Moving to Saudi Arabia: customs & restricted-goods checklist

Saudi Arabia exempts used personal effects and household goods of people arriving to take up residence under the GCC Common Customs Law — but only with a residence visa or iqama, only for goods that are genuinely used and in household quantities, and only after a risk-based inspection by ZATCA. Answer five questions to see whether your shipment qualifies, then check every item against the prohibited and restricted lists of ZATCA, the SFDA and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture before you pack.

Import customs declaration lodged through the Fasah platform by your licensed Saudi customs broker — there is no separate personal-effects form · Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) + Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) — live animals, pets, plants, seeds and soil; Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) — food, medicines and cosmetics · last reviewed 15 October 2026 against the official sources below

1. Do my goods clear duty-free? (Exemption of personal effects and used household items (GCC Common Customs Law, Article 103(a); Unified Guide procedure 050401))

What is taxed and what is not

• Qualifying used personal effects and household goods: no customs duty, and no import VAT either — ZATCA's import VAT guideline lists goods exempt under the Common Customs Law as personal luggage and used household items of citizens residing abroad and foreigners arriving to reside for the first time among the imports exempt from VAT.
• New goods, goods in commercial quantities, and anything customs refuses to treat as used household effects: customs duty at the tariff rate for each item — 5 % of the CIF value (cost + insurance + freight) for most goods under the GCC common external tariff, higher for some — plus 15 % VAT on the customs value including duty and any excise tax. VAT at 15 % applies to every other import, even goods that are duty-free or at a 0 % duty rate.
• Alcohol: prohibited, no rate applies — it is seized and prosecuted. Tobacco: dutiable and taxed; the 400-cigarette exemption applies only to passengers' accompanied luggage, never to a shipment.
• Fees: ZATCA's restricted-goods clearance service is free, but your customs broker, the port terminal and any container moves for inspection are billed separately, and a container waiting for a late visa pays port storage. A non-compliant used car (over five model years or failing the SASO efficiency standard) pays a vehicle import fee of 20–50 % of its value, minimum SAR 20,000.

2. Can I ship it? — MEWA / SFDA item checker

Saudi Arabia has no quarantine regime for furniture or wood like Australia's, but two authorities control everything that is living, edible or medicinal. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) controls live animals, pets, plants, seeds and soil: pets travel under a separate MEWA import permit, never in the container, and agricultural seeds and live animals need special approval. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) controls food, medicines, herbal products and cosmetics — unregistered pills, creams, herbs and lotions are prohibited, and personal quantities are capped. Everything else on the restricted list — publications, religious items, wireless devices, drones, weapons — is held until the controlling authority approves it, and alcohol, pork and narcotics are prohibited outright.

How to pack so you clear inspection first time

1. Get the residence visa or iqama first. The declaration is lodged against a copy of your passport with the residence visa or your iqama — time the sailing so it exists before the container reaches Jeddah Islamic Port or King Abdulaziz Port, Dammam.
2. Ship everything in the name of the person who holds the visa, from the country you lived in. Goods in another name or from a third country fall outside the exemption.
3. Write a full, box-by-box packing list in English with materials and quantities — ZATCA inspects on risk criteria before granting the exemption. No "misc".
4. Separate the new items. List anything new or boxed on its own page with the commercial invoices; it is charged duty plus 15 % VAT while the used goods clear free.
5. Leave out the prohibited list entirely: alcohol, pork, drugs, religious statues, weapons, obscene material, unregistered medicines, used tyres. Carry medicines with you with the prescription, and obtain the SFDA permit in advance for any controlled medicine.
6. Register on Fasah and delegate your licensed Saudi customs broker before the goods arrive, and give the broker signed authorisation so the declaration and permits for any restricted item (CST, GACA, SFDA, MEWA) can be lodged on arrival.

