Car Shipping Company from Jeddah 0552803439 | Road Carriers, RoRo, Containers and Air to the Gulf, Europe and Africa

Home Safe is a car shipping company from Jeddah to every destination reached by a road, a ship or an aircraft. To the Gulf and Jordan the car is loaded on a road carrier and arrives in two to 8 days. To Turkey, Europe and Africa it sails from Jeddah Islamic Port on a RoRo vessel or inside a container and arrives in 15 to 45 days. Road shipping starts from SAR 1,010 to Bahrain and SAR 2,020 to Qatar, and RoRo for a saloon from SAR 2,800. To book: 0552803439.

In this guide42ShowHide

1. Who ships a car from Jeddah?
2. Jeddah’s advantage in car shipping
3. Ways to ship a car from Jeddah: road, sea and air
4. Car shipping destinations from Jeddah: route, time and price
5. How long car shipping from Jeddah takes, stage by stage
6. Car shipping prices from Jeddah
7. Shipping cars by road from Jeddah to the Gulf and neighbouring countries
8. Sea freight for cars from Jeddah by RoRo and container
9. From Jeddah port to Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australia
10. Types of vehicle we ship from Jeddah
11. Car inspection, photo report and export paperwork in Jeddah
12. Inside the preparation yard near Jeddah port
13. Car shipping documents and what is not accepted
14. Does the destination country accept your car? The eligibility check before payment
15. Collecting cars from Jeddah’s showrooms and auctions
16. Insurance and documentation: four layers of protection
17. Air freight for cars from Jeddah
18. Collecting cars from Jeddah’s districts and the Kingdom’s cities
19. Steps for shipping a car from Jeddah
20. Importing a car into Jeddah: the reverse direction
21. Tips before shipping your car from Jeddah
22. A specialist company or a passing carrier? How to choose
23. Common mistakes when shipping cars from Jeddah
24. Why Home Safe as your car shipping company from Jeddah?
25. Related articles and pages
26. Tags
27. Frequently asked questions about car shipping from Jeddah
28. How much does it cost to ship a car from Jeddah?
29. Is shipping a car from Jeddah cheaper than shipping it from an inland city?
30. Which should I choose for my car: RoRo or a container?
31. I bought a car from a showroom or an auction in Jeddah. Do you collect it from there?
32. How long does a car take from Jeddah until it arrives?
33. What papers are needed to export a car from Jeddah?
34. Can I ship the car while it is under finance or lease?
35. Is the car shipped uncovered on a RoRo vessel?
36. Do you ship motorcycles from Jeddah?
37. Does every country accept a car coming from Saudi Arabia?
38. Can I put belongings inside the car?
39. Do you collect cars from Makkah and Taif?
40. How is an electric or hybrid car shipped from Jeddah?
41. What does insurance on a shipped car cover?
42. Can you handle everything while I am away from Jeddah?

Departure points: Jeddah Islamic Port, King Abdulaziz Airport and the road carriers’ yard · Methods: road carrier, RoRo, container, air · Transit time: from two days by road to 45 days by sea.

Who ships a car from Jeddah?

Jeddah is a car market and a port in one city, which is why the customers for this service here differ from those of any other city. There is the trader who buys from showrooms to export to Africa, the resident whose contract has ended and who is taking his car home, the student going abroad who does not want to sell in a hurry, and the enthusiast sending a restored old car to a show. Each has his destinations and his method:

Car owner	Usual destinations	Most suitable method
Export trader buying from Jeddah showrooms	West and North Africa and Sudan	RoRo in batches or 40ft containers
Resident returning home	Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and the Maghreb	Road carrier or RoRo
Employee moving to a Gulf state	The UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait	Shared open carrier
Student or person moving to Europe	The UK, France, Belgium and Spain	RoRo or shared container
Owner of a luxury or classic car	Gulf shows and European auctions	Enclosed carrier, container or aircraft
Motorcycle owner	Any destination	A base inside an enclosed vehicle or a container

Jeddah’s advantage in car shipping

A car owner in an inland city pays for two things before his car gets near the sea: a carrier to the coast, and days lost waiting for it. In Jeddah both fall away. The port and the airport are inside the city, and the car usually moves from the front of the house or from the showroom to the preparation yard the same day, so it catches the first vessel to its destination. Jeddah Islamic Port is the Kingdom’s largest port on the Red Sea, called at by container lines and roll-on roll-off vessels bound for the Mediterranean, Europe and the coasts of Africa.

