Car Shipping Company from Saudi Arabia to Spain 0552803439 | RoRo & Container to Barcelona and Valencia, Door Delivery

Home Safe is a car shipping company from Saudi Arabia to Spain that collects your car from your city in the Kingdom, completes its export certificate, sails it from Jeddah Islamic Port to Barcelona or Valencia, and then hands it to you in Madrid, Málaga or whichever Spanish city you live in. The sea distance is about 2,500 nautical miles through the Suez Canal, and the door-to-door time is 20 to 32 days. A saloon by RoRo starts from SAR 2,800, while the container, 4x4s and air freight are priced on request once the car is known. To book: 0552803439.

In this guide44ShowHide

1. Who ships a car from Saudi Arabia to Spain?
2. Services of a car shipping company from Saudi Arabia to Spain
3. Shipping cars by sea from Saudi Arabia to Barcelona and Valencia
4. Transit time for shipping a car from Saudi Arabia to Spain
5. Car shipping prices from Saudi Arabia to Spain
6. RoRo or container: how does your car sail?
7. Types of cars we ship to Spain
8. How does the car get from Saudi cities to the port?
9. Preparing the car before handing it over for shipping
10. Car export paperwork and photo report before shipping
11. Spanish customs on a car arriving from Saudi Arabia
12. Transfer-of-residence relief: when does the car enter free of charges?
13. Approval, technical inspection and registering the car in Spain
14. What is not accepted for shipping with the car, or needs attention
15. Temporary tourist entry or permanent import?
16. Insuring the car and tracking it at sea
17. Delivering cars from Saudi Arabia in Madrid, Barcelona and Málaga
18. Shipping cars for individuals, companies, government bodies and embassies
19. Is a car shipped to Spain by land?
20. Air freight for cars from Saudi Arabia to Spain
21. Steps for shipping your car from Saudi Arabia to Spain
22. Shipping cars from Spain to Saudi Arabia
23. Tips before shipping a car to Spain
24. How do you choose a car shipping company to Spain?
25. Common mistakes in shipping cars to Spain
26. Why Home Safe as your car shipping company from Saudi Arabia to Spain?
27. Related articles and pages
28. Tags
29. Frequently asked questions about car shipping from Saudi Arabia to Spain
30. How much does it cost to ship a car from Saudi Arabia to Spain?
31. How many days does a car need to get from Saudi Arabia to Spain?
32. Which suits my car better: RoRo or a container?
33. Which Spanish port is the car shipped to: Barcelona or Valencia?
34. How much does a car pay in charges on entering Spain?
35. Am I exempt from customs if I move to live in Spain?
36. Can a car built to Gulf specifications be registered in Spain?
37. What does the traffic department require before the car is exported from the Kingdom?
38. Can I put my belongings inside a car shipped to Spain?
39. My car is still on instalments. Can I ship it?
40. Do you collect the car from Riyadh, Dammam and the other cities?
41. Can the car be shipped to Spain by air?
42. Can I drive my car in Spain on its Saudi plates without importing it?
43. Is the car insured at sea?
44. Do you ship a classic car, a car that does not run, or a motorcycle?

Route: Jeddah Islamic Port → Suez Canal → Mediterranean → Barcelona or Valencia · Method: RoRo or container, and air for urgent cars · Transit time: 20–32 days.

Who ships a car from Saudi Arabia to Spain?

Spain is not a car-trading destination like the Gulf states, so whoever ships there is usually shipping their own car. Most are Saudis who own a home on the Costa del Sol and spend the summer in it, and after them come European and Spanish residents who have finished their contracts in the Kingdom and are going back with a car they bought here. Then come students and people on secondment, and classic car enthusiasts taking part in events there. Each of them has a method that suits and a different customs position:

The owner	What they ship	The method that suits	Their position at Spanish customs
Owner of a summer home in Marbella or Alicante	The family car for the summer season	RoRo out and back	Temporary entry on its Saudi plates
A European resident returning from the Kingdom	The car they have used for years	RoRo, or a container with their belongings	Transfer-of-residence relief on its conditions
A Saudi moving for work or study	One personal car	RoRo to the port nearest their city	Relief if the conditions are met, otherwise duty and tax
Owner of a luxury or sports car	A high-value car	A private container or air freight	According to how long it stays
A classic car enthusiast	A car more than thirty years old	A locked container	Treatment of historic vehicles
A company or an official body	Cars for a delegation or an exhibition	A 40ft container or more	According to the status of the body and its letters

