Gulf International Shipping carries commercial goods from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and every city in the Kingdom to the UAE: by road through the Al Batha crossing, by sea in containers to Jebel Ali, and by air for urgent consignments. Consolidated road freight starts from SAR 7.5 per kg and from SAR 740 per cubic metre or per pallet, a full trailer from SAR 6,450, a 20 ft container from SAR 2,600, and air freight from SAR 46 per kg. For a quote: 0568829975.
At a glance
- Modes: road (shared or full truck), sea in containers, air for urgent cargo
- Road transit: 2–4 working days from Dammam, 3–5 days from Riyadh, 4–6 days from Jeddah and the western region
- Sea transit: 5–7 days from Dammam to Jebel Ali, 7–12 days from Jeddah
- Consolidated freight: from SAR 7.5/kg, and from SAR 740 per cubic metre or per pallet
- Full loads: trailer from SAR 6,450, 20 ft container from SAR 2,600, 40 ft from SAR 3,330
- Customs: Saudi-origin goods are usually treated as national products with a GCC certificate of origin
- Air: 24–48 hours, from SAR 46 per kg
This article is written for businesses: a factory in Dammam’s industrial city supplying a distributor in Dubai, a Riyadh wholesaler opening a market in Abu Dhabi, or a Jeddah online store that needs stock close to its customers in Sharjah. It focuses on what matters to a trader: choosing the mode by origin city, working out the cost, the commercial paperwork, and what lets Saudi goods enter the UAE with the lowest charges.
What goods does Gulf International Shipping carry to the UAE?
Consumer and retail goods
Cleaning products, housewares, clothing and baby supplies, on pallets or in cartons.
Building and finishing materials
Sanitary ware, tiles, non-hazardous paints, cables and electrical parts.
Food and dates
Dry or chilled shipments depending on the product, with the required certificates.
Spare parts and equipment
Auto parts and small machines, with heavy equipment on flatbeds.
E-commerce stock
Replenishing a UAE warehouse so customers there get faster delivery.
Showroom and office furniture
New furniture for sale or for fitting out branches and offices.
Approximate prices for shipping goods from Saudi Arabia to the UAE
At Gulf International Shipping, consolidated goods to the UAE start from SAR 7.5 per kg and from SAR 740 per cubic metre. The first figure in each row is our “from” price; the second is the usual upper level in the market:
Note: road freight for goods arrives within 2–6 days depending on the origin city, the emirate and customs clearance, and air freight within 24–48 hours.
Other commercial items, which vary by origin city:
For a full comparison across cities and items, see shipping prices from Saudi Arabia to the UAE.
Road, sea or air? Choosing by origin city
There is no single right mode for every trader; the answer changes with the city your goods leave from. Dammam is the closest Saudi city to the UAE by road and has a port on the same Gulf waters. Jeddah is far by road but has a major port, while Riyadh has no port, which makes road its natural choice.
The rule we follow with clients: from Dammam and Riyadh, road is faster and simpler in most cases. From Jeddah, a sea container becomes competitive when volumes are large and time allows, because the road runs close to 2,000 km. Every road shipment, from any city, crosses Al Batha and then Al Ghuwaifat, the only land border with the UAE.
Container shipping to Jebel Ali port
A container makes sense when goods are plentiful and uniform, such as building materials or a factory’s output in bulk. A 20 ft container port to port starts from SAR 2,600 and a 40 ft container from SAR 3,330. On top of that come trucking from the factory to the Saudi port, from Jebel Ali to the UAE warehouse, and clearance on both sides.
- From Dammam: the sea leg to Jebel Ali takes 5–7 days, but road from Dammam takes only 2–4 days, so we compare prices before choosing.
- From Jeddah: the voyage takes 7–12 days because it goes around the Arabian Peninsula, and it pays off for volumes that fill one container or more.
- The container advantage: it is sealed at the factory and opened at the consignee’s warehouse, so the goods are handled less.
When is a container the wrong choice?
If your goods fill less than half a container, or you need them delivered within a few days, consolidated road freight is usually cheaper and faster, especially from Dammam and Riyadh.
How we prepare your commercial shipment in the warehouse
Before the truck moves, goods pass through stages at the consolidation warehouse that protect the trader from the most common border problem: goods that do not match the paperwork.
- 1Counting and matching
Every carton is counted and matched against the commercial invoice and packing list, and any discrepancy is recorded before loading, not after. - 2Scanning and coding
Pallets are barcode-scanned and each number is linked to its consignee and emirate, so every pallet can be located on the road. - 3Stacking and wrapping
Cartons are stacked on pallets to a sensible height, wrapped and edge-protected, and sensitive goods are kept apart. - 4Clear labels
Consignee, emirate and piece count on two sides of every pallet. - 5Photos before sealing
The load is photographed inside the truck before it is closed, and the photos are sent to you with the shipment number.
Customs on Saudi goods entering the UAE
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are both members of the GCC customs union, and goods of Saudi origin are usually treated as national products on entry to the UAE when they come with a valid GCC certificate of origin. That certificate is the most important document in any trader’s file when shipping a Saudi product.
- Saudi-origin goods with a certificate of origin: usually treated with no customs duty; VAT is handled according to the importer’s registration in the UAE.
- Goods imported from outside the Gulf and re-exported: treatment depends on what was paid when they entered the Kingdom, and the broker reviews them before shipping.
- HS code: stated for every line on the invoice; a precise description prevents reclassification and delay.