• Close to the quay: from the furthest district in north Jeddah to the port gate is about an hour on the flatbed.
• The buying market is next to the port: whoever buys from a showroom or an auction in Jeddah hands us the car where it stands, without putting road miles on it.
• The airport is in the same city: a car travelling by air reaches the cargo village at King Abdulaziz Airport on a single flatbed.
• The other side: Jeddah is far from the Gulf border posts, so road shipping from here is longer and dearer than from Riyadh, and we say so plainly when quoting.

Anyone wanting to compare with the capital will find it in the article Car Shipping Company from Riyadh.

Ways to ship a car from Jeddah: road, sea and air

The destination chooses the method before you do. A country reached by a paved road from the Kingdom gets the car on a carrier, whatever lies beyond the Red Sea goes by ship, and the aircraft is for those who buy time with money. After the destination come the value and condition of the car: an ordinary running car takes the cheapest method, and a valuable or non-running one takes the most protective.

Method	How the car travels	Time from Jeddah	For whom
Open road carrier	With other cars on two decks	2–8 days	The Gulf and Jordan, everyday cars
Enclosed road carrier	Inside a padded box	2–8 days	Luxury, sports and classic cars
RoRo	Driven onto the ship’s car deck	15–45 days	A running car to a port with a car terminal
20ft or 40ft container	Secured inside a sealed container	18–55 days	Valuable cars, non-runners and cars shipped with belongings
Air	On a pallet inside a cargo aircraft	3–7 days	Urgent and high-value cars and motorcycles

The service in general is explained on the car shipping page, and the full picture for every Saudi city is in the article Car Shipping from Saudi Arabia.

Car shipping destinations from Jeddah: route, time and price

This table is for the road destinations, and its prices are for a saloon on a shared carrier from Jeddah to the main delivery city. They are the same figures as in the article for each route, so anyone wanting the detail of the border post, customs and cities can open the article linked to the destination.

Destination	Route from Jeddah	Time	Price starts from	Detail
Bahrain	Riyadh then the King Fahd Causeway, about 1,400 km	2–6 days	SAR 1,010	Jeddah → Bahrain
Qatar	Al-Ahsa then Salwa – Abu Samra, about 1,500 km	3–7 days	SAR 2,020	Cars Jeddah → Qatar
UAE	Batha – Ghuwaifat, about 2,000 km to Dubai	4–6 days	SAR 2,350	Cars Jeddah → UAE
Kuwait	Qassim and Hafar al-Batin then Raq’i, about 1,500 km	3–8 days	SAR 2,300	Jeddah → Kuwait
Jordan	Madinah and Tabuk then Halat Ammar, about 1,300 km to Amman	3–7 days	SAR 2,300	Jeddah → Jordan
Iraq	Jadidat Arar, about 1,770 km to Baghdad	5–14 days	SAR 3,200	Jeddah → Iraq
Oman	The Empty Quarter crossing or the Batha road, about 2,300 km to Muscat	5–8 days	SAR 3,500	Jeddah → Oman

What is shipped by sea from Jeddah Islamic Port is gathered in the second table. The time in it runs from collection of the car to its release from the port of arrival, and the RoRo price is for a saloon from quay to quay:

Destination	Method	Time	Price starts from	Detail
Turkey: Mersin and Istanbul	RoRo or container	15–25 days	RoRo SAR 2,800, and a 20ft container SAR 4,600	Cars Jeddah → Turkey
UK: Southampton	RoRo or container	22–35 days	RoRo SAR 2,800, confirmed per sailing	Cars Jeddah → UK
France and Belgium	RoRo or container	25–45 days	RoRo SAR 2,800 to the port	France · Belgium
Spain	RoRo or container	18–30 days	RoRo SAR 2,800 to the port	Cars Saudi Arabia → Spain
Morocco: Casablanca and Tangier	RoRo or container	20–40 days	RoRo SAR 2,800, and a private 20ft container SAR 10,100	Cars Saudi Arabia → Morocco
Egypt	Lorry then ferry, or by sea	7–15 days	Set on request	Shipping to Egypt
Sudan and Djibouti	RoRo or container	10–25 days	Set on request	According to the port and the sailing
West Africa: Cotonou, Abidjan, Nouakchott and Dakar	RoRo or container, usually with transhipment	30–55 days	Set on request	Benin · Ivory Coast
United States, Canada and Australia	Closed container	4–8 weeks	Set on request	After checking the specifications

All destinations with their cities and ports are on the shipping destinations page.

How long car shipping from Jeddah takes, stage by stage

The days quoted for any destination are a sum of stages, and the longest is not always the journey itself. By road the car waits for the carrier’s load to be complete, and by sea it waits for the vessel’s date and then its turn at the port of arrival.

