Saudi Arabia will waive export fees and lower import tax rates from October 6th

Zakat, Saudi Arabia's Taxation and Customs Authority (ZATCA) announced the collection of new customs fees starting from October 6, 2024, with new rules including exemption from all export customs service fees.

The agency has also reduced customs service fees for imported goods through a new import service fee calculation mechanism, which involves a 0.15% customs declaration processing service fee for the value of imported goods.

In addition, the customs service fee document stipulates that the customs declaration processing fee for personal goods arriving through the online store is 15 Saudi riyals, provided that the value of these goods does not exceed 1000 Saudi riyals.

ZATCA clarified that the exempted fees are for export customs services, including customs declaration processing services, lead sealing, land port loading and unloading services, X-ray inspection, customs data exchange, and sample analysis exchange in professional laboratories.

And it was added that the previous customs service fees for imports included a fee of 100 Saudi riyals for each container undergoing X-ray inspection, an additional "information exchange" service fee of 100 Saudi riyals, and a customs declaration processing service fee of 20 Saudi riyals. According to the new regulations, the fee should be based on 0.15% of the purchase value, including insurance and transportation, with a maximum of 500 Saudi riyals and a minimum of 15 Saudi riyals. The special upper limit for goods exempt from tariffs and taxes is 130 Saudi riyals.

The new computerized import service fee system aims to reduce import costs, enhance importers' ability to pre calculate import customs service fees, and set higher limits for such fees. The new decision also ensures the elimination of any cost increases for importers and the standardization of computer systems across land, sea, and air ports, while supporting and strengthening trade facilitation goals.