- Consignee in the UAE: usually needs a trade licence and customs registration to receive a commercial shipment, or receives it through an approved broker.
Do not write “assorted goods”
An invoice that describes the load in general terms stops the truck at the border until it is reclassified. List each product’s type, quantity, value and HS code.
On the Saudi side the broker files the export declaration on Fasah about 24 hours before the truck reaches Al Batha; on the UAE side the declaration is lodged electronically through the broker. Gulf International Shipping offers a customs clearance service on both sides from SAR 460.
Documents required to ship goods to the UAE
Restricted and prohibited goods in commercial shipping to the UAE
- Prohibited: weapons and explosives, narcotics, counterfeit goods, fake currency and offensive printed matter.
- Restricted, approval needed: medicines and medical preparations, drones, wireless communication equipment, seeds and plants.
- Special arrangements needed: chemicals (with an MSDS), lithium batteries, flammable liquids and gases.
- Food and cosmetics: may need registration or approval from the relevant authority in the emirate before sale, so confirm with your importer.
These are the common categories, not an exhaustive list; send us your product description before booking so we can confirm it is accepted and what paperwork it needs.
Refrigerated shipping of food and dates to the UAE
Dates and fresh or frozen food travel in reefer trailers at a temperature set by the product. From Dammam, a 50 kg chilled consignment of dates starts from SAR 370, and a full reefer trailer is priced by load and required temperature. What matters most here is that the cold chain is not broken at the border, so we file the declaration early to keep the truck’s wait at Al Batha short.
E-commerce goods: stock close to your UAE customers
Many Saudi stores sell to customers in the UAE, and sending every order individually from the Kingdom is slow and costly. The more economical route is to send a batch of stock by road every two weeks or every month to a UAE warehouse and fulfil each order locally. That way you pay consolidated rates per cubic metre instead of per parcel, and your customer gets the order in a day or two. For small one-off orders, see carton and parcel shipping to the UAE.
Air freight for urgent goods
Air freight for goods from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam airports to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah starts from SAR 46 per kg and arrives within 24–48 hours. From Jeddah, an express air electronics consignment starts from SAR 1,500. Air suits samples ahead of large orders, spare parts that a business depends on, and light, high-value products. Details in air freight from Saudi Arabia to the UAE.
Shipping cars for dealers and companies
Car dealers and companies moving their fleets use shared car carriers because they take several vehicles in one trip. From Riyadh a sedan starts from SAR 1,100, from Jeddah an open hydraulic flatbed starts from SAR 2,050, and from Dammam a sedan on a shared carrier starts from SAR 1,390. On the UAE side, 5% customs duty and 5% VAT apply to the car’s value. Details in car shipping from Saudi Arabia to the UAE.
Delivery to UAE industrial areas and free zones
Most commercial shipments go to a warehouse or industrial area rather than a home. These are the areas we deliver to most:
For delivery inside a free zone such as JAFZA, the consignee needs to arrange the truck’s entry permit with the zone authority. Let us know in advance if the address is inside a free zone so the paperwork is ready before the truck arrives.
How to work out the cost of shipping your goods to the UAE
- Actual or volumetric weight: the greater of the two is charged, so light, bulky goods are priced per cubic metre.
- Origin city: Dammam is closer and cheaper by road; Jeddah and Tabuk are further.
- Mode: shared, full trailer, container or air.
- Nature of the goods: chilled, dangerous and very heavy cargo needs special equipment.
- Clearance and certificates: the number of invoice lines and any additional certificates.
- Insurance: a percentage of the value declared on the invoice.
Example: a Dammam trader ships 12 cubic metres of housewares to Sharjah. On a shared load the cost starts from 12 × 740 = SAR 8,880. That is more than the full trailer from SAR 6,450, so the dedicated truck is both cheaper and faster. If the volume were only 4 cubic metres, the shared load would start from SAR 2,960 and be the better option.
The cheapest way to ship goods from Saudi Arabia to the UAE
- Get the GCC certificate of origin for every Saudi product; it is the biggest saving in the whole file.
- Merge small shipments into one batch instead of several consignments.
- Cut empty volume with compact packing and tidy pallet stacking.
- Compare sea against road from Jeddah for large volumes.
- Book early ahead of trading seasons, when demand for trucks peaks.
Mistakes traders make when shipping to the UAE
- Shipping a Saudi product without a certificate of origin and paying duty that could have been avoided.
- An invoice carton count that differs from the actual count on the pallets.
- Sending food or cosmetics before confirming their registration with the relevant UAE authority.
- Not telling the shipping company that the delivery address is inside a free zone.
- Choosing air for heavy, non-urgent goods and multiplying the cost for no benefit.
Why traders choose Gulf International Shipping
From every Saudi city
Collection in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and beyond, to all seven emirates.
Matched before loading
Every shipment counted, scanned and photographed before the truck is sealed.
A complete customs file
Invoice, HS codes and certificate of origin ready before Al Batha.
Road, sea and air
We pick the most economical mode with you by volume, city and timing.
Have goods heading to the UAE?
Send the type of goods, their weight or volume, the origin city and the emirate, and we will recommend the mode and price.
Related UAE shipping guides
- Land freight from Saudi Arabia to the UAE
- Land freight from Riyadh to the UAE
- Shipping from Dammam to the UAE
- Shipping from Jeddah to the UAE
- Al Batha border crossing guide
- Shipping prices from Saudi Arabia to the UAE
- Land freight service
- Air freight service
- All shipping destinations