Stage	Road shipping	Sea shipping
Export certificate from the traffic department	One to 3 days, depending on the record	One to 3 days, depending on the record
Collection and preparation in Jeddah	The same day	One to two days before the sailing closes
The road or the voyage	A day and a half to 4 days	5–30 days, depending on the port
Border post or port of arrival	Hours to a day	3–7 days of clearance
Delivery to the address	On the day of arrival or the next	One to 3 days after release

What lengthens the time?

• A traffic fine or a lien that shows up on the day the export request is submitted.
• Missing the vessel’s cut-off, so the car waits a week or two for the next sailing.
• Transhipment at an intermediate port, which is usual to West Africa and some European ports.
• The Hajj and Ramadan seasons, when Jeddah’s roads fill up and pressure on the port increases.
• A document missing on the consignee’s side in the destination country, such as the import permit or proof of residence.

Times for the other services are on the transit times page.

Car shipping prices from Jeddah

The price we write for you covers what lies between two defined points: by road, from the collection yard in Jeddah to the delivery address, and by sea, from the port yard in Jeddah to the yard of the port of arrival. What comes before and after are items called by their names: the flatbed from your home, the traffic department fee, insurance, and then the customs duties and taxes of the destination country, which are paid there at their actual value.

Service	Price starts from	Note
Saloon by road to Bahrain	SAR 1,010	A 4×4 from SAR 1,470, and enclosed from SAR 3,220
Saloon by road to Qatar	SAR 2,020	4×4 from SAR 2,570
Enclosed carrier to Qatar	SAR 3,860	For luxury and sports cars
Saloon by road to the UAE	SAR 2,350	Open carrier as far as Dubai
Car by road to Kuwait or Jordan	SAR 2,300	Inside a carrier
Car by road to Iraq	SAR 3,200	After confirming the model is accepted
Car by road to Oman	SAR 3,500	As far as Muscat
Saloon by RoRo from Jeddah port	SAR 2,800	To nearby ports; a 4×4 by its dimensions
20ft container for one car	SAR 4,600	To Turkey and nearby ports
40ft container for two cars	SAR 5,200	Split between the two cars
Moving a car from Jeddah to Riyadh	SAR 830	Shared domestic carrier
Motorcycle, non-running car and air freight	Set on request	By size, weight and destination

Prices quoted in the market: most of what is published about Jeddah concerns domestic transport: moving a car to Riyadh is advertised at between SAR 900 and 1,200, and prices inside the Kingdom starting from SAR 350 to 500 for short distances. For export a wide range of SAR 3,000 to 10,000 is mentioned depending on the destination, along with port fees of SAR 500 to 1,000 and an export certificate fee of about SAR 100. So when you compare, ask where each figure starts and where it ends.

Factor	Its effect on the price from Jeddah
Destination	Near sea is cheaper than far road: Mersin costs a car less than Muscat
Shipping method	Open carrier and RoRo at the bottom, then container and enclosed carrier, then the aircraft
Dimensions of the car	RoRo is charged by length, width and height, and the carrier by the space taken
Inland haul	Small inside Jeddah, and added from Makkah, Taif and Rabigh
Condition of the car	A non-runner cannot go by RoRo and needs a winch or a container
Destination-country charges	Outside the shipping price, and we estimate them for you beforehand so you know the total

How do you bring the cost down?

• Deliver the car to the preparation yard yourself if you are in Jeddah, and the flatbed fare drops off.
• Choose RoRo if your car runs and your destination port receives its vessels.
• Share a 40ft container with another car going to the same port.
• Collect your car from the port of arrival within its free days, since port storage is charged by the day.

What goes into the cost of any shipment is explained on the pricing factors page.

Shipping cars by road from Jeddah to the Gulf and neighbouring countries

A carrier leaving Jeddah for the Gulf climbs to Taif and then takes the Riyadh road, and from there it branches: east to the King Fahd Causeway, south-east to Salwa and Batha, and north-east to Hafar al-Batin and Raq’i. Jordan is an entirely different road: north through Madinah and Tabuk to the Halat Ammar crossing. That is why a car going to Amman and another going to Dubai never share one carrier, and each direction has its own departure date.

Country	Saudi border post	Opposite post
Bahrain	King Fahd Causeway	The customs island on the causeway
Qatar	Salwa	Abu Samra
UAE	Batha	Ghuwaifat
Kuwait	Raq’i or Khafji	Salmi or Nuwaiseeb
Oman	The Empty Quarter, or Batha then the UAE	Ramlat Khaliya, or the UAE – Oman posts
Jordan	Halat Ammar	Mudawwara
Iraq	Jadidat Arar	Arar on the Iraqi side

On the carrier the car is secured in one way whatever its type: lashed at all four wheels with webbing straps, the gearbox in park, and the handbrake on. No strap goes round an axle or an arm, because tension on suspension parts over a thousand kilometres upsets their alignment. The open carrier takes up to eight cars and leaves when its load is complete, the enclosed one is a box for one to three cars on a booked date, and the single-car flatbed is for whoever wants his car alone on a day he chooses.

