- Express takes about 3–6 days door to door. Air freight takes about a week, and LCL to Riyadh 22–36 days.
- A 40ft container from New York or Savannah to Jeddah was about USD 4,000 in October 2026, ocean only. Rates moved about 34% in three months, so get a dated quote.
- Online orders under SAR 1,000, including shipping, pay no customs duty. They still pay 15% VAT and a SAR 15 fee.
- On the US side, file EEI in AES if any Schedule B line is worth over USD 2,500. Below that, the courier cites NOEEI 30.37(a).
- Ship to Jeddah for western Saudi Arabia and to Dammam for Riyadh and the Eastern Province.
Shipping from the US to Saudi Arabia is a busy, well-served lane. Every major courier flies it daily, and carriers sail from New York, Savannah and Houston to Jeddah.
Your choice comes down to volume and speed. Express for single orders, air for urgent stock, ocean for restocking a warehouse.
Here's what each option costs in late 2026, which Saudi port to use, the US export filing you need and a landed-cost example. It's part of our shipping guides for GCC sellers.
Selling to Saudi shoppers, not just shipping? Our guide to selling in Saudi Arabia from the USA covers marketplaces, VAT registration and payouts.
How much does shipping from the USA to Saudi Arabia cost?
It depends on how much you send and how fast you need it. These were the published rates in October 2026.
| Express courier | Air freight | Ocean LCL | Ocean FCL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | Priced per parcel by weight | USD 3.50–6.50/kg before surcharges; 500 kg NY–Riyadh USD 1,587–2,117 all-in | NY–Riyadh door to door: 1 cbm USD 1,231–1,642; 5 cbm USD 3,951–5,269 | 40ft HC to Jeddah: USD 4,014 (NY/Savannah) to USD 6,970 (Houston), ocean only |
| Transit | About 3–6 days door to door | About 6–10 days to Riyadh | 22–36 days | 20–29 days at sea to Jeddah on the fastest sailings |
| Best for | Shopper orders, samples | Urgent or high-value stock | First stock shipments, 1–15 cbm | Restocking a 3PL or FBA |
| Billed on | Volumetric weight (L×W×H cm ÷ 5,000) | Chargeable weight (L×W×H cm ÷ 6,000) | Cubic metres | Per container |
Pick by what you're moving:
- Shopper orders? Use express, ideally DDP so the buyer pays nothing at the door.
- First stock shipment? LCL (less than container load) to Riyadh is the usual start.
- A warehouse that sells out every month? Move to FCL (full container load) and compare door-to-door quotes. Freightos put a 40ft door to door from New York to Riyadh at USD 7,903–10,537.
Rates moved about 34% in three months on the New York–Jeddah lane this year. Red Sea risk is the main reason, so always ask for a fresh, dated quote.
What will my Saudi customer pay on a parcel?
Online orders under SAR 1,000 pay no customs duty. That limit includes shipping and insurance, not just the goods.
Every parcel still pays 15% VAT and a flat SAR 15 processing fee. Here's a typical order:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Goods + shipping (USD 180 + USD 45) | SAR 844 |
| Customs duty | SAR 0 (under SAR 1,000) |
| VAT at 15% (on SAR 844 + the fee) | SAR 129 |
| Processing fee | SAR 15 |
| Charges on top of the order | SAR 144 (about USD 38) |
Collect that at checkout and ship DDP. Saudi shoppers often refuse parcels with surprise charges, and you pay for the return.
Two more courier details to plan for:
- National Address. Since January 2026, every delivery needs the shopper's 8-character short address. Make it a required checkout field, as our National Address guide explains.
- Remote areas. DHL and FedEx add about USD 30–35 for remote deliveries. Build it into your shipping rates.
Jeddah or Dammam: which Saudi port should you use?
Pick the port nearest to where your stock will live:
- Jeddah Islamic Port (Red Sea). It handled 47.3% of Saudi container traffic in 2025 and has the fastest sailings from the US East Coast. It serves Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah and the west.
- King Abdulaziz Port, Dammam (Arabian Gulf). It's the top import gateway by tonnage and the natural door for Riyadh and the Eastern Province. US sailings cost more and often tranship through Gulf hubs.
Here's the catch. Some Houston–Dammam routings took 111–121 days with several transfers. So ask for the routing and transit time, not just the price.
For a Riyadh warehouse, get door-to-door quotes through both ports. Then compare the totals.
What US export paperwork do you need?
The US side is light for most consumer goods. Here's what applies:
- EEI filing. You file Electronic Export Information in AESDirect, on CBP's ACE portal, when any Schedule B line in a shipment is worth over USD 2,500. Value includes inland freight and insurance to the US port.
- The exemption. Below that, your courier records NOEEI FTR 30.37(a) on the shipment. Nothing else to file.
- Export controls. Most consumer goods are EAR99 and need no licence. Licensed items always need EEI, whatever their value, so check the ECCN for electronics, encryption and drones.
Saudi Arabia isn't an embargoed destination. Your forwarder can file EEI for you on larger shipments.
How do you clear Saudi customs?
US goods clear like goods from anywhere else. A licensed broker files on FASAH for a Saudi importer: your own company, a distributor or an importer of record service.
What trips up US brands is assuming US approvals carry over. UL and FCC marks don't replace a SABER certificate, and FDA status doesn't replace SFDA approval. Many US supplements and sweets also contain gelatin, which is banned, so check the items you can't ship to Saudi Arabia.
The full process, from FASAH registration to broker fees, is in our guide to importing into Saudi Arabia. Without a Saudi company? Start with foreign company requirements.
How much will it cost to land your goods?
