Saudi Arabia has announced new customs rules, including the waiving of fees for services and new import regulations.
The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) has announced a decision regarding the Fee Rules on Customs Services, which includes specifying the fees on customs services provided by ZATCA and the conditions for fulfilling them.
The decision will be implemented on October 6 and includes waiving the fees for all customs services for exports and reducing customs service fees for imports through a new mechanism for calculating import service fees, which involves a fee of 0.15 per cent of the value of the incoming goods for customs declaration processing services.
Saudi Customs rules
In addition, the Fee Document on Customs Services stipulates a fee of SR15 ($4) for customs declaration processing services on individuals’ shipments arriving through online stores, provided that the value of these shipments does not exceed SR1,000 ($266).
ZATCA clarified that the customs services for exports for which the fees have been waived include customs declaration processing service, lead seal, land port loading services, X-ray inspection, customs data exchange, and sample analysis exchange at specialised laboratories.
ZATCA added that previously, the customs service fees for imports included a charge of SR100 ($26) for each container inspected by X-ray, an additional SR100 ($26) for “information exchange” services, and SR20 ($5) for customs declaration processing services.
With the new decision, the fee shall be based on 0.15 per cent of the value of the incoming goods, including insurance and shipping, with a maximum of SR500 ($133), a minimum of SR15 ($4), and a special cap of SR130 ($34) for shipments exempt from customs duties and taxes.
ZATCA invites customers and taxpayers to contact it if they have any inquiries via:
- Phone: 19993
- X: @Zatca_Care
- E-mail: info@zatca.gov.sa
- Online: zatca.gov.sa
ZATCA indicated that waiving customs service fees for exports would encourage exporters, alleviate financial burdens, especially for SMEs, and enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of Saudi exports.
ZATCA also confirmed that the new mechanism for calculating import service fees aims to reduce import costs and enhance the importers’ capability to pre-calculate customs service fees for imports and set a higher limit for such fees in Saudi Arabia.
The new decision also ensures the elimination of any cost increases against importers and unifies the calculation mechanism for the various land, sea and air ports while supporting and enhancing trade facilitation objectives.
ZATCA also announced that through the new measures, it seeks to provide customs services in accordance with the best practices, leading to realizing positive income across the logistics ecosystem and supporting its strategic objectives.
The new measures also aim to promote the confidence of importers and exporters and improve transparency. ZATCA reiterated its commitment to develop its customs services in line with its strategic objectives by contributing to turning Saudi Arabia into a global logistics hub in line with Vision 2030.
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