Syria and Lebanon are reached by road through Jordan, and the state of their crossings changes, so we confirm the available route before shipping. Details of the road service are on the land freight page.

Sea freight for cars from Jeddah by RoRo and container

Everything a road does not reach leaves through Jeddah Islamic Port, and the port is inside Jeddah, not outside it. A car has two ways through it. With RoRo a port driver takes it from the yard, and it is driven to the ship uncovered over a stern ramp, then parked on a roofed deck with its wheels lashed to rings in the floor. With a container the car enters a steel box at the preparation yard, is secured with straps and timber chocks, and is locked in with a numbered seal that is broken only in front of the consignee or customs.

Point of comparison	RoRo	Container
Condition of the car	It must run, drive and stop	Any condition, even non-running and damaged
Cover	Not covered, as it is driven on and off	Not needed, as the container is locked
Belongings with it	Not allowed	Allowed around the car with a packing list
Price	The lowest, starting from SAR 2,800 for a saloon	20ft from SAR 4,600, and 40ft from SAR 5,200
Ports	Those with a car terminal	Every container port
Suits	An ordinary used car and trade batches	Luxury cars, classics and a car with luggage

RoRo is not limited to passenger cars: lorries, buses and plant that move on their own wheels board the ship the same way and are priced by their dimensions. Anyone wanting more on sea alone will find it in the article Sea Car Shipping from Jeddah, and the two methods are explained on the RoRo car shipping and container car shipping pages.

From Jeddah port to Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australia

Africa is the busiest of the car routes out of Jeddah, and most of its customers are traders sending batches to Cotonou, Abidjan, Nouakchott and Dakar, and to Port Sudan and Djibouti on the opposite shore. Europe comes next, and its customers are individuals moving to live or study. The United States, Canada and Australia are destinations of little demand and many conditions, and the closed container is their usual way. In each region one condition settles acceptance before any talk of price:

Region	Usual ports of arrival	The condition we check first
North Africa	Alexandria, Misrata, Rades, Casablanca	The age of the car and the status of the returning owner
West Africa	Cotonou, Abidjan, Nouakchott, Dakar, Tema	The age limit and the cargo tracking note required in some of them
East Africa	Mombasa, Dar es Salaam	Right-hand drive is a condition for registration in Kenya and Tanzania
Turkey and southern Europe	Mersin, Genoa, Barcelona, Marseille	The type of entry: temporary or permanent import
Northern Europe and the UK	Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Southampton	The conformity test, the duty and the tax
United States and Canada	East Coast ports	Conformity with local specifications, or a car beyond a set age
Australia and New Zealand	Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland	Prior import approval and complete quarantine cleanliness

Destinations in Australia and New Zealand have a step found nowhere else: a quarantine wash before sailing. The underbody, the wheel arches and the engine bay are washed with pressurised water and steam until no soil, seeds or plant remains are left, because agricultural quarantine there has a dirty car cleaned again at its owner’s expense. Left-hand drive is restricted in both countries, so no car is booked before its import approval is issued. For those interested in Nouakchott there is the article Shipping from Jeddah to Nouakchott.

Types of vehicle we ship from Jeddah

We ask about the model, the year of manufacture and any modification before recommending a method. A lifted car on wide tyres may not pass through the door of a standard container, a low sports car cannot climb the ramp of an ordinary carrier, and an electric car has conditions with some lines. These are the types that pass through our hands most, and what suits each:

Vehicle	By road	By sea
Saloon and hatchback	Open carrier	RoRo
4×4 and family car	The carrier’s lower deck	RoRo by dimensions, or a high-cube container
Sports and luxury car	Enclosed carrier with a lift platform	Container
Classic	Enclosed carrier	Container
Pickup and van	Open carrier or flatbed	RoRo
Lorries, buses and plant	Low-bed or trailer	RoRo
Motorcycle	A base inside an enclosed vehicle	A wooden crate inside a container
Non-running car	Winch then flatbed	Container only

Jeddah has enthusiasts of old and sports cars who know the worth of what they own, and their cars have a way of handling that is not cut short. Loading is on a level lift platform or long shallow ramps, not on a steep incline. The straps are wide and on the tyres alone, with a guard between them and the rim. The cover is a fabric that lets air through, so that the coast’s humidity is not trapped beneath it. The record is on video, the insurance is at the declared market value, and the details of the car and its owner are neither posted on the container nor mentioned to anyone who does not need them. Heavy equipment has its own page: heavy equipment shipping.

