Ocean & Air Freight Shipping to Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s oil-based economy not only exports petroleum products but also imports goods actively. The largest economy in the Middle East is the 32nd-largest import market in the world. In 2018, imports of goods amounted to $137 billion (USD), with China, the USA, the UAE, Germany, and India being the primary importers.

If you are planning to engage in ocean and air shipping to Saudi Arabia, you’ve landed on the right page. You will find useful information here about different modes and methods of shipping, costs, transit times, customs clearance, and much more.

What Are Your Options for Shipping Freight to Saudi Arabia?

Your commercial goods can enter Saudi Arabia either via air or sea. You will learn about the benefits and drawbacks of each option here.

Ocean Freight to Saudi Arabia

Less than Container Load (LCL): LCL shipping is a great option when you don’t want to hire a container to ship your freight to Saudi Arabia. LCL means that your cargo will travel alongside the consignments of other shippers in a shared container. For transporting small, light shipments, LCL is often the least-expensive option.

Full Container Load (FCL): FCL means renting a full container and paying for its transportation to Saudi Arabia at a flat rate. This is the right option if you prefer that your cargo remains sealed in the unit until it reaches the final recipient. For large freight consignments, FCL shipping will probably offer the best rates.

Air Freight to Saudi Arabia

Air freight is by far the fastest way of getting your goods to Saudi Arabia, even if your cargo can’t won’t travel on a direct flight. However, it is also likely to be the most expensive option.

How Much Does it Cost to Ship Cargo to Saudi Arabia?

There’s no quick answer to this question as the final cost depends on several criteria. Your freight forwarder will prepare a quote for your ocean and air shipping needs based on the factors below:

• Nature of goods
• Chosen mode of transport (FCL, LCL, Air)
• Weight of the cargo
• Dimension of the cargo
• Distance between origin and destination
• Type of service (such as port-to-port, door-to-door)

One of the factors that has a large effect on the final price is the weight of your goods. Ocean freight is usually the cheapest option for cargo weighing 100 kg or more. But if you are transporting smaller consignments of less than 100 kg, there may be little difference between the cost of ocean and air shipping.

Anything lighter than 35 kg typically won’t be handled by a freight forwarder such as Shipa Freight. You can appoint an international courier service to move these consignments instead.

How Long Does it Take to Ship Cargo to Saudi Arabia?

The ocean port or airport of origin will affect your expected transit times. Air freight from a major international airport anywhere in the world can be ready for collection or onward transportation from the airport in Saudi Arabia in two to eight days. Sea freight will take longer than that—usually between three and 50 days.

How Long Does It Take to Ship Cargo by Sea to Saudi Arabia?

Below you can see how long a shipping container from various locations around the world would take to reach Saudi Arabia:

