Fasah Customs Clearance in Saudi Arabia: Steps and Documents

Fasah customs clearance is how goods are cleared into Saudi Arabia: the importer or its licensed customs broker files the declaration on Fasah, ZATCA's national single window, at least 48 hours before the shipment arrives. You register with a Commercial Registration number and an ID number, authorise a broker for the port, and submit the commercial invoice, bill of lading and any certificates your product needs. This guide covers what Fasah is, who uses it, the steps, the documents and how brokers fit in.

What Fasah is

Fasah is Saudi Arabia's national electronic system for managing cross-border trade. In an article for WCO News in February 2024, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) described it this way:

• It was introduced in 2017.
• It works as a single window that connects trade regulators, including the environment, commerce and agriculture authorities, Customs and the ports authority.
• Traders use it to reach 149 import and export services.

In the same article, ZATCA said supporting documents for clearance were cut from 12 to two: the invoice and the bill of lading. Other documents, such as the delivery order and certificate of origin, are exchanged between agencies through Fasah.

Who uses Fasah

The broker rules come from ZATCA's customs journey page. The agency role comes from ZATCA's WCO article.

Fasah customs clearance step by step

1. Register on Fasah. ZATCA's customs journey says new traders log in to Fasah, fill in the fields and activate the account. The requirements are a Commercial Registration number and an ID number.
2. Authorise a customs broker, if you use one. The authorisation is for a specific customs port and can cover import, export or both. Traders can authorise for single or multiple uses. Non-traders are limited to single use. You need an active Fasah account, the broker's licence number and the authorisation period.
3. Check your product's requirements. ZATCA's import instructions say to check conditions in the Customs Tariff or with your broker. Regulated consumer products may also need certificates on SASO's SABER platform.
4. Prepare the documents. See the table in the next section.
5. Submit the declaration at least 48 hours before arrival. ZATCA says clearing procedures and the customs declaration must be completed at least 48 hours before the shipment reaches the port of entry, either directly or through a broker.
6. Pay duties and taxes. ZATCA's VAT import guideline says ZATCA calculates customs duty, excise tax and VAT automatically as part of the declaration, based on tariff code, origin, description and value.
7. Track and release. Fasah lets you track the shipment and receive notifications once the declaration is filed. ZATCA's customs declaration inquiry service lets you search by declaration or bill of lading number for a given port.

Documents for Saudi import clearance

The SABER platform describes itself as SASO's system for registering products and conformity certificates before they enter the Saudi market. It also posted a notice that SABER would be linked with Fasah from 1 July 2020, and told importers to register their certificates to avoid shipments being re-exported. Check with your broker whether your HS code is regulated.

Licensed customs brokers and who the importer is

ZATCA's import instructions make a broker optional: you can submit directly or through one. A licensed broker can still save time on port procedures, tariff questions and agency approvals.

Two points matter when you set this up:

• Authorise per port. A broker authorisation on Fasah is tied to a specific customs port. If you import through Jeddah Islamic Port and Dammam, check the authorisation covers both.
• The importer is not the broker. ZATCA's VAT guideline says only the person who acts as the importer under the Unified Customs Law can deduct VAT paid on imports, and must hold customs documents proving the import. A broker files for you, but your company should be the importer on the declaration if you want to recover the VAT.

Registration on Fasah asks for a Commercial Registration number, so a foreign company with no Saudi registration usually imports through a Saudi entity that can act as importer. Confirm the structure with your broker and tax adviser before the first shipment.

VAT and duty at the border

ZATCA's VAT guideline says VAT at 15% is imposed on all goods imported into the Kingdom, regardless of their classification, the customs duty rate, or a customs duty exemption. The value used is the customs value under the Common Customs Law. VAT exemption on imports applies only in limited cases.

For how duty and VAT are worked out on a Saudi shipment, see our guide to customs duty in Saudi Arabia.

The two-hour clearance target

In its WCO article, ZATCA said it launched the Clearance Within Two Hours Initiative in 2023, bringing together 26 government agencies involved in clearance. Measures included digitised procedures, automated risk analysis, and a requirement for regulatory agencies to inspect consignments within two hours of their being ready for inspection. ZATCA credited pre-arrival submission, with importers given 72 hours before arrival to submit requested documents, as a major factor in fast clearance.

Note the two figures: the import instructions set a minimum of 48 hours before arrival for the declaration, while the WCO article describes a 72-hour pre-arrival window for documents. Filing as early as your documents allow covers both.

Common mistakes

1. Filing late. A declaration started after arrival misses the pre-arrival window ZATCA describes.
2. Broker authorised for the wrong port. Authorisations are port-specific.
3. Missing SABER certificates. SABER has warned that shipments without the required certificates may be re-exported.
4. Invoice and bill of lading that disagree on quantity, weight or description.
5. Wrong importer on the declaration, which can block your input VAT deduction.

Keeping Saudi clearances in one place

If you import into Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Quickship's Customs Clearance module keeps each shipment's invoice, packing list and transport document in one record, gives your clearing agent the job inside the platform, and shows the clearance stage so you see a hold the day it happens.