Services of a car shipping company from Saudi Arabia to Spain

Shipping a car to a European country is a job with two ends: one in the Kingdom that finishes when the car boards the ship, and one in Spain that starts on the quay and does not finish until there are Spanish plates or a temporary entry permit. We handle both ends, and before booking we give you a full picture of what you will pay here and there. This is what the service covers:

• Collection: a flatbed takes the car from your home in any Saudi city to our yard in Jeddah.
• The export file: a check of the registration card, the fines and the lien, and follow-up of the export certificate until it is issued.
• Sea booking: a place on a RoRo vessel, or a private or shared container, according to the car and the port of arrival.
• Clearance in Spain: a customs agent lodges the declaration and applies for the relief for those entitled to it.
• Delivery: a car carrier from the port to your address, or you collect it from the quay if you wish.
• Guidance after arrival: what is needed for approval, technical inspection and registration, and who does it in your city.

This article is about cars alone. Anyone shipping furniture, parcels or commercial goods along with the car will find their prices and conditions in the article on shipping from Saudi Arabia to Spain, and the general car service on the car shipping page.

Shipping cars by sea from Saudi Arabia to Barcelona and Valencia

Spain is one of the nearest countries in Europe to the port of Jeddah by sea. The ship heads north up the Red Sea, passes through the Suez Canal, then crosses the Mediterranean from east to west as far as the Spanish coast, without going round the continent as ships bound for the northern ports do. Barcelona and Valencia are the two largest ports for cars in Spain, and each has quays and terminals dedicated to vehicles, so the car lands at a port that is used to receiving it.

Stage	Where it takes place	Usual time	What happens in it
Collection and export	Your city, then the regional traffic department	3–6 days	The car is photographed, its plates surrendered and the certificate issued
Handover to the port	Jeddah Islamic Port	One to 3 days before sailing	Export declaration and a check of the chassis number
The sailing	Red Sea, Suez, then the Mediterranean	9–14 days	A direct voyage, or a change of vessel at an intermediate port
Clearance	Barcelona or Valencia	3–6 days	Import declaration and payment of the charges or acceptance of the relief
Delivery	From the port to your city	One to 3 days	A car carrier, an inspection, then the key is handed over

Not every voyage to the western Mediterranean runs direct. Some stop at an intermediate port where the car or the container moves to another ship, which adds days. That is why we promise you neither a port nor a date before we see the schedule of the shipping line for the week of your shipment, and then we fix both for you in the booking confirmation. What concerns the Saudi port is in the article on sea car shipping from Jeddah.

Transit time for shipping a car from Saudi Arabia to Spain

The time that matters to you is not the sailing time but the time between the last day you drive your car in the Kingdom and the first day you see it in Spain. That starts when the car is handed to us, and includes the days at the traffic department, waiting for the vessel and clearance. Anyone moving home plans their travel date around it, so as not to arrive a month before the car or a month after it.

Method	Port to port	Door to door	When it moves
RoRo	9–14 days	20–30 days	According to the car carrier sailings
Private 20ft container	9–14 days	20–32 days	Container sailings are mostly weekly
Shared 40ft container	9–14 days	22–32 days	Once the second car is in
Air freight	Hours of flying	3–6 days	According to an aircraft that accepts the dimensions of the car

What lengthens the time?

• A fine or a lien that shows up when the export certificate is requested, so the car misses its vessel.
• A voyage with a change of vessel instead of a direct one.
• The month of August, when offices and customs agents in Spain take their holidays and work slows.
• Applying for transfer-of-residence relief with incomplete papers, so the car waits in the port and storage is charged on it.
• Customs selecting the car or the container for physical inspection.

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

Car shipping prices from Saudi Arabia to Spain

What you pay for your car to reach Spain comes in three separate parts: the sea freight, then the port and clearance costs in Spain, then the government duties and taxes if you are not exempt. We price the first two for you item by item, and estimate the third with you so that you are not surprised by an amount several times the freight. These are our starting prices:

Service	Price starts from	Note
A saloon by RoRo	SAR 2,800	From Jeddah port to the Spanish port
A 4×4 or pickup by RoRo	Set on request	Calculated on length, width and height
A 20ft container for one car	Set on request	According to the port and the week of shipping
A place in a 40ft container with another car	Set on request	The container fare is split between the two cars
Transport from your city to Jeddah port	Set on request	According to distance and type of flatbed
Clearance and delivery inside Spain	Set on request	According to the port and how far the city is from it
A motorcycle or a car that does not run	Set on request	Inside a container
Air freight for the car	Set on request	By weight and dimensions

