Saudi Arabia (KSA) has been heavily investing in new technology to keep up with the digital transformation. In August 2021, the KSA government invested 4.5 billion SAR in different tech initiatives. This investment is part of an initiative to make the Kingdom a global digital hub. For the last three years, the KSA has quickly become a attractive investment point for global tech companies. Recent events such as LEAP, @HACK, CoderHub, and Tuwaiq1000 Bootcamps were a few of the international tech events that were hosted by the KSA.
Supporting tech startups is a priority of the KSA government. The KSA has been partnering with multinational corporations like IBM, Amazon, Cisco, Informa, Microsoft, and Oracle. Recently the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) has initiated the National Technology Development Program; investing 2.5 billion SAR with the goal of becoming a leading country in tech advancement.
Several new initiatives are proving to be leading factors in the country`s digital transformation. According to the ICT Strategy 2023, the MCIT aims to:
- Increase the GDP contribution of the ICT sector by SAR 50bn
- Increase women’s participation by 50%
- Boost investment in tech startups and emerging tech with a goal to grow the market up to 50%
- Create 25,000 more jobs in the sector
The Leap of Technology
Government Initiatives are underway with hopes of boosting the digitization of the country by implementing the following technologies:
- Artificial Intelligence
- IoT and its Connected Devices
- Big Data Analytics
- Robotics
- 3D Printing
- AR/VR
- Distributed Ledgers
The KSA Vision 2023 plan has a goal of getting corporations from around the world to invest in the KSA and help it make leaps and bounds in its digital transformation. The government is actively recruiting people with special skills from around the world to come to the KSA to help in this transformation. The Global Tech Event LEAP will be held in Riyadh in Feb 2022. The main focus of the event is to “Reshape the Way we Live” by demonstrating how cutting-edge technologies will shape our future in every sector and industry. With all this new tech and investment, planning logistical imports and exports into the KSA will be critical in keeping up with this technological growth at the speed of light!
Imports in Saudi Arabia
| Tax / Custom Duty | Restricted Items | Lead Time, Import Process |
| VAT: 15% | COO prohibition, Second Hand, and items from certain countries | 5 to 7 Working Dates |
| Duties: up to 5% | Carrier Option: Freight Forwarder | Pre Import Compliance: Product Specific i.e PCOC, SCOC, ICECC, CITC. |
For the last 2 decades, the Saudi government has put in more effort to ease up the import process, especially for companies importing high-end Tech and Telecom goods. General VAT of 15% is applied on all imports and duties vary from 0% to 5%.
Saudi Arabia is a complex country if you are a tech company and importing high-end tech and telecom goods. There is an extensive pre-compliance that is needed before moving the goods. Approval time is lengthy, and it may take from 1 to 7 weeks depending on the type of goods you are willing to import.
Pre-Import Compliance in KSA
In KSA IT and telecom goods imports are regulated by SABER and CITC, all the imports are to be registered to start the import process. The IT and Telecom goods are segregated into 2 major categories. Items that are subject to regulation and items which are not subject to any kind of regulation.
Items categorized as regulated are further divided into two categories where the importer needs to register them in SABER or CITC. All the IT goods are registered in SABER while items related to telecom are registered with CITC. Depending on the type of certification or registration the pre-compliance process takes a minimum of 1 week and a maximum of 6 weeks.
How AGOL can Help you Import into Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia is considered to be a complex destination for imports. With the restriction on importing many items as well as lengthy pre-import compliance, you will need an expert Importer of Record in Saudi Arabia. We at AGOL have been facilitating numerous tech companies to get their IT and telecom goods delivered to their doorsteps in Saudi Arabia. We will take care of all the pre-import compliance processes, be it the product registration of any regulated item or acquiring any certification. We make sure your goods arrive safely and you spend no time getting engaged in any documentation and compliance regulation.
Have a shipment ready for Saudi Arabia? See how AGOL can be your Importer of Record in Saudi Arabia.
