Saudi Arabia tightens rules for fruit and vegetable imports

Saudi Arabia is introducing stricter procedures for fruit and vegetable imports, requiring businesses to secure import approval before shipments are sent to the Kingdom.

The new rules, approved by Minister of Commerce Dr Majid Al Qasabi, will take effect in 30 days and include a 15-day validity period for import permits.

Under the new requirements, importers must obtain a permit at least 24 hours before a shipment reaches its Saudi port of entry. Goods cannot be dispatched until approval is issued, while consignments arriving without a valid permit will be rejected at the importer’s expense.

Importers must also hold a fruit and vegetable import licence from the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, along with a commercial registration covering the relevant business activity.

The rules require all imported products to be listed on invoices and all mandatory information to be completed when submitting permit applications.

New safety and documentation requirements

Fruit and vegetable shipments must comply with Saudi pesticide and agricultural quarantine standards. Products must either be free of pesticide residues or remain within limits approved by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority.

Shipments must also be free of pests listed under Saudi agricultural quarantine requirements.

Applications must include supporting documents such as a phytosanitary certificate, certificate of origin, shipping documents and customs certification. Electronic phytosanitary certificates are accepted if they include a QR code or verification link.

Import applications will be submitted through the Nama platform, with authorities given up to seven working days to process requests.

Applicants whose permits are rejected can appeal to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture within 15 days of receiving notification of the decision.