Penalties and costs

• Smuggling under Article 142 of the GCC Common Customs Law includes bringing in goods without paying the duty due or in breach of a prohibition or restriction. For dutiable goods, Article 145 sets a fine of at least double the duties payable up to the value of the goods (up to double the value for high-duty goods) and/or one month to one year in prison.
• For prohibited goods, Article 145 sets a fine of one to three times the goods' value and/or six months to three years in prison, plus confiscation of the goods (or a fine equal to their value if not seized). The penalty may be doubled for a repeat offence, and ZATCA refers undeclared prohibited goods to the customs court.
• Alcohol and drugs are prosecuted under Saudi criminal law, not just customs law: brewing, possessing or selling alcohol carries severe penalties including prison; drug possession can bring up to five years' prison and a SAR 30,000 fine, and dealing or smuggling can carry a death sentence.
• Medicines beyond the personal allowance are not cleared and are destroyed under customs procedures; unregistered health products are seized. A non-compliant used car pays a vehicle import fee of 20–50 % of its value, minimum SAR 20,000, under Ministerial Resolution 335.

Fees and penalty amounts are revised regularly — confirm current figures on the official pages below before you ship.

FAQ

Read next

• Moving to Riyadh from Abroad (2026): Complete Relocation Guide
• Moving from the UK to Saudi Arabia (2026): Complete Guide
• Moving from Germany to Saudi Arabia (2026): Complete Guide
• Moving inventory list template — free PDF, Word and Excel
• Moving Guides — Saudi Arabia
• Moving volume calculator — how many m³ is your move?
• Keep, sell or ship? — is it worth moving your furniture abroad?
• Moving inventory list template (PDF, Word, Excel)

Official sources

• GCC Secretariat General — Common Customs Law of the GCC States (Articles 60, 103, 142 and 145; Rules of Implementation Articles 19–21)
• GCC Secretariat General — Unified Guide for Customs Procedures at First Points of Entry, procedure 050401 Exemption of personal effects and used household items
• ZATCA — Guideline on Imports and Exports under VAT Provision (15 % import VAT; VAT exemption for personal luggage and used household items exempt under the Common Customs Law)
• ZATCA — Personal Importation (Fasah registration, customs broker, non-commercial quantities, documents)
• ZATCA — Restricted or Prohibited Goods (travellers' prohibited list, laser pens)
• ZATCA — Vehicle Import Controls (five-model-year rule, SASO efficiency certificate, residents' limits, vehicle import fee, prohibited vehicles)
• ZATCA — Restricted Goods Clearance e-service (permits issued by competent government entities; free)
• ZATCA — Declaration (Article 60; undeclared prohibited goods referred to the customs court; penalties doubled on repetition)
• ZATCA — Guidelines for Travellers: disclosure of restricted materials needing approval (medicines, drones) and tobacco
• ZATCA — FAQ: conditions for exempting travellers from customs duties (SAR 3,000); remote-control aircraft need GACA clearance; residents may not import transport vehicles
• ZATCA — News: Regulating Controls for Customs Procedures (exemption rules for personal luggage and used home appliances)
• SFDA — Conditions and Requirements for the Clearance or Exportation of Individuals for Personal Use (3-month supply, prescription under 6 months, 30-day controlled drugs, cosmetics 20 packs / 15 kg, veterinary 15 packs)
• SFDA — Traveller's Permit for Controlled Drugs via the Controlled Drugs System (CDS)
• MEWA — Pet import procedures (Anaam platform, permit valid 30 days, microchip, rabies vaccination validity, health certificate)
• MEWA — Pet Import Request e-service
• my.gov.sa — Import Fierce Animals Permit (Dogs)
• GACA — FAQs (drone licensing, operation and customs clearance via the UAS portal)
• GACA — Volume 18 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (security clearance from GACA Aviation Security before importing a UAS)
• GACA — GACAR Part 48 Registration and Marking Requirements for Unmanned Aircraft (250 g / sensor thresholds)
• CST — Regulations for Licensing of Telecommunications and Information Technology Equipment (Decision 532/1445: import, clearance and conformity certificate)
• SASO — Imported car registration request (used-vehicle requirements)
• UK FCDO — Saudi Arabia travel advice: entry requirements (banned and restricted imports, items needing special approval or a licence)
• UK FCDO — Saudi Arabia travel advice: safety and security (alcohol, drug and religious-material penalties)

This checker summarises public rules as at the review date for planning purposes. Customs and biosecurity decisions are made by the officers on arrival; your Flyto coordinator confirms the current conditions for your visa and shipment.