Prices quoted in the market: hardly anyone publishes a specific price for this line. What circulates for sea freight of a small car to Spain starts from about SAR 4,500, and for air from about SAR 7,500, with insurance starting from SAR 300, clearance and port fees between SAR 200 and 600, and transport from the port to the city starting from SAR 500. For shipping a car between Europe and the Gulf ports, about USD 1,330 is published for a saloon and USD 1,410 for a 4×4. General guides mention between USD 1,200 and 2,500 for intercontinental RoRo, and between USD 2,500 and 4,500 for a 20ft container. Before you compare, find out whether the figure is for the sea fare alone or includes clearance and delivery.

Factor	Its effect on the price
Dimensions of the car	The RoRo fare is calculated per cubic metre, so a tall, long car pays more
The method	A private container costs more than RoRo, and comes close to it when two share it
Port of arrival	A port with a direct sailing in your week costs less than one that needs a change of vessel
The Spanish city	Madrid is about 360 km from Valencia, and Seville is much further
Your city in the Kingdom	A car coming from Dammam or Tabuk pays for an inland leg that a Jeddah car does not
Condition of the car	One that does not run is not accepted by RoRo and needs a winch and a container
The season	Before the summer, demand rises from owners of summer homes

How do you bring the cost down?

• Choose RoRo if your car is an ordinary one and it runs.
• Bring the car to Jeddah yourself if you are in Makkah, Taif or Madinah.
• Ship to the port nearest your Spanish city, not to the best-known name.
• Collect the car from the quay if you live in Barcelona or Valencia itself.
• Prepare the relief papers before the sailing, as every day of waiting in the port carries storage.

The pricing items are explained on the pricing factors page.

RoRo or container: how does your car sail?

With RoRo, a port worker drives the car up the ramp of the ship to a deck that resembles a multi-storey car park, where it is tied down by its wheels and stays uncovered, with no sheet over it, until it comes off the same way. With a container, the car enters a steel box in our yard and is secured with straps over the tyres and wooden chocks in front of and behind the wheels, then the door is closed with a numbered seal. The first is simpler and cheaper, the second more private and more widely accepted.

Point of comparison	RoRo	Private 20ft container	Shared 40ft container
How it is loaded	Driven into the ship	Driven or winched into the container	Two cars one behind the other
Protection	A closed garage deck inside the ship, with the car visible	A sealed box not opened on the way	A sealed box for two cars
Items inside it	Not allowed	Allowed with a list and a declaration	Allowed with a list for each owner
A car that does not run	Not accepted	Accepted	Accepted
The fare	The lowest	The highest	In between
Suits	Everyday saloons and family cars	Luxury and classic cars	A family with two cars, or two friends

We do not cover a RoRo car with fabric or stick anything on it, as the shipping lines ask for it clean with its numbers visible. Each method is detailed on the RoRo car shipping and container car shipping pages.

Types of cars we ship to Spain

Before we choose the method we ask for three figures: the length of the car, its height and its ground clearance. The height decides the deck of the ship and whether the car fits a standard or a high-cube container, and the clearance decides whether it climbs the ramp without its nose scraping. We ask about the fuel type too, as some lines have requirements for electric and hybrid cars.

The car	Usual method	What we watch for
Saloon and hatchback	RoRo	A quarter tank and a sound battery
4×4 and large family car	RoRo, or a high-cube container	Height with the roof rack
Pickup	RoRo	An empty bed and a fixed cover
Luxury and low sports car	A private container	A long ramp with a gentle slope
Classic	A private container	Its original removable parts
Electric and hybrid	According to the line’s acceptance	Battery charge level and its declaration
Motorcycle	A wooden base inside a container	Draining the fuel and disconnecting the battery

How does the car get from Saudi cities to the port?

Jeddah Islamic Port is the exit for cars bound for Spain because it lies directly on the way to the Suez Canal. For someone living in Jeddah the car is handed to the port the same day, and for someone living in another city the car is first carried to Jeddah on a flatbed or a car carrier.

