AC, fridges, washers, dryers, water heaters, lighting, motors, tyres, new light vehicles | Registration SAR 500–6,000 depending on the product |
| Ministry of Commerce (on FASAH) | Non-hazardous chemicals imported by merchants | Free, 5 days |
| Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources | Restricted and unrestricted chemicals for industrial entities | Per the MIM service page |
| NCEC environmental clearance | Environmentally impactful materials, ozone-depleting substances | SAR 3,500 up to 20 t + SAR 175 per extra tonne; 10 working days |
| Ministry of Energy | Petroleum products | Free, 10 working days; needs a sector licence |
| MEWA via Naama | Pesticides, fertilisers, seeds and seedlings, animal products, veterinary supplies, live animals, fresh produce | Per service on Naama |
| GACA unmanned aircraft portal | Drones | Registered and approved on the portal before customs release |
| NRRC | Radioactive sources and listed dual-use items | Import licence free, 5–10 working days; needs a practice licence |
| General Authority for Media Regulation | Publications, media devices, films | Publications free; devices 1 day, free; film licence SAR 30,000, classification SAR 2,000 |
| MWAN (National Center for Waste Management) | Waste, scrap and used equipment classed as waste | Licence on the MWAN permits platform; fees not published |
| General Food Security Authority | Wheat and barley (staples) | Import qualification |
Restricted goods are released once the competent authority issues its clearance through ZATCA's e-service (free). Checked 13–15 October 2026.
Detailed guides by authority
SFDA: food, cosmetics, medicines, medical devices
GHAD registration, FASEH release, MDMA fees and the licensed-warehouse rule.
Telecom and IT devices (CST)
The SASO ICT regulation on SABER, the COC-CST route and the CST rules that still apply.
Energy-efficiency label
Which appliances need it, the SASO standards and SASO's registration fees.
Chemicals and petroleum
Ministry of Commerce, MIM, NCEC and Ministry of Energy permits, with fees and times.
SABER certificate routes
PCoC, SCoC, Quality Mark, IECEE, SASOEX and metrology, by tariff line.
How does an approval reach your customs declaration?
- 1
Tariff line
The 12-digit line in ZATCA's Integrated Tariff names the required procedure and the authority.
- 2
Approval holder
Most approvals are issued to a Saudi entity: the importer, the manufacturer's authorised representative or the licensed establishment. Without a Saudi company, an Importer of Record holds the import side.
- 3
Linked to FASAH
SABER, SFDA's FASEH and the Ministry of Commerce permit are linked to FASAH, so the approval is visible on the declaration.
- 4
Declaration and release
We lodge the FASAH declaration at least 48 hours before arrival and clear as a licensed customs broker.
We read the 12-digit tariff line to confirm which approvals apply, prepare the file with you, and clear once the approval is on FASAH.
Sources
- ZATCA Integrated Tariffs (12-digit lines)
- ZATCA e-service: release of restricted goods
- SABER HS-code list by technical regulation
- SABER FAQs (PCoC SABER fee SAR 500)
- SABER: shipment certificate (SAR 350 SABER fee, 90 days)
- Saudi Press Agency: SABER shipment certificate before every import declaration from 1 Oct 2025
- SFDA GHAD unified system
- SFDA electronic clearance (FASEH)
- SFDA: medical device marketing authorisation fees
- SASO Technical Regulation for Communications and IT Devices (PDF)
- SASO energy-efficiency products services cost (PDF, read 15 Oct 2026)
- Ministry of Commerce: chemicals import permit
- MIM: restricted chemical imports permit
- NCEC: environmental clearance e-service
- Ministry of Energy: petroleum products permit
- MEWA Naama platform
- GACA: unmanned aircraft (drone) portal
- NRRC: licence for importing radioactive sources
- General Authority for Media Regulation: services
- MWAN (National Center for Waste Management): services
- General Food Security Authority
Official government pages, read 13 October 2026; SABER fees, SASO energy-label fees, the GACA portal and ZATCA e-services re-checked 15 October 2026. Your tariff line decides which rows apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
QHow do I know which approvals my product needs?
From its 12-digit tariff line. ZATCA's Integrated Tariff lists the required procedures for each line; send us the HS code and description and we confirm them before you ship.
QDoes every import need SABER?
Since 1 October 2025 every commercial import needs a SABER shipment certificate before the declaration, regulated or not. Products under SFDA, such as food and cosmetics, follow SFDA's own release instead of a SABER product certificate.
QWho must hold the approval?
Usually a Saudi entity: the importer, the licensed establishment or the manufacturer's authorised representative, depending on the authority. Without a Saudi company, our Importer of Record service puts Safe Hands on the declaration as the importer.
QCan an approval be obtained after the goods arrive?
The declaration is filed before arrival at Saudi seaports, so the approval should exist before the vessel sails. Where it does not, the container waits at the port while demurrage and storage run until the approval is issued.
QAre government fees included in your quote?
The Customs Clearance Quote shows the official fees where the authority publishes them, such as SABER's fees, and lists the other approvals per tariff line.
QDo drones need a separate approval?
Yes. The drone is registered and approved on GACA's unmanned aircraft portal before customs release, and its radio part follows SABER.
QWhich goods need MEWA?
Agricultural pesticides, fertilisers, seeds and seedlings, animal products, veterinary supplies, live animals and fresh produce, through MEWA's Naama platform.
QHow do I authorise you to clear for my company?
Through ZATCA's free Customs Broker Authorization e-service on your activated FASAH account, for import, export or both, for the duration you set.
QDo the same approvals apply to air and land shipments?
Yes. Approvals follow the tariff line, not the transport mode, and FASAH's 24-hour clearance programme covers sea, land and air.
Our credentials
- Licensed customs broker
- ZATCA customs clearance
- TGA Freight Forwarder & Broker Licence
- 42/00008120
- ISO certification
- ISO 9001:2015 AMER300621 · ISO 45001:2018 AMER300622
- Verify · Certification body's certificate check
- Head office · Warehouse
- 7273 Fatimah Al Zahraa Rd, Riyadh 12837 · Al Sulay industrial district, Riyadh
Safe Hands Shipping Line is the trade name of شركة الايدي الامينة (Al Aidi Al Amina Company). All credentials →
Send the HS code and we list your approvals
Have a Saudi CR: start with the Customs Clearance Quote. No Saudi company: the Importer of Record (IOR) Quote.