Car inspection, photo report and export paperwork in Jeddah

Before the car moves from where it stands, two things happen together: its condition is fixed in photographs, and its papers are reviewed. It is photographed inside and out: the four sides, the roof, the wheels, under the two bumpers, the seats, the dashboard and the odometer reading, and every old scratch close up. From these a condition report is written, signed by you or your representative, and a copy reaches you. We review the papers before loading, not after, because a car that reaches the border post or the port with a paper missing stands there at its own expense.

The most important paper is the export certificate from the traffic department. A car registered in the Kingdom does not leave it for good until its record is closed, and the request is filed in the name of the owner shown on the registration card or his agent. Some steps are done through the online platforms and some by visiting the traffic department, and which are available changes, so we tell you the procedure in force on the day of your request. Their usual order in Jeddah:

Step	What it requires
Clearing the record	Payment of every fine on the car and its owner
Releasing the lien	A release or a no-objection letter from the financier
Export request	A valid registration card, ID or residence permit and passport
Matching the chassis number	The car present and its number legible
Surrendering the plates	The two original plates
Export certificate and plates	The traffic department fee, about SAR 100
Customs declaration	Submitted at the port or the border post

Once the plates are surrendered the car is given a limited period to leave the Kingdom, and it may be driven on the streets only within what the export plates allow. That is why nothing is surrendered until the booking is confirmed. A resident leaving on a final exit finishes exporting his car first, since the rule in force is that his visa is not issued while a vehicle is on his record.

Inside the preparation yard near Jeddah port

Between collection of the car and its boarding the ship lie a day or two in the preparation yard, and in them the work is done that its owner does not see. The aim is for the car to enter the port meeting the shipping line’s conditions at the first check, because a car turned back at the quay gate misses the sailing.

1. A second round of photographs added to the collection photographs, after washing the car if it arrived dusty.
2. A short technical check: fuel at about a quarter of a tank, a battery that turns the engine, and no oil or water leak.
3. Emptying the cabin and the boot, leaving only the spare wheel, the jack and the tool kit.
4. For a container: driving the car in, lashing it by its wheels, fixing the chocks, and separating any accompanying belongings with a partition.
5. For RoRo: moving it to the fenced port yard and handing it over with a report to the terminal operator.
6. For destinations that require it: the quarantine wash under the body and in the wheel arches.

What is asked of you before that is little: a clean car, a tank that is not full, and one key. The rest is in the car shipping guide.

Car shipping documents and what is not accepted

The same file serves the traffic department and Saudi customs and then the customs of the destination country, so every gap in it shows up three times. We ask for clear copies first and review them, then the originals are handed over with the car. And the rule without exception: the name on the registration card is the name on the ID is the name on the bill of lading, letter for letter.

Document	Its source
Valid car registration card	The traffic department
The owner’s ID or residence permit and passport	The owner
Export certificate	The traffic department
Sale contract or invoice	The showroom or the seller
Power of attorney or authorisation to export	The owner
No-objection letter	The finance company
The consignee’s details and ID	The consignee
What the destination country requires	Its competent authorities

And the car is not loaded in these cases until they are dealt with:

• Unpaid fines or a standing lien, since the traffic department will not issue it a certificate.
• Personal belongings or goods in the cabin on a carrier or in RoRo.
• A full tank, or extra fuel cans, gas cylinders and batteries inside it.
• Weapons or prohibited substances, for which the owner answers to customs.
• A car the destination country bars for its age, its steering side or its classification, even if its papers here are complete.

The general lists are on the shipping documents and prohibited items pages.

Does the destination country accept your car? The eligibility check before payment

The costliest mistake in this business is an excellent car arriving at a port that will not register it. Countries count age from the year of manufacture, not the year of registration, distinguish between a returning resident and a trader, and change their rules without wide announcement. That is why we check the acceptance of the car free of charge before any payment, from three details only: the model, the year of manufacture and the status of the consignee. What is in the table is the rule in force, and we confirm what applies to each car before shipping:

Destination	The main condition	Note
Gulf states	A duty of 5% of the value, and an age limit in some	The UAE ten years, Oman seven and Qatar five
Jordan	No older than five years from manufacture	Electric cars three, and damaged cars are barred
Lebanon	No older than eight years	The land route is confirmed before shipping
Turkey	Temporary entry for those resident abroad, on conditions	Permanent import is heavily restricted
European Union and the UK	Duty, tax and a conformity test	Relief for transfer of residence, on conditions of prior ownership
Algeria, Morocco and Ivory Coast	An age limit: three years, five and five	And special treatment for returnees in some
Kenya, Tanzania and Australia	Right-hand drive is the norm	A Saudi car is restricted or only transits
United States and Canada	Local specifications or an old car	A recent non-conforming car is not accepted

Not every departure is an export. Whoever travels with his car and returns with it does not surrender its plates but takes it out temporarily, and in many countries outside the Gulf he needs a customs carnet that guarantees its return. It is explained on the triptik carnet page, and clearance on the customs clearance page.

