SABER in one minute
Every commercial shipment into Saudi Arabia needs a shipment certificate (SCoC) issued on SABER. If your product falls under a SASO technical regulation, it also needs a product certificate (PCoC) first. Products outside any technical regulation go through product registration and an importer self-declaration instead. The 12-digit HS code of your product decides which route applies.
We handle your SABER registration and certification end to end: we read your HS line, register the products, manage the certificate applications with a SASO-accepted conformity body, issue the shipment certificate for each consignment and link it to the customs declaration.
PCoC and SCoC: the two SABER certificates
Official SABER and SASO figures, checked 10 Oct 2026.
| Product certificate (PCoC) | Needed for products under a SASO technical regulation. Issued by the conformity body you select and registered on SABER. Valid for one year; SABER fee SAR 500 excluding VAT. (SASO service catalogue (PCoC fee and validity)) |
| Shipment certificate (SCoC) | Issued per shipment for imported commercial products in 1–2 working days. Valid for 90 days; SABER fee SAR 350 excluding VAT. (SABER: shipment certificate for imported commercial products) |
| Non-regulated products | No technical regulation applies: product registration, then an importer self-declaration with a pledge, then the shipment certificate for each shipment. (SABER: non-regulated products) |
| Foreign certificates | Conformity certificates from bodies outside the Kingdom count only if the issuing body is on SASO's accepted list. (SABER FAQs) |
| Link to customs | SABER is linked to FASAH, ZATCA's customs platform; SASO set the link to be complete on 1 Jul 2020. (SABER platform (SASO)) |
Conformity-body testing and audit fees are separate; we quote them per HS code.
Is your product regulated?
The 12-digit tariff line decides. Its "Required Procedures" in the ZATCA Integrated Tariff name the approval the goods need, and SABER publishes its HS-code list by technical regulation.
- Regulated (PCoC + SCoC): products under a SASO technical regulation, such as communications and IT devices, which need a Type 1a certificate (ISO/IEC 17067) from a SASO-accepted body plus a technical file.
- Non-regulated (registration + self-declaration + SCoC): products outside every technical regulation.
- Not SABER at all: food is cleared by SFDA, and cosmetics need SFDA registration and SFDA clearance before arrival.
- A CE, UKCA or UL mark is not a SABER certificate. Regulated products still need a PCoC from a SASO-accepted conformity body; your existing test reports may reduce the testing needed.
Sources: ZATCA Integrated Tariff; SABER HS-code list; SASO Communications and IT Devices regulation (Art 6); SFDA food clearance requirements; SABER FAQs. Checked 10 Oct 2026.
New from 1 October 2026: supplier name and CR on the product
Under a SASO circular based on the Product Safety Law, products under ten technical regulations must carry the supplier's name (the importer or local manufacturer) and its commercial registration number from 1 October 2026: LPG tankers, watercraft, tanks, trailers and semi-trailers, electric self-balancing boards, simple pressure vessels, child restraint systems and strollers, hydraulic connections (Building Materials Part 3), solar PV systems and electric lifts. SASO checks compliance through SABER data.
When Safe Hands is your Importer of Record, it is our name and CR that go on the product, so the label is planned with your factory before loading.
What your supplier sends us
For a regulated product (the exact technical file depends on the regulation):
- Test reports to the regulation's standards, from an ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory
- The supplier's declaration of conformity and the technical file
- Label images and product photos, and the list of models
- The supplier's HS code with a full product description
- For each shipment: invoice number, date, value, currency, supplier, models and quantities
Who holds the SABER account?
SABER says the party that must register is the importer or manufacturer holding a Saudi commercial registration, or the local factory. A foreign exporter therefore cannot hold the account. When Safe Hands is your Importer of Record, the account and certificates sit with us as the importer named on the customs declaration. When you import under your own Saudi CR, the account is yours and we handle the SABER work on it for you.
Why SABER timing matters at the port
Since 29 October 2025, the manifest and customs declaration must be filed before goods arrive at Saudi seaports. A shipment without its SCoC cannot complete that declaration, and the container waits at the port while carrier demurrage and storage charges run. We prepare the SABER certificates before the vessel sails, so the declaration is ready on arrival.
Sources
- SABER platform (SASO)
- SABER FAQs
- SABER services
- SABER: shipment certificate for imported commercial products
- SABER: non-regulated products
- SASO service catalogue (PCoC fee and validity)
- SABER HS-code list by technical regulation
- ZATCA Integrated Tariff search
- SASO circular: supplier name and CR on the product
- SASO Technical Regulation for Communications and IT Devices
- ZATCA: mandatory pre-arrival customs declaration (from 29 Oct 2025)
- SFDA: food clearance requirements
Official SABER, SASO, ZATCA and SFDA pages, checked 10 October 2026. The requirements for your product are confirmed when we review your HS code.
Frequently Asked Questions
QDo you issue SABER certificates?
We handle your SABER registration and certification end to end: product registration, the PCoC application with a SASO-accepted conformity body, and the shipment certificate for each consignment, linked to your customs declaration.
QWhat is the difference between a PCoC and an SCoC?
The PCoC certifies the product against its technical regulation and is valid for one year. The SCoC covers one shipment, is issued in 1–2 working days and is valid for 90 days.
QHow do I know if my product needs a PCoC?
From its 12-digit HS code: the tariff line's required procedures and SABER's HS-code list show whether a technical regulation applies. Send us the HS code and description and we confirm the route before you ship.
QMy product has CE marking. Is that enough?
No. A CE, UKCA or UL mark is not a SABER certificate. A regulated product still needs a PCoC from a SASO-accepted conformity body, although your existing test reports may reduce the testing needed.
QCan a foreign exporter open a SABER account?
No. SABER registration is for importers and manufacturers holding a Saudi commercial registration and for local factories. As your Importer of Record, Safe Hands holds the account as the importer named on the customs declaration.
QWhat does SABER cost?
SABER's own fees are SAR 500 for a PCoC (valid one year) and SAR 350 for each SCoC, excluding VAT. Conformity-body testing and audit fees are separate; we quote them per HS code, and the Customs Clearance Quote shows the SABER fees for your lines.
QHow long does a PCoC take?
SABER issues the certificate as soon as the requirements are complete. The testing and audit before that vary by product and conformity body, so we give you a date once we see your HS code and test reports.
QDoes the SCoC cover more than one shipment?
The SCoC is issued per shipment and is valid for 90 days. We issue one for each consignment and link it to that customs declaration.
QAre food and cosmetics registered on SABER?
No. Food is cleared by SFDA, and cosmetics need SFDA registration and SFDA clearance before arrival. Pharmaceutical and medical products are handled with an SFDA-licensed partner.
QDo wireless devices need a separate CST approval?
Under SASO's Communications and IT Devices regulation, wireless and IT devices are certified through SABER with a Type 1a certificate from a SASO-accepted body and a technical file listing the radio bands and maximum power.
QWhat changes on 1 October 2026?
Products under ten SASO technical regulations must carry the supplier's name and commercial registration number. When we are your Importer of Record, that is our name and CR, so we agree the label with your factory before loading.
QI have a Saudi CR. Can you still handle SABER for me?
Yes. The SABER account stays in your name and we handle the registration and certificates on it, then clear the shipment as a licensed customs broker. Start with the Customs Clearance Quote.
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 →
Tell us the HS code and we map your SABER route
Have a Saudi CR: start with the Customs Clearance Quote. No Saudi company: the Importer of Record (IOR) Quote.