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Regulatory Radar · Saudi Arabia (Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, ZATCA) · Customs

Saudi Arabia consults on advance customs data for air and land cargo

Consultation · updated 25 October 2026 · reviewed 12 November 2026 · Middle East
Next date: 24 Nov 2026

ZATCA opened a public consultation on 25 October 2026, closing on 24 November, on draft regulations for the advance submission of customs data, reported by EY on 5 November as covering sea, air and land ports. Shipping agents would file manifest and cargo data (consignor and consignee, goods types and weights, package counts) and importers or their representatives the customs declaration (goods type, quantity, weight, value, bill of lading number, exporter name, supporting documents). For air cargo the declaration would be due no later than the aircraft's actual arrival; for land cargo before the vehicle's arrival time registered on the Fasah platform. Fines of SAR 500 to 1,000 per violation are proposed, and ZATCA could refuse release and require re-export. Sea ports already have an advance submission rule that applied from 29 October 2025.

For a parcel Recipient: a late or incomplete filing by the importer or its representative could mean a SAR 500 to 1,000 fine or refused release for the goods, which the importer may pass on. Shipper: consignor, goods and value data must reach the Saudi importer or broker before arrival. Intermediaries: agents, carriers and brokers would file earlier and from the same data; the report does not say whether post or express shipments are covered, nor an effective date.

Key dates

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Who it hits

Importers and customs representativesShipping agents and carriersAir cargo and land haulage operatorsExpress carriers and freight forwarders (the report does not name them)

What to prepare

  • Ask your Saudi broker or consignee whether you will be asked for the consignor, goods, weight and value data earlier than today
  • Map which of your Saudi lanes arrive by air or road and who files each declaration
  • Check the draft on the Istitlaa platform before 24 November if you want to comment

Our reading

This extends to air and land the pre-arrival model ZATCA applies to sea cargo since 29 October 2025, and it counts as a new mandatory data duty even though it is still a draft. We only found an EY summary of the draft: we could not open the Istitlaa consultation page, so the exact scope for post and express, the effective date and the fine levels should be read from the draft itself. We found no notice from operators, forwarders or brokers on how they would apply it.
North Africa gateway

Sources

  1. Saudi Arabia invites public consultation on regulations for advance submission of customs data · EY Global Tax News · 2026-11-05
  2. ZATCA: Mandatory advance submission of customs declarations for incoming goods via sea ports from 29 October · Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) · 2025-05-02

Information, not legal advice. Dates come from official texts or quality legal and trade press, and slip often: always check the current text before acting. Back to the full radar.

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