Your city	How it reaches the port	Approximate distance to Jeddah
Jeddah	A flatbed from the district to the port	Within the city
Makkah and Taif	A single-car flatbed the same day	80–170 km
Madinah and Yanbu	A flatbed or a shared carrier	330–420 km
Riyadh and Al-Kharj	A car carrier via Taif	About 950 km
Buraydah and Unaizah	A car carrier via Madinah	About 900 km
Dammam, Khobar and Jubail	A carrier to Jeddah, or Dammam port if a suitable sailing exists	About 1,300 km
Tabuk	A carrier on the coastal road	About 1,000 km
Abha, Khamis Mushait and Jazan	A carrier on the coast road	650–720 km

The export certificate is issued by the traffic department of the region where the car is registered or where its owner attends, so it is completed before the carrier moves, not in Jeddah. For anyone shipping from the capital or from Jeddah to more than one destination there are the two articles car shipping company in Riyadh and car shipping company in Jeddah.

Preparing the car before handing it over for shipping

The car will stand for three weeks or more without its owner starting it, and it will be driven by workers at two ports who do not know it. So the preparation here has two aims: that it passes the port and customs without a remark, and that it starts first time when it comes off in Spain.

• Wash it outside and underneath, as European ports look at soil and mud stuck to the body.
• Keep about a quarter in the tank, which is what the RoRo lines require.
• Empty the cabin, the boot and the pockets of everything, even the phone charger and the fuel card.
• Check the battery, the tyres and the handbrake, and repair any oil leak before handover.
• Remove loose accessories: a non-original roof rack, a long aerial and window blinds.
• Switch off the alarm, hand over one working key and note the odometer reading.
• Keep a copy of the car’s handbook and its engine data, as they will be asked for at the Spanish approval.

The rest of the guidance is in the car shipping guide.

Car export paperwork and photo report before shipping

A car registered in the Kingdom does not enter the export port until it has left the traffic department’s register. The procedure is called surrendering the plates: the owner hands in the two plates, and an export certificate and temporary plates are issued, enough to move the car to the port. On the same day we prepare our own document: a photo report on the condition of the car signed by the owner, which is what is referred to if a scratch shows up at delivery in Spain.

Step	What is required	Note
Settling the fines	Payment of everything on the car and its owner	The record is checked before the vessel is booked
Releasing the lien	A clearance or a no-objection letter from the lender	For a financed car or one on a finance lease
The export request	A valid registration card and the owner’s ID or residence permit	An agent needs a power of attorney that names export expressly
Handing in the plates	The two original plates	Temporary export plates are issued in their place
The export certificate	The traffic department fee, about SAR 100 under the rule in force	The original travels with the car to both ports
The photo report	Photographs of the four sides, the roof, the interior and the odometer	One copy for you and one with the bill of lading

Some of the traffic department steps are available online and some need a visit, and what is available changes, so we confirm the method in force on the day you ask. A resident leaving on final exit starts with the car before the visa, as the rule in force is that the visa is not issued while a vehicle stands in their name.

After the traffic department, the file is completed with what the two ports ask for. We review all the papers as copies before loading, because one different character in the chassis number between the registration card and the bill of lading holds up clearance in Spain for weeks:

Document	Where from	Where it is asked for
Export certificate and registration card	The traffic department	Jeddah customs, then Spanish customs
The owner’s passport and ID or residence permit	The owner	Both ports
Purchase invoice or sale contract	The owner or the seller	Valuation in Spain
Sea bill of lading	The shipping line, through us	Collecting the car at the port of arrival
Foreigner’s identification number or Spanish ID	The Spanish police	Clearance and registration
Proof of previous residence and municipal registration	The consulate and the town hall	The transfer-of-residence relief application
Technical specifications of the car	The dealer or the car’s handbook	Approval and technical inspection

Each document is explained on the shipping documents page.

Spanish customs on a car arriving from Saudi Arabia

Spain is a member of the European Union, so a car entering it from the Kingdom is treated under the Union tariff and then under Spanish taxes. The rule in force has three layers: a customs duty at the port, value added tax with it, then a registration tax paid before the plates. The value on which the first two are calculated is the price of the car plus the freight and insurance, and customs may assess a price other than the one written on the invoice.

Item	Rule in force	What it is calculated on
Customs duty	10% for cars, and less for motorcycles	The value with freight and insurance
Value added tax	21%	The value and the duty together
Registration tax, up to 120 g/km	Exempt	Carbon dioxide emissions
Registration tax, 121–159 g/km	4.75%	The value of the car in the official tables
Registration tax, 160–199 g/km	9.75%	The value of the car in the official tables
Registration tax, 200 g/km and above	14.75%	The value of the car in the official tables
Annual municipal tax	Differs from one city to another	The fiscal horsepower of the engine

A worked example: a car worth SAR 60,000 with freight of SAR 2,800, so the base for the duty is SAR 62,800. The customs duty is SAR 6,280, and the value added tax on the total is SAR 14,507, so what is paid at the port is SAR 20,787 before the registration tax and the approval costs. Eight-cylinder 4x4s mostly fall in the highest emission bands.