Country of Origin	Port of Origin	Destination Port	Transit Time LCL	Transit Time FCL
Belgium	Antwerpen	Jeddah	18 Days	19 Days
Canada	Toronto	Jeddah	50 Days
China	Shanghai	Ad Dammam	31 Days	30 Days
China	Shanghai	Jeddah	36 Days
China	Guangzhou	Ad Dammam	42 Days	20 Days
China	Guangzhou	Jeddah	40 Days	36 Days
China	Qingdao	Jeddah	36 Days
China	Tianjin	Ad Dammam	40 Days
China	Xiamen	Ad Dammam	34 Days
China	Huangpu	Jeddah	20 Days
China	Huangpu	Ad Dammam	20 Days
China	Shenzhen	Jeddah	36 Days
Egypt	Sokhna	Jeddah	16 Days
Germany	Hamburg	Ad Dammam	40 Days	29 Days
Germany	Hamburg	Jeddah	26 Days	20 Days
India	Chennai	Ad Dammam	33 Days	24 Days
India	Chennai	Jeddah	22 Days	28 Days
India	Cochin	Jeddah	25 Days	25 Days
India	Cochin	Ad Dammam	23 Days
India	Mundra	Ad Dammam	26 Days
India	Mundra	Jeddah	23 Days
India	Nhava Sheva	Jeddah	18 Days	22 Days
India	Nhava Sheva	Ad Dammam	26 Days	21 Days
India	Kolkata	Jeddah	26 Days	30 Days
India	Kattupalli	Ad Dammam	31 Days
India	Tuticorin	Ad Dammam	23 Days
India	Tuticorin	Jeddah	22 Days
India	Visakhapatnam	Ad Dammam	28 Days
Indonesia	Jakarta	Ad Dammam	19 Days
Indonesia	Jakarta	Jeddah	31 Days
Indonesia	Semarang	Ad Dammam	26 Days
Indonesia	Semarang	Jeddah	26 Days
Italy	La Spezia	Jeddah	22 Days
Italy	Ancona	Jeddah	12 Days
Italy	Genoa	Jeddah	9 Days
Italy	Naples	Jeddah	31 Days
Italy	Venice	Jeddah	14 Days
Japan	kobe	Ad Dammam	34 Days
Jordan	Al 'Aqabah	Jeddah	3 Days
Kenya	Mombasa	Jeddah	21 Days
Malaysia	Port Klang	Jeddah	36 Days	26 Days
Malaysia	Port Klang	Ad Dammam	26 Days
Netherlands	Rotterdam	Jeddah	20 Days
Netherlands	Rotterdam	Ad Dammam	27 Days
Norway	Oslo	Ad Dammam	53 Days
Philippines	Manila	Jeddah	41 Days	27 Days
Singapore	Singapore	Jeddah	21 Days
Spain	Barcelona	Jeddah	14 Days
Spain	Bilbao	Ad Dammam	30 Days
Spain	Valencia	Ad Dammam	23 Days
Sweden	Gothenburg	Jeddah	22 Days
Sweden	Norrkoping	Jeddah	25 Days
Turkey	Izmir	Jeddah	37 Days
UAE	Jebel Ali	Jeddah	13 Days
UAE	Jebel Ali	Ad Dammam	6 Days
UK	Felixstowe	Jeddah	22 Days
UK	Felixstowe	Ad Dammam	33 Days
UK	London Gateway	Jeddah	20 Days
UK	London Gateway	Ad Dammam	32 Days
UK	Southampton	Ad Dammam	30 Days
UK	Liverpool	Jeddah	31 Days
USA	Long Beach	Jeddah	45 Days
USA	Atlanta	Ad Dammam	35 Days
USA	Atlanta	Jeddah	41 Days
USA	Chicago	Ad Dammam	42 Days
USA	Miami	Ad Dammam	41 Days
USA	Miami	Jeddah	32 Days
USA	New York	Jeddah	36 Days
Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	Jeddah	25 Days

How Long Does It Take to Ship Cargo by Air to Saudi Arabia?

The examples below show the transit times for air shipments to Saudi Arabia from several major international airports:

Country of Origin	Airport of Origin	Destination Airport	Transit Time
Australia	Perth	Riyadh	8 Days
Brazil	São Paulo	Riyadh	5 Days
Canada	Toronto	Jeddah	4 Days
China	Shanghai	Jeddah	6 Days
China	Shanghai	Riyadh	3 Days
China	Beijing	Riyadh	6 Days
China	Beijing	Jeddah	6 Days
China	Beijing	Dammam	6 Days
China	Guangzhou	Riyadh	8 Days
China	Guangzhou	Jeddah	8 Days
China	Guangzhou	Dammam	8 Days
China	Chengdu	Riyadh	9 Days
China	Chengdu	Jeddah	9 Days
China	Chengdu	Dammam	9 Days
China	Shenzhen	Riyadh	8 Days
China	Shenzhen	Jeddah	8 Days
China	Shenzhen	Dammam	8 Days
China	Qingdao	Jeddah	8 Days
Colombia	Bogota	Riyadh	6 Days
Colombia	Bogota	Jeddah	6 Days
France	Paris	Jeddah	8 Days
France	Paris	Dammam	8 Days
France	Paris	Riyadh	8 Days
Germany	Frankfurt	Dammam	4 Days
Germany	Frankfurt	Riyadh	4 Days
Germany	Frankfurt	Jeddah	4 Days
Germany	Leipzig	Dammam	4 Days
Germany	Leipzig	Riyadh	4 Days
Germany	Leipzig	Jeddah	4 Days
Germany	Dusseldorf	Riyadh	5 Days
Germany	Stuttgart	Jeddah	5 Days
Germany	Berlin	Jeddah	4 Days
Germany	Hamburg	Riyadh	5 Days
Germany	Hamburg	Jeddah	5 Days
Germany	Hamburg	Dammam	5 Days
India	Delhi	Jeddah	5 Days
India	Delhi	Dammam	3 Days
India	Delhi	Riyadh	3 Days
India	Bangalore	Dammam	6 Days
India	Cochin	Jeddah	8 Days
India	Cochin	Riyadh	3 Days
India	Chennai	Dammam	8 Days
India	Chennai	Riyadh	8 Days
India	Hyderabad	Jeddah	8 Days
India	Hyderabad	Riyadh	8 Days
India	Kolkata	Jeddah	3 Days
India	Mumbai	Dammam	6 Days
India	Mumbai	Jeddah	6 Days
India	Mumbai	Riyadh	6 Days
Indonesia	Jakarta	Dammam	4 Days
Indonesia	Surabaya	Jeddah	3 Days
Italy	Rome	Riyadh	3 Days
Italy	Milan	Dammam	4 Days
Italy	Milan	Riyadh	4 Days
Italy	Milan	Jeddah	4 Days
Japan	Tokyo	Dammam	5 Days
Japan	Tokyo	Riyadh	5 Days
Japan	Tokyo	Jeddah	5 Days
Japan	Osaka	Dammam	5 Days
Japan	Osaka	Riyadh	5 Days
Japan	Osaka	Jeddah	5 Days
Jordan	Amman	Riyadh	2 Days
Netherlands	Amsterdam	Jeddah	5 Days
Netherlands	Amsterdam	Riyadh	5 Days
Netherlands	Amsterdam	Dammam	5 Days
Norway	Oslo	Dammam	3 Days
South Korea	Seoul	Jeddah	3 Days
South Korea	Seoul	Riyadh	3 Days
Spain	Madrid	Dammam	3 Days
Philippines	Manila	Jeddah	2 Days
Philippines	Manila	Riyadh	2 Days
Philippines	Manila	Dammam	3 Days
Spain	Madrid	Dammam	3 Days
Taiwan	Taipei	Jeddah	3 Days
Taiwan	Taipei	Riyadh	3 Days
Taiwan	Taipei	Dammam	3 Days
Turkey	Istanbul	Jeddah	4 Days
Thailand	Bangkok	Riyadh	3 Days
Thailand	Bangkok	Dammam	3 Days
Thailand	Bangkok	Jeddah	3 Days
UAE	Dubai	Dammam	3 Days
UAE	Dubai	Riyadh	6 Days
UAE	Dubai	Jeddah	6 Days
UAE	Abu Dhabi	Riyadh	2 Days
UAE	Abu Dhabi	Jeddah	2 Days
UAE	Abu Dhabi	Dammam	2 Days
UK	London	Riyadh	4 Days
UK	London	Jeddah	2 Days
UK	London	Dammam	8 Days
UK	Manchester	Riyadh	3 Days
USA	Los Angeles	Jeddah	5 Days
USA	Atlanta	Dammam	5 Days
USA	Atlanta	Jeddah	5 Days
USA	Atlanta	Riyadh	5 Days
USA	Chicago	Dammam	5 Days
USA	Chicago	Jeddah	5 Days
USA	Chicago	Riyadh	5 Days
USA	New York	Dammam	5 Days
USA	New York	Jeddah	5 Days
USA	New York	Riyadh	5 Days
USA	Dallas	Dammam	5 Days
USA	Dallas	Jeddah	5 Days
USA	Dallas	Riyadh	5 Days
USA	Houston	Riyadh	1 Day
USA	Houston	Dammam	5 Days
USA	Los Angeles	Jeddah	6 Days
USA	Los Angeles	Riyadh	6 Days
USA	Miami	Dammam	5 Days
USA	Miami	Jeddah	6 Days
USA	Miami	Riyadh	5 Days
USA	San Francisco	Dammam	7 Days
USA	Cincinnati	Dammam	5 Days
USA	Cincinnati	Riyadh	5 Days
Vietnam	Hanoi	Dammam	4 days
Vietnam	Hanoi	Jeddah	4 Days
Vietnam	Hanoi	Riyadh	5 Days

Import Customs Clearance in Saudi Arabia

Customs clearance is compulsory for all imports of commercial goods into Saudi Arabia. This can be a complex process that shouldn’t be underestimated. To avoid unnecessary delays and issues, many businesses choose to engage a seasoned freight forwarder for this task.

When experts handle customs clearance, they also guarantee that your freight complies with Saudi Arabian customs rules.

Still, you have to prepare and submit the required paperwork, even if you rely on a freight forwarder. Saudi Arabian customs officials will, as a minimum, request the following documents:

1. Commercial Invoice

2. Packing List

3. Certificate of Origin

4. Letter of Credit or other payment terms (depends on the contract between the parties involved)

5. Bill of Lading for ocean freight or Airway Bill for air freight (Shipa Freight will provide this for you)

Sometimes certificates, permits, licenses, and other documents might be requested to finalize customs clearance. Your freight forwarder will inform you about the precise requirements as necessary.

If you are curious to learn more about these documents and view some examples, take a look at our documents list.

Ship Ocean Freight to Saudi Arabia: FCL or LCL?

Choosing ocean freight means that your goods will travel aboard a specialized cargo vessel to Saudi Arabia. Most cargo can be stored inside standard 20ft or 40ft containers. However, if your freight doesn’t fit, your freight forwarder or carrier can provide other container types or break-bulk shipping options.

