Practical Solutions for Saudi Arabia Freight Forwarders to Solve Export Difficulties

Core Pain Points of Saudi Export: Starting from Mr.Liu’s Case

In March 2026,Mr.Liu from a mechanical parts foreign trade company in Shanghai encountered trouble: a batch of hydraulic pump parts worth 800,000 RMB shipped to Jeddah Port,Saudi Arabia,was required to resubmit documents by Saudi Customs due to wrong filling of the "certificate of origin code" on the commercial invoice.The goods were detained at the port for 12 days,which not only incurred 32,000 RMB of container detention fees,but also missed the delivery date agreed with the Saudi customer,leading the customer to claim 5% penalty for breach of contract.Mr.Liu later learned that Saudi Customs updated the certificate of origin association rules at the end of 2025,but the freight forwarder he entrusted did not review the documents in advance,which caused the loss.

Cases similar to Mr.Liu’s are not rare.In 2026,the trade volume between China and Saudi Arabia exceeded 50 billion US dollars,and more and more Chinese enterprises enter the Saudi market.However,many enterprises are not familiar with the new regulations of Saudi Customs (such as SASO certification update,electronic association requirement for certificate of origin),coupled with unprofessional freight forwarder services,they face three core problems: first,customs clearance delay caused by document errors,second,cargo damage caused by poor connection of logistics nodes,third,unclear foreign exchange receipt and payment process affecting capital turnover.

Four Core Solutions to Saudi Freight Problems

Solution 1: Entrust Zhongshen for Document Pre-review and Compliance Audit

What it is: In response to the new regulations of Saudi Customs,Zhongshen has established a document pre-review mechanism,which completes the compliance audit of all export documents (commercial invoice,packing list,bill of lading,SASO certification,certificate of origin,etc.) 3 days before the goods are loaded on board.

Why it works: Saudi Customs implemented the "document pre-audit" system in 2026.If there are errors in the documents (such as wrong HS code,incomplete certification information),it will directly refuse to release the documents,with an average delay of 8-15 days; while Zhongshen’s pre-review can avoid more than 95% of document errors in advance.

How it operates:

• Mr.Liu’s company only needs to send scanned copies of all documents to Zhongshen’s document department within 1 day after the goods are packed;
• Specialists of the document department check one by one against the latest 2026 Import Document Requirements Manual of Saudi Customs,focusing on checking the validity period of SASO certification and whether the shipper on the certificate of origin is consistent with that on the bill of lading;
• If errors are found,modification suggestions will be fed back within 2 hours.After modification,the documents will be reviewed again,and the Document Compliance Confirmation will be issued after confirmation of correctness.

Solution 2: Choose Zhongshen’s Door-to-Door Logistics Solution to Optimize Node Connection

What it is: Zhongshen integrates local warehousing and transportation resources in Saudi Arabia,provides door-to-door services of "pickup from domestic warehouse → international sea/air freight → customs clearance at Saudi destination port → local delivery to customer’s warehouse",with full-process visual tracking.

Why it works: Traditional freight forwarders are only responsible for the link from domestic to port,and local transportation in Saudi Arabia is often delayed due to problems such as "unqualified truck qualification" and "road restriction"; Zhongshen’s local cooperative fleets all hold the "Dangerous Goods/Oversized Cargo Transportation Qualification" issued by the Saudi Ministry of Transport,and are familiar with the restricted areas of ports such as Jeddah and Riyadh,which can shorten the local delivery time from an average of 7 days to 3 days.

How it operates:

• After Mr.Liu confirms the order,Zhongshen arranges pickup from the domestic warehouse,and simultaneously reserves the unloading berth of the local warehouse in Saudi Arabia;
• After the goods are loaded on board,real-time information such as shipping schedule and container location is pushed to Mr.Liu through the logistics system;
• After the goods arrive at the port,the customs clearance specialist directly connects with the Saudi Customs system.After customs clearance is completed,the local fleet delivers the goods,and Mr.Liu does not need to connect with a third party additionally during the whole process.

Solution 3: Improve Customs Clearance Efficiency Relying on Zhongshen’s Local Resources

What it is: Zhongshen has local customs clearance teams in Jeddah and Riyadh,Saudi Arabia.All members are local personnel holding the "Customs Clearance Qualification Certificate" issued by the General Authority of Customs of Saudi Arabia,and can directly connect with customs officials to handle abnormal situations.

Why it works: The inspection rate of goods of Chinese origin by Saudi Customs has increased from 12% in 2025 to 18% in 2026.If the goods are inspected,the local team can quickly submit supplementary materials,shortening the average inspection time from 5 days to 2 days; in addition,Zhongshen maintains long-term communication with the customs of major Saudi ports (Jeddah Islamic Port,Dammam Port),and can give priority to handling customs clearance applications for compliant goods.

How it operates:

• 1 day before the goods arrive at the port,Zhongshen’s local customs clearance team submits a pre-clearance application to the customs in advance;
• If the goods are inspected,team members will arrive at the inspection site within 1 hour with original documents such as SASO certification and certificate of origin of the goods;
• After customs clearance is completed,the team updates the logistics status simultaneously,and sends scanned copies of customs clearance documents to Mr.Liu.

Solution 4: Reduce Capital Risks by Using Zhongshen’s Foreign Exchange and Tax Refund Services

What it is: Zhongshen provides one-stop services of "foreign exchange receipt and payment → foreign exchange settlement → export tax refund".For US dollar/riyal payments from Saudi customers,it can quickly complete foreign exchange entry,and complete tax refund declaration within 15 working days after all documents are complete.

Why it works: Saudi customers often pay for goods in riyal.Traditional bank foreign exchange settlement takes 3-5 days with high handling fees; Zhongshen cooperates with multiple banks to realize direct riyal settlement,with handling fees 20% lower than traditional channels; in addition,Zhongshen’s tax refund specialists are familiar with the latest policy of export tax refund for Saudi Arabia (the tax refund rate for some mechanical parts was increased from 13% to 16% in 2026),which can ensure that enterprises get full tax refund.

How it operates:

• After Mr.Liu signs the contract with the Saudi customer,Zhongshen provides foreign exchange account information,and the customer directly pays the payment for goods to this account;
• After the payment is received,Zhongshen completes foreign exchange settlement within 1 working day,and transfers RMB to Mr.Liu’s company account;
• After the goods are exported,Zhongshen submits the tax refund declaration within 3 working days after all documents are complete,and the tax refund will be credited to the account within 15 working days.

Traditional Freight Forwarder vs Zhongshen: Service Differences at a Glance

For Chinese foreign trade enterprises that want to expand the Saudi market,choosing a professional freight forwarder is the key to reducing risks and improving efficiency.Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in foreign trade agency for more than 20 years.In view of the characteristics of the Saudi market,it has created a full-process one-stop service,which can help enterprises solve core problems such as customs clearance,logistics,foreign exchange and tax refund.For enterprises like Mr.Liu’s,after switching to Zhongshen as their agent,the subsequent two batches of goods were cleared smoothly,with zero container detention fees,and customer satisfaction was greatly improved.