These rates are set by the state, some regions adjust the registration tax bands, and the Canary Islands have another system. So what is in the table is the rule in force, and we confirm what applies to your car before shipping. Clearance procedures are on the customs clearance page.

Transfer-of-residence relief: when does the car enter free of charges?

Anyone who moves their normal place of residence to Spain is entitled to bring their car in as part of their personal effects with no duty and no value added tax, and it is exempt from the registration tax as well. This is the most important thing in the whole file, since the difference between exempt and not exempt is a third of the price of the car or more. The conditions in force:

• Where you lived before: a full year or more outside the Union without a break, which your Saudi iqama and the consular certificate together establish.
• Ownership of the car: in your name and in your use for at least six months before the move, so a car bought weeks before travelling is not exempt.
• Deadline for entry: the car arrives within twelve months of the date of your move.
• Restriction on disposal: it is not sold, hired out or lent for twelve months after it enters.
• Deadline for registration: its registration in Spain is applied for within a short period of starting to use it there, sixty days under the rule in force.

The certificate of termination of residence is requested from the Spanish consulate while you are still in the Kingdom, and anyone who travels without it struggles to make up for it. We remind you of it at the first call, and confirm the conditions in force with you because their application is reviewed.

Approval, technical inspection and registering the car in Spain

The car leaving the port is not the end of the road, as it does not run in Spain on Saudi export plates. Between the quay and the Spanish plates lies an administrative path that takes from three weeks to three months, and the hardest part of it for a car from outside Europe is proving that it conforms to European specifications.

Stage	What happens in it	What concerns a car arriving from the Kingdom
Individual approval	An approved laboratory examines a car that carries no European certificate of conformity	Most Gulf-specification cars need it
The technical sheet	An engineer prepares a short sheet with the car’s data	Engine and emission data are asked for
The changes	Amber rear indicators, a rear fog light, and tyres with the European mark	And tint on the front glass is removed
Import inspection	A technical inspection specific to imported cars at an approved station	It produces the Spanish inspection card
Green plates	Temporary plates on which the car runs during the process	Valid for sixty days under the rule in force
Final registration	The Spanish traffic authority, after the taxes are paid or the relief is proved	It needs a foreigner’s identification number and a registered address

Anyone living in Madrid or Barcelona should note one more thing: both cities have low-emission zones that a car enters only with an environmental label granted according to its emission standard. So an old car with a large engine may be registered and still not enter the city centre. We mention this because it changes the decision to ship for some customers.

What is not accepted for shipping with the car, or needs attention

Refusal comes from three quarters: the Saudi traffic department, which does not export a car with an obligation on it, the shipping line, which has safety conditions, and Spanish customs, which apply European Union rules to what is in the car. Knowing this before handover saves a wasted flatbed trip.

The case	The ruling
A car with fines or a lien	Not exported until they are settled
Belongings inside a RoRo car	Emptied, or the car is switched to a container
Food, meat and dairy in the boot	Taken out, as animal products are banned in personal effects
A full tank, or cans of fuel and oil	The tank is lowered and the cans removed
A car that does not run or has no brakes	Container only, after telling us in advance
A visible leak from the engine or gearbox	Repaired before handover
Weapons, ammunition and prohibited substances	Strictly banned, and the owner is responsible for them

The general list is on the prohibited items page.

Temporary tourist entry or permanent import?

Many of our customers on this line are not moving to Spain but spending the summer there. They need neither to surrender their plates nor to pay charges: the car enters on its Saudi plates temporarily and then goes back. The rule in force in the European Union allows this for someone not resident in it for up to six months in the year, provided that no resident drives it and that it is not sold there.

Point of comparison	Temporary entry	Permanent import
The plates	Saudi, with a valid registration card	Surrendered in the Kingdom and registered in Spain
Duties and taxes	Not collected	Paid, or the relief is applied for
Duration	Up to six months in the year under the rule in force	Permanent
Insurance	A policy covering Spain, bought before collection	A Spanish policy after registration
Approval	Not required	Individual approval and import inspection
Suits	The summer-home owner and the visitor	Someone moving to live there

The owner on temporary entry needs, in the Kingdom, an authorisation for the car to leave and proof that it will return, and we arrange the return booking together with the outward one. For anyone travelling by car to countries that ask for the customs carnet there is an explanation on the triptik page.

