Owners and operators in Saudi Arabia buying from Turkey usually need two packages at once: hotel guestrooms and public areas, and serviced apartments with kitchens and wardrobes. Both can come from Turkish factories. Rovers reads the BOQ and drawings, prices every line with the partner factory that fits, issues shop drawings and samples for approval, follows production, inspects before packing, ships and installs on site.
Routes into the Kingdom
| Route | Port or crossing | Best for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea, Red Sea | Jeddah Islamic Port, Yanbu or King Abdullah Port, from Mersin through Suez | Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah and the west | Mawani; Loadstar, Mar 2026 |
| Sea, then truck | Landed at Jeddah, then by road: about 950 km to Riyadh, about 1,400 km to Dammam | Riyadh and the Eastern Province | Loadstar, Mar 2026 |
| Road, TIR via Iraq | Sealed truck from Turkey through Ibrahim Khalil (Iraq) into Saudi Arabia at Arar, no change of truck at the borders | Riyadh, the north and the Eastern Province; urgent phases, part loads, a fixed site date | Iraq Business News, Apr 2026 |
| Road, TIR via Jordan | Truck through Iraq to Jordan, then into Saudi Arabia at Al-Haditha | The north and Riyadh | IRU, Aug 2025 |
Sea routes into the Gulf have been disrupted during 2026, so we quote Gulf deliveries by land and via Jeddah, with the route and its validity written on the quotation. Jeddah has no rail link to Riyadh yet, so goods for the centre and the east go on by truck (Loadstar). IRU reported a TIR truck run from Türkiye through Saudi Arabia to the UAE in 10 days in October 2025. Each route goes on the priced schedule with its own freight line.
SABER: the step that stops shipments
Saudi Arabia checks product conformity through SASO’s SABER platform, and SABER is linked to customs clearance in FASAH.
| Step | What it is | When |
|---|---|---|
| Product registration | Each product type is registered in SABER under its HS code. Products under a SASO technical regulation need a product certificate of conformity from an approved body | Before the first shipment |
| Shipment certificate | Issued per consignment. It carries the invoice details, the products and the quantities. SABER lists the fee as SAR 350 before VAT | For every shipment |
The HS code decides which technical regulation applies. Upholstered items, mattresses, items with lighting or sockets, and textiles can fall under different regulations from casegoods. Rovers sets the HS code on every line of the quote, so the SABER path is known before production starts.
Duty, VAT and documents
- Import VAT: 15%, in force since July 2020 (ITA, updated May 2026).
- Customs duty: set per HS code in ZATCA’s tariff. Saudi rates on some chapters differ from the GCC 5% baseline, so each line is checked against the current tariff before the price is final.
- Usual document set: commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, bill of lading (or TIR carnet and CMR by road), and the SABER shipment certificate. The importer’s broker confirms the set per shipment.
- Incoterm: CIF Jeddah for an owner with a local agent and forwarder, FCA Turkey for one who books the freight; DAP site for a delivered price to Riyadh or the Eastern Province.
Packages for hotels and serviced apartments
| Package | Typical lines |
|---|---|
| Hotel guestroom | Bed base and headboard, nightstands, desk and chair, wardrobe or open closet, luggage rack, TV unit, minibar cabinet, lounge chair |
| Hotel public areas | Reception counter, lobby seating, restaurant tables and chairs, wall panelling |
| Serviced apartment | Kitchen cabinets and worktops, wardrobes, sofa or sofa bed, dining set, beds, TV wall |
Serviced-apartment schedules run per unit type (studio, one-bed, two-bed), so a change to one type updates every unit of that type.
The Arabic terms buyers use
Saudi buyers searching for furniture packages write تأثيث فنادق وشقق مفروشة (furnishing hotels and furnished apartments). The term تجهيز فنادق (equipping hotels) mostly returns sellers of amenities and supplies, and our own keyword research found it a weak match for furniture. Arabic documents and drawings are read as sent, and the priced schedule can be returned with Arabic item names next to the English ones.
What to send us
Send the BOQ or the drawings, the city, the number of each room or unit type, and the opening date. If the operator has a brand standard or a finish board, send that too. With no BOQ, the drawings or the room count are enough for a first priced schedule.
- SABER platform (SASO): product registration, conformity and shipment certificates · accessed 2026-10-04
- SABER: Training guide for the shipment certificate · accessed 2026-10-04
- SASO: Saber e-platform launch for consumer products · accessed 2026-10-04
- US International Trade Administration: Saudi Arabia import tariffs (VAT 15% since July 2020; updated 11 May 2026) · accessed 2026-10-04
- IRU: Global TIR transit system opens faster Türkiye–UAE route via Saudi Arabia (29 Oct 2025) · accessed 2026-10-04
- Mawani (Saudi Ports Authority): Jeddah Islamic Port and Yanbu Commercial Port · accessed 2026-10-04
- The Loadstar: Jeddah as the container gateway for the Gulf; no Jeddah–Riyadh rail link, road about 950 km to Riyadh and 1,400 km to Dammam (17 Mar 2026) · accessed 2026-10-04
- Iraq Business News: new TIR freight corridor Turkey–Iraq–Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim Khalil to Arar, no trans-shipment (15 Apr 2026) · accessed 2026-10-04
- IRU: Türkiye–Jordan trade corridor via Iraq under TIR, Istanbul–Amman in five days (5 Aug 2025) · accessed 2026-10-04
- CargoLinked: Red Sea and Gulf shipping update, Gulf routing and Bab el-Mandeb capacity (25 Sep 2026) · accessed 2026-10-04
- Keyword research: Arabic furniture-intent term (Keyword Planner, 17 Sep 2026; internal) · accessed 2026-09-17