Collecting cars from Jeddah’s showrooms and auctions

Many of the cars we ship have never been driven a single metre by their new owner. He bought the car from a showroom or an auction yard in Jeddah while in another country, or bought it here to sell it there. In that case we are his eyes on the spot: we collect, photograph, transport and complete the papers.

• Before buying: send the details of the car you intend to buy, and we reply whether it is accepted in your country and how much of its permitted age remains.
• On collection: the sale contract, an authorisation from you, and a condition report written in front of the showroom’s representative.
• Transfer of ownership: the car is exported in the name of its owner on the registration card, so it is transferred to you or your agent first, or the seller exports it in his name to a consignee you name.
• Batches: for a trader, one list of chassis numbers and a price per car that falls as the number rises.

A case that recurs: a trader asks to ship three cars bought from a showroom in Jeddah to Abidjan. The acceptance check shows that one of them has passed the age limit in force there for a private car by a few months. The two cars are shipped in a 40ft container, and the third is sold in Jeddah or redirected to the port of a country that accepts it. Had all three boarded the ship, he would have paid for the third the fare out, then port storage, then the fare to bring it back.

Insurance and documentation: four layers of protection

No single paper protects the car; four do, each completing the others.

• The contract: it names the starting point and the end point, what the price covers and what it does not, and the expected time.
• The photographic record: the collection photographs and the signed condition report. We encourage you to photograph your car with your own phone as well before handing it over.
• The transport document: the sea or air waybill in your name or the consignee’s, or the road consignment note. It is your proof against the carrier, and with it customs releases the car.
• Insurance: optional, at the value you declare. We recommend it for every valuable car and for every journey that crosses an ocean or involves transhipment.

On delivery the car is matched against the report item by item before signing, and any remark is written on the delivery sheet itself. Details are on the cargo insurance page.

Air freight for cars from Jeddah

The aircraft cuts weeks down to days, and the price of that is several times the sea fare. It is asked for by the owner of a sports car who wants it at a show on a fixed date, by a racing team, by a buyer who cannot wait for a ship, and by a motorcyclist setting out on a long tour. The service is for cars and motorcycles alike, and leaves from King Abdulaziz International Airport for the Gulf, Europe and elsewhere. The vehicle is handed over at the cargo village, lashed by its wheels to a metal pallet, and lifted into the hold of a cargo aircraft. From handover to release at the arrival airport, 3 to 7 days usually pass.

• Classification: a vehicle with an engine is treated in aviation as dangerous goods, and a special declaration is prepared for it and signed by a certified specialist.
• Fuel: the rule in force is no more than a quarter of a tank, and some airlines ask for less.
• Battery: it is secured and its terminals insulated, and electric and hybrid cars have additional conditions set by the carrier.
• Motorcycle: shipped on a base or inside a crate, and it is the cheapest vehicle to fly.
• Price: set on request by weight, dimensions, destination and flight date.

The export papers by air are the same as otherwise: the traffic department certificate and the customs declaration, and clearance takes place at the arrival airport. What concerns non-vehicles is on the air freight page.

Collecting cars from Jeddah’s districts and the Kingdom’s cities

A hydraulic flatbed comes to wherever the car stands, and the driver calls before he arrives. In towers with basement parking the car comes out to the street, because the flatbed does not go down under a low ceiling, and in the narrow old districts a short flatbed is sent.

Area	Districts and towns	Note
North Jeddah	North and South Obhur, Al-Shati, Al-Mohammadiyah, Al-Naeem, Al-Basateen	Closer to the airport
Central Jeddah	Al-Rawdah, Al-Zahra, Al-Andalus, Al-Hamra, Al-Sharafiyah, Al-Salamah	Tower parking, with collection from the street
East Jeddah	Al-Safa, Al-Marwah, Al-Samer, Al-Naseem, Al-Hamdaniyah	A direct exit to the motorway
South Jeddah	Al-Balad, Al-Kandarah, Al-Jamiah, Al-Khumrah, Al-Sanabel	Closer to the port, and a short flatbed for the alleys
North of the governorate	Dhahban, Thuwal, Rabigh, Khulais	A slot booked two days ahead
Nearby cities	Makkah, Bahrah, Taif	The difference in distance is added

And a car that is not in Jeddah gets to it. We move cars from Riyadh, Dammam, Madinah, Abha and Tabuk to Jeddah port on domestic carriers, and take an imported car from the port back to its owner’s city. Moving a car between Jeddah and Riyadh starts from SAR 830 on a shared carrier, and the other cities are priced on request. The address-to-address service is on the door to door page.

