Shipping Heavy Equipment to Saudi Arabia

The four ways to ship machinery to Saudi Arabia

Container, flat rack, RoRo and breakbulk, with where each one lands. RoRo availability is by U.S. coast; the other three are booked on the services that run when the cargo is ready.

Published sailings to Saudi Arabia

2 carrier services in our trade lane guides call in Saudi Arabia. Each row links to the carrier schedule it was read from; transit is from the U.S. load port to the port named.

What the U.S. ships to Saudi Arabia

U.S. exports to Saudi Arabia by machine class, 2025 against 2024, as reported by the United States to UN Comtrade^[1]. Units are as declared; the average is customs value divided by units.

A dash means the quantity was not reported for that year. Classes the U.S. did not ship here in either year are left out.

Import duty on machinery in Saudi Arabia

The most-favoured-nation (MFN) duty applied to each machine class, as a simple average of the national tariff lines under its HS subheading^[3]. Preferential rates under trade agreements can be lower.

The range shows the lowest and highest line within the subheading; a dash means every line has the same rate.

Worked example: a $100,000 excavator

Import duty: 5% of $100,000 CIF is $5,000 (HS 8429.52, 2023 tariff)^[3].

VAT: 15% of the duty-inclusive $105,000 is $15,750 (Saudi Customs (ZATCA), checked June 2026)

Total duty and tax: $20,750, or 21% of CIF.

• Excise, port charges, broker fees and any registration tax are extra. The final rate depends on the exact tariff line your broker declares.

Vehicles and other taxes

Saudi Arabia applies 5% customs duty plus 15% VAT (roughly a 20% combined stack), and requires SABER/SASO conformity for clearance. It enforces one of the strictest vehicle age rules in the region.

Source: ZATCA (Saudi customs) / SASO, checked June 2026.

• Import duty: 5% of CIF
• VAT: 15%
• Other charges: Non-compliant/over-age light vehicles (where allowed for citizens/premium residents) carry a fee of 20–50% of value, minimum SAR 20,000

Rules for used machinery in Saudi Arabia

Used heavy equipment must be 15 years old or less and carry a SABER conformity certificate. Used units also need a SASO notified-body inspection certificate. Used trucks over 3.5 t are capped at 5 years. Only companies registered in the equipment sector may import.

• Age limit: SASO heavy-equipment import requirements, Art. 2: mobile and fixed heavy equipment may be imported only if the model is no more than 15 years from year of manufacture, counted backwards excluding the current year.^[5]
• Age limit: ZATCA: heavy transport trucks over 3.5 t, including tractor heads, trailers and semi-trailers, may be imported only if operational age does not exceed 5 years, counted from 1 January of the manufacture year.^[6]
• Conformity: SASO Technical Regulation for Machinery Safety Part 2 (Mobile Machinery and Heavy Duty Equipment), Art. 6/3: suppliers of used units must obtain an inspection certificate from a SASO-approved notified body, plus a technical file with Supplier DoC and risk assessment.^[7]
• Conformity: SABER platform: a regulated product needs a Certificate of Conformity from a SASO-approved certification body, then a per-consignment Shipment Certificate that must be sent to Saudi customs before the goods can enter.^[8]
• Licence or permit: SASO requirements Art. 3: heavy-equipment imports are limited to companies whose commercial registration covers the sector (sales/rental, contracting, mining, agriculture). Saudi individuals may import at most 2 units per year for personal use.^[5]
• Inspection: SASO requirements Art. 4 bans equipment that was flooded, crashed, burned, rolled over, or has a damaged chassis. Also banned: right-to-left-hand-drive conversions, stolen units and tampered chassis numbers. Customs checks serial numbers against documents.^[5]
• Documents: Proof of ownership is required. For U.S./Canada units this is the original title or a certificate of origin certified by the competent authority. Road-going mobile equipment also needs a customs card. Importing under a power of attorney is prohibited.^[5]
• Documents: ZATCA requires a commercial invoice, bill of lading and certificate of origin. The customs declaration must be filed on Fasah at least 48 hours before arrival. U.S. chambers of commerce must authenticate the shipping documents.^[9]

Documents for Saudi Arabia

The papers a machinery shipment to Saudi Arabia usually needs at destination. Your consignee and their customs broker confirm the list for the exact cargo.

• Commercial Invoice
• Packing List
• Bill of Lading
• Certificate of Origin
• SASO Certificate of Conformity
• Equipment Specifications
• Import License (if applicable)

U.S. export rules

What every shipment from the U.S. has to clear before it sails, whatever the destination.

Electronic Export Information (15 CFR 30)U.S. Census Bureau

Electronic Export Information is filed in AES for each Schedule B number worth more than $2,500 going to one consignee on one conveyance, and for every vehicle whatever its value. For vessel cargo it is due at least 24 hours before loading; the Internal Transaction Number (ITN) goes to the carrier with the booking.^[10][11]

Applies to: Any Schedule B line over $2,500, and every vehicle

Used self-propelled vehicles: 72-hour ruleU.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. regulations count self-propelled construction and agricultural machinery as vehicles. A used one must be filed in AES at least 72 hours before export, whatever its value or destination, and the ITN, the VIN or serial number and the ownership documents go to CBP at the port of export. Filing after departure is not allowed.^[12][13][11]

Applies to: Used machines that drive: excavators, loaders, dozers, tractors, trucks

ISPM 15 wood packagingIPPC, administered in the U.S. by USDA APHIS

Wood packaging and dunnage must be heat-treated to a core temperature of 56 °C for at least 30 minutes, or fumigated, and carry the IPPC mark with the US country code, the facility number and HT or MB. Marked wood can be reused; repaired or remanufactured wood must be treated and marked again.^[14]

Applies to: Crates, skids, blocking and dunnage

Export classification under the EAR (ECCN or EAR99)BIS (U.S. Department of Commerce)

An item subject to the EAR is either listed on the Commerce Control List under an Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) or classified EAR99, the basket for items not listed. The ECCN’s reasons for control, read against the Commerce Country Chart, decide whether the destination needs a license. An EAR99 item rarely needs one, but no item, EAR99 included, may go to a person under a denial order or to a prohibited end use or end user without BIS authorization.^[15][16][17]

Applies to: Every export of goods subject to the Export Administration Regulations

Clearance notes for Saudi Arabia

Jeddah and Dammam handle large project-cargo volumes tied to Vision 2030; book vessel space early around peak construction cycles.

• Register the shipment on SABER and obtain a Certificate of Conformity (SCoC) to SASO standards before arrival — without it, customs refuses entry.
• A pre-shipment inspection by a SASO-approved body in the country of export is required for used vehicles.
• The strict 5-year age rule disqualifies many otherwise-good used units — verify the model year first.
• SABER/SASO conformity and energy-efficiency rules must be cleared before shipping, not on arrival.

Questions buyers ask

Export checklist (PDF)

A one-page checklist with the facts on this page for shipping Saudi Arabia: methods, duty, rules and documents. Give it to your customs broker.

Nearby destinations

• Shipping Heavy Equipment to the UAE
• Shipping Heavy Equipment to Qatar
• Shipping Heavy Equipment to Kuwait
• Shipping Heavy Equipment to Oman

All destinations in Middle East