There are two ways of standard containerized shipping to Saudi Arabia: LCL and FCL. You can book either option as a door-to-door or port-to-port service. Which one you ultimately choose will depend on the weight, volume, and nature of your goods.

Less Than Container Load (LCL) Shipping to Saudi Arabia

LCL shipping is probably right for you if:

• You are looking for a cheap way to move relatively small shipments to Saudi Arabia.
• You don’t require the freight to reach Saudi Arabia urgently.
• The nature of your goods doesn’t prevent them from sharing a container.
• Your freight is unsuitable to ship as air freight.

Before you decide on LCL, you also need to know about its drawbacks. This mode of transport involves additional process steps, which usually lengthen the overall transit time and make the delivery date less reliable.

Specifically, these extra steps are the consolidation of the cargo into one container at the port of origin and the subsequent deconsolidation at the port of arrival in Saudi Arabia. That’s why LCL might not be the right choice for shipping to Saudi Arabia if:

• Your goods are high-value, fragile, or have a very limited shelf-life.
• Moving your goods excessively could damage them.
• Delays are not acceptable because your cargo is needed in Saudi Arabia on a certain date.
• Your consignment is very large and/or heavy.

Learn more about Less than Container Load on our dedicated page on LCL shipping.

Full Container Load (FCL) Shipping to Saudi Arabia

FCL is a viable option if:

• You need your goods to reach Saudi Arabia by a specific date.
• Your shipment is large enough to fill at least half the capacity of a standard 20ft container.
• Your cargo is very heavy or delicate.
• You want your products sealed in a container until they reach the consignee in Saudi Arabia.

Learn more about Full Container Load on our dedicated page on FCL shipping.

Cargo Ports of Arrival in Saudi Arabia

Jeddah

Port Facts:

• Located on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia.
• Second-largest container port in the Arab world and principal port of Saudi Arabia.
• Port complex spreads over 12 square kilometers.
• Capable of accommodating the largest container ships.

Owned By: Saudi Ports Authority.

Annual Container Volume: >4 million TEUs.

UN/LOCODE: SAJED.

Ad Dammam

Port Facts:

• Located on the Persian Gulf, on the opposite side of the country from Jeddah.
• Critical gateway for imports from all over the world.
• Also known as King Abdul Aziz Port.
• Best choice for goods destined for Riyadh and other landlocked cities.

Owned By: Saudi Ports Authority.

Annual Container Volume: >1.5 million TEUs.

UN/LOCODE: SADMM.

Air Shipping for Your Freight to Saudi Arabia

Air freight is the best option if speed is more important to you than cost. Flying your freight to Saudi Arabia is faster and more flexible than sending it by sea. Because of the high price, though, most shippers choose air shipping services only for small quantities of goods.

If any of the following apply to you, air freight may well prove worthy of consideration:

• Your products are perishable with a limited shelf-life.
• Your freight will occupy no more than two to three pallets.
• Your cargo is needed in Saudi Arabia urgently.
• Your cargo requires the highest levels of security.
• Your recipient in Saudi Arabia is located closer to an international airport than a seaport.

Learn more about Air Freight on our dedicated page by clicking here.

Airports of Arrival in Saudi Arabia

Jeddah (IATA Code: JED)

Airport Facts:

• Officially named King Abdulaziz International Airport.
• Busiest airport in Saudi Arabia.
• Located 19 kilometers to the north of Jeddah’s city center.
• Occupies an area of 105 square kilometers.

Riyadh (IATA Code: RUH)

Airport Facts:

• Officially called King Khalid Airport.
• Second-largest airport in the country after Jeddah Airport.
• Serves the capital city and its surrounds in the center of the country.

Dammam (IATA Code: DMM)

Airport Facts:

• Ideal airport of entry for freight bound for the Eastern regions of Saudi Arabia.
• Largest airport in the world, with a total area of 780 square kilometers.
• Facilities include a two-story air cargo building with a capacity of 94,000 tonnes.

Ocean and Air Shipping to Saudi Arabia: Why Choose Shipa Freight?

Shipa Freight is a cutting-edge logistics service provider. We are taking freight forwarding to a new level with our state-of-the-art online platform. Shipping cargo to Saudi Arabia is now easier than ever for businesses of all sizes. Our solution enables you to manage your entire ocean and air shipping process in one place, to speed up your supply chain significantly.

Enjoy the following benefits when you ship your freight to Saudi Arabia with us:

• Quick and easy-to-understand online quotes.
• Transparent online booking and payment process.
• All of your imports and exports at a glance on our sophisticated platform.
• Clear and transparent shipping documentation.
• Customs clearance simplified and executed for you.
• Complete compliance with all shipping rules and regulations.
• Helpful customer support whenever you need it (available 24/7 via phone, email, and live chat).