Steps for shipping a car from Jeddah

The order matters more than the speed. The first two steps happen before any financial commitment, the third and fourth are timed with the sailing or departure date, and what follows is ours.

1. You send the model, the year of manufacture, a photo of the registration card, the destination and the status of the consignee to 0552803439.
2. We check that the destination country accepts the car, and set out the available methods with the price and time of each.
3. You pay the fines and bring the financier’s letter if there is one, and we book a place on the carrier, the vessel or the aircraft.
4. The export certificate is obtained and the plates are surrendered on a date close to loading.
5. We collect the car from your home or the showroom, and the report is written and the car photographed.
6. The car is prepared in the yard, the customs declaration is submitted, and it is loaded.
7. The transport document reaches you, then an update at every stage: the border post, the sailing, the transhipment or the arrival.
8. Our agent or your broker clears it in the destination country, and the consignee matches the car against the report and signs.

By sea the car is followed by the bill of lading or container number, and by road through messages from the driver and the clearing agent at each border post. Days before the vessel arrives we notify the consignee to prepare his papers, because free days at ports are few and a daily charge follows. Follow-up is on the shipment tracking page.

Importing a car into Jeddah: the reverse direction

The port that cars leave from is also the one they come in through. We collect the car from Dubai, Istanbul or a European port, ship it to Jeddah Islamic Port or by road through the border posts, clear it and deliver it in Jeddah or in any city in the Kingdom. The Saudi conditions are checked before buying: the rule in force is that a used light vehicle is no more than five years old, that it conforms to Saudi specifications and carries a fuel-economy label, and that it is not written off or flood-damaged. Customs duty is 5% of the value, with 15% value added tax. We confirm what currently applies to your car before it is loaded in its country.

Tips before shipping your car from Jeddah

These are notes from cars that passed through our hands in Jeddah specifically, not general advice that fits any city:

• Time the purchase with the sailing: whoever buys from the showroom three days before the vessel pays less than whoever buys three weeks before it.
• Do not book in the week of Hajj or the last ten days of Ramadan if you can help it, as flatbed movement between the districts and the port slows down.
• Wash the car before it is photographed, since Jeddah’s dust and humidity hide small scratches.
• If your destination is Australia or New Zealand, ask for the quarantine wash with the booking, not a day before sailing.
• Name the consignee in the destination country before sailing, because changing the name on the bill of lading afterwards costs a fee and time.

A specialist company or a passing carrier? How to choose

In a port city many offer “car shipping”: a flatbed owner, a middleman who books by phone, and a company with a yard and clearing agents. All three get the car to the port gate, and the difference shows after it:

Item	A specialist	A non-specialist carrier
First question	To which country, and what year of manufacture	When do you want the flatbed
Acceptance in the destination country	Checked before payment	Left to the car owner
Documentation	A report and photographs with a copy for you	A photo or two on a mobile
Price	Named items with a start and an end	One figure with no breakdown
After arrival	An agent who clears and delivers	His part ends at the port
Legal standing	A commercial registration and an address	A mobile number

Common mistakes when shipping cars from Jeddah

Seven mistakes we see repeated, most of them made before we are consulted:

• Buying a car for export from the showroom and then asking whether the buyer’s country accepts it.
• Surrendering the plates before the vessel booking is fixed, so the exit period runs out with the car still in Jeddah.
• Choosing RoRo for a port with no car terminal, or for a car that does not start.
• Filling the boot with suitcases on a RoRo or road-carrier shipment.
• Comparing a door-to-door price with a port-to-port price as if they were one thing.
• Leaving the car at the port of arrival until storage piles up because the consignee did not prepare his papers.
• Shipping a valuable car uninsured, relying on the carrier’s limited liability.

Why Home Safe as your car shipping company from Jeddah?

Because we are in Jeddah: the port, the airport, the preparation yard and the city’s traffic department all lie within one day’s working range. And because the first question with us is about the acceptance of the car, not the flatbed’s appointment.

And you can order in three ways: a direct call, a WhatsApp message with the car’s details and photographs, or the website form.

To book: 0552803439 by call or WhatsApp, from 7 am to 11 pm. Or from the request a quote page.

Related articles and pages

• Car Shipping from Saudi Arabia
• Car Shipping Company from Riyadh
• Sea Car Shipping from Jeddah
• Car Shipping Company from Saudi Arabia to Turkey
• International Shipping Companies in Jeddah
• Ports and gateways

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Frequently asked questions about car shipping from Jeddah

How much does it cost to ship a car from Jeddah?

The destination decides before anything else. By road on a shared carrier: Bahrain from SAR 1,010, Qatar from SAR 2,020, the UAE from SAR 2,350, Kuwait and Jordan from SAR 2,300, Iraq from SAR 3,200 and Oman from SAR 3,500. By sea from Jeddah Islamic Port: a saloon by RoRo from SAR 2,800, and a 20ft container for one car from SAR 4,600. Air freight is set on request. Send the type of car and the destination to 0552803439.

Is shipping a car from Jeddah cheaper than shipping it from an inland city?

For sea destinations, usually yes. A car in Jeddah is a drive across town from the quay, so you pay no carrier to haul it hundreds of kilometres to the coast and lose no day or two on the road. To the Gulf it is the other way round: Jeddah is the furthest of the Kingdom’s big cities from the eastern border posts, so the road fare from here is higher than from Riyadh or Dammam.

Which should I choose for my car: RoRo or a container?

RoRo is for an ordinary car that runs and can be driven, and it costs least. A container is for a luxury car, a classic or a non-runner, for anyone shipping belongings with the car, and for a port that RoRo vessels do not call at.

I bought a car from a showroom or an auction in Jeddah. Do you collect it from there?

Yes. We need a copy of the sale contract or invoice, an authorisation from you, and the name of whoever hands us the key. The flatbed goes to the showroom or the auction yard, the condition report is written there, and the car is moved to the preparation yard.

How long does a car take from Jeddah until it arrives?

By road: two to 6 days to Bahrain, 3 to 8 days to Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait and Jordan, and up to 14 days to Iraq on a shared carrier. By sea: 15 to 25 days to Turkey, 25 to 45 days to northern Europe, and 30 to 55 days to West Africa. By air, 3 to 7 days including clearance.

What papers are needed to export a car from Jeddah?

A valid registration card in your name, your ID or residence permit and your passport, and a car free of fines and liens. With these the export request goes to the traffic department, the plates are handed in and the export certificate is issued. Added to them are the consignee’s details in the destination country and whatever that country asks for, such as an import permit or a pre-shipment inspection.

Can I ship the car while it is under finance or lease?

The traffic department does not issue an export certificate for a car under lien. What is needed first is a release from the bank or finance company, or a no-objection letter that explicitly mentions export. Start with it before booking the carrier or the vessel.

Is the car shipped uncovered on a RoRo vessel?

It is driven to the ship uncovered, because it climbs the ramp under its own power with a driver looking out, and a cover would block the view and catch in the wheels. Once aboard, though, it stands on a roofed deck inside the ship, lashed by its wheels, so neither sea spray nor sun reaches it until it comes off at the port of arrival.

Do you ship motorcycles from Jeddah?

Yes, by road, sea and air. The motorcycle is fixed upright on a wooden or metal base, strapped at the handlebars and the frame, and surrounded by a protective frame. Its price is set on request according to its size and the destination.

Does every country accept a car coming from Saudi Arabia?

No. Cars in the Kingdom are left-hand drive and built to Gulf specifications, and each country has its condition: an age limit in Jordan, Oman, Lebanon, Algeria and Ivory Coast, restrictions on left-hand drive in Kenya and Australia, and special specifications in the United States and Canada. We check this free of charge before you pay anything.

Can I put belongings inside the car?

On a road carrier and in RoRo, no: the car travels empty apart from its spare wheel and tool kit. In a container belongings can be shipped with it, but around the car and not inside it, and with a packing list presented to customs. Any undeclared item holds up the clearance of the car.

Do you collect cars from Makkah and Taif?

Yes. Makkah, Bahrah, Taif, Rabigh, Khulais and Thuwal are on the collection rounds, and the car is brought from them on a flatbed to the preparation yard in Jeddah, or joins the road carrier on its way east if it is bound for the Gulf.

How is an electric or hybrid car shipped from Jeddah?

Its type is stated at booking, because shipping lines and airlines have conditions for large batteries. The battery is charged partly, not fully, and the car is handed over with no faults or warnings on its screen, together with its charging cable. Some lines restrict acceptance, so we confirm what is available before booking.

What does insurance on a shipped car cover?

Total and partial damage and loss from the moment of collection to delivery, according to the wording of the policy. It is written for the value of the car that you declare, and its premium is a percentage of that. Without it the carrier’s liability is limited to what the transport document states.

Can you handle everything while I am away from Jeddah?

Yes, with a power of attorney or an authorisation that mentions exporting the car. We check the fines, follow up the export certificate, collect the car from whoever you name, and send you the report, the photographs and the bill of lading.