Your landed cost starts with the CIF value: goods, insurance and freight. Duty is 5% of CIF for most goods, as there's no US–Saudi trade agreement. VAT is 15% of CIF plus duty and fees.
Worked example: 500 kg by air to Riyadh
Say a US brand flies 600 insulated bottles from New York to a Riyadh 3PL. They're SASO-regulated and pay the default 5% duty.
Freightos puts 500 kg at USD 1,587–2,117 all-in. Cargo insurance adds about 0.5% of the goods value, and the riyal is pegged at SAR 3.75 to the dollar.
| Line | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Goods | 600 × USD 20 | USD 12,000 |
| Air freight, 500 kg | Midpoint of the Freightos range | USD 1,850 |
| Insurance | 0.5% of goods | USD 60 |
| CIF value | USD 13,910 × 3.75 | SAR 52,163 |
| Customs duty | 5% × CIF | SAR 2,608 |
| Customs service fee | 0.15% × CIF (SAR 15–500 cap) | SAR 78 |
| Import VAT | 15% × (CIF + duty + fee) | SAR 8,227 |
| SABER shipment certificate | SAR 350 + VAT | SAR 403 |
| Landed before local charges | SAR 63,479 (about USD 16,930) |
Each bottle lands at about SAR 106, against SAR 75 at the factory gate. That's roughly 41% on top.
But import VAT is cash flow, not cost, if it's paid under your Saudi VAT number. Reclaim it and the shipment really costs about SAR 55,200.
That's about SAR 92 a bottle, or 23% over factory, before broker fees and the last mile.
Run your own numbers:
GCC landed cost calculator
Duty, import VAT, customs fees and SABER costs for Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the wider GCC
GCC default is 5%. Check your HS code: some Saudi lines are 10-25%.
Your landed cost
- GoodsSAR 750
- Shipping + insuranceSAR 94CIF valueSAR 844
- Customs dutySAR 0
- Customs feesSAR 15
- Import VATSAR 129
- SABER (incl. VAT)SAR 0
- Total landed costSAR 988
- Under the de minimis threshold: no customs duty.
- Flat SAR 15 fee for online-store parcels up to SAR 1,000.
Estimates based on published ZATCA, Dubai Customs, SABER and GCC customs rules as of October 2026. VAT is charged on CIF + duty + customs fees. Confirm rates for your HS code with a licensed customs broker.
Documents checklist for a US–Saudi shipment
Freight forwarders for US–Saudi shipments
These forwarders were independently researched and aren't ranked. Ask each one for an all-in quote to your warehouse door, and whether it can act as importer of record.
Dantful International Logistics
Best for: Chinese suppliers or Alibaba/1688 buyers wanting DDP sea/air consolidation into Jeddah, Dammam or Jebel Ali
- The company says it has contract rates with 10 shipping lines and fixed space with 9 airlines
- Says it runs 10 long-term warehouses in China and has agents in ~200 countries
- Publishes KSA guide: sea ~20-30 days, air ~2-7 days, DDP ~22-35 days (Shenzhen/Shanghai/Ningbo/Guangzhou to Jeddah/Dammam/King Abdullah Port)
YunExpress
Best for: Chinese cross-border sellers shipping small parcels B2C direct to GCC consumers
- The company says it handles 1M+ shipments per day to 220+ countries and regions
- Says it operates 4 self-operated B777F freighters plus an Atlas Air partnership
- Claims 95% on-time delivery and free pickup in 30+ Chinese cities
Sinotrans
Best for: Large China-origin B2B container shippers wanting a state-backed Chinese forwarder
- Site lists a 'Middle East' region in its global network (no country detail on homepage)
- Part of state-owned China Merchants Group; widely reported as one of China's largest forwarders by volume
Cainiao (Alibaba Group)
Best for: AliExpress and Alibaba ecosystem sellers shipping small parcels to the Gulf
- The company says its network covers 200+ countries and regions and 1,100+ warehouses worldwide
- Homepage lists Europe, SE Asia and North America as local service areas; Middle East not listed - confirm GCC coverage (AliExpress GCC flows run through Cainiao)
iMile
Best for: Chinese DTC/marketplace sellers needing cross-border plus COD last mile in KSA/UAE
- Founded 2017 in Dubai by Rita Huang; HQ Dubai Investment Park; R&D centres in Shenzhen and Hangzhou (press)
- US$40m Series A at ~US$350m valuation (Nov 2021) to expand across GCC, North Africa and Latin America (Wamda)
- 500+ staff and 25+ warehouses across the Middle East and China as of Oct 2020 (The National); newer figures not published
DSV (incl. former Agility Global Integrated Logistics and DB Schenker)
Best for: Established brands moving regular FCL/air volumes from China, Europe or US into the GCC
- The company says it has 3,000+ offices and logistics facilities in 90+ countries and ~150,000 employees
- Offers myDSV for online quoting, booking and tracking
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Postal exports follow the same EEI filing rules as couriers. For selling, express couriers are usually the better choice: they give tracking, faster clearance and a clear way to prepay duty and VAT for the buyer.
Sources & further reading
- E-Store Customers (customs rules for online purchases) — Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA)
- New customs fee structure (news 1282) — Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA)
- Saudi Arabia Import Tariffs — U.S. International Trade Administration
- Filing your export shipments through AES — U.S. International Trade Administration
- Ocean freight rates, New York to Jeddah — Skypace
- New York to Riyadh route estimates — Freightos
- Shipping from USA to Saudi Arabia — ExFreight
- Maritime transport statistics 2025 — Argaam (citing GASTAT)
This guide is for general information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and fees change — always confirm with the official source or a licensed advisor.
Maya is MiddleEastEcom's lead guide and editor. She researches GCC marketplaces, payments and regulations and turns them into practical playbooks for sellers.
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