Insuring the car and tracking it at sea

On the sea journey the car passes through many hands: the flatbed driver, the worker at Jeddah port, the crew of the ship, the worker at the Spanish port, and the carrier driver there. If a scratch occurs, no one knows whose it was unless every handover has a signature. That is why the condition report travels with the car and is checked at every handover.

• The condition report: a drawing of the car on which every scratch is marked, with dated photographs and the odometer reading.
• The shipping line’s liability: limited by the wording of the bill of lading, and it does not reach the value of a recent car.
• Marine insurance: optional and written for the value of the car, and we recommend it for every car whose price is many times its freight.
• Tracking: by the bill of lading or container number, with a message at sailing, at the Suez transit, on arrival and on clearance.
• On collection: compare the car with the report before you sign, and write any remark on the delivery note itself.

Cover options are set out on the cargo insurance page, and the shipment tracking page explains how to watch the car on its way.

Delivering cars from Saudi Arabia in Madrid, Barcelona and Málaga

Spain is a large country, and the port is not always near the home. Madrid sits in the middle of the plateau with no sea, so its cars land at Valencia and go up to it on a carrier. Barcelona has its port in the city. Málaga and Marbella are in the far south, so it is either a long carrier run from Valencia or a container landed at nearby Algeciras. Delivery is in front of your home, and you take the key after inspecting the car and checking it against the photo report.

City	Usual port	Approximate road leg	Delivery note
Madrid	Valencia	About 360 km	The city centre is a low-emission zone
Barcelona	Barcelona	Within the city	Collection straight from the quay is possible
Málaga and Marbella	Valencia by RoRo, or Algeciras by container	620 km, or 80–135 km	Coastal homes have narrow entrances, so the car is set down in the street
Valencia	Valencia	Within the city	Delivery on the day of release or the next
Seville	Valencia, or Algeciras by container	650 km, or about 190 km	The carrier does not enter the old quarter
Alicante and Murcia	Valencia	170–240 km	The coastal cities nearest the port
Zaragoza and Bilbao	Barcelona	310–610 km	A day is added for the north

The islands and the two cities on the African coast are a different matter. The Balearic Islands are reached by ferry from Barcelona or Valencia. The Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla are part of Spain but outside the European value added tax area, so the car is cleared there under their local tax, and if it is later moved to the Spanish mainland it is treated as an import. State your destination precisely when you ask. Delivery to the address is on the door-to-door page.

Shipping cars for individuals, companies, government bodies and embassies

An individual ships one car and asks about the relief. A company sends more than one car and asks about the invoice and the date. An official body or a diplomatic mission has a customs path decided by its status, not by the type of its car. We serve all three on the same ship, and the paperwork differs:

• Individuals: a RoRo place or a container, a review of the relief conditions, and payment in two stages.
• Families: two cars in a 40ft container, or a car with part of the household furniture in one container.
• Companies: a contract and a tax invoice, a list of chassis numbers, and a condition report for each car.
• Government bodies: coordination by official letters, and delivery on the date the body sets.
• Embassies and consulates: diplomats’ cars are cleared under their privileges after the foreign ministry’s authorisation in the country of arrival.

Is a car shipped to Spain by land?

We do not offer that. The land route from the Kingdom to Spain crosses several countries and then the whole of Europe from east to west, the state of its border crossings changes, and its cost and time exceed the sea. Land freight in this service of ours is only the first and the last stage: one carrier takes the car from your city to Jeddah port, and another takes it from the Spanish port to your home. What lies between is sea or air. The methods are compared on the shipping methods comparison page.

Air freight for cars from Saudi Arabia to Spain

Air is for anyone who cannot wait three weeks or does not want a sea voyage for the car. The car is handed over at the cargo village of King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah or King Fahd Airport in Dammam, secured on a metal pallet, and flown to Madrid Barajas Airport or Barcelona Airport, direct or through a transit airport. From handover to collection is 3 to 6 days.

• Who it is for: luxury and sports cars, exhibition and racing cars, and anyone who wants the car in the first week of their holiday.
• Dangerous goods declaration: airlines class every vehicle holding fuel and a battery as dangerous goods, so it is not accepted without a declaration signed by a certified specialist.
• Fuel and battery: the rule in force is no more than a quarter of a tank, the battery terminals are protected, and an electric car has conditions set by the carrier.
• Dimensions: the height and width of the car decide which aircraft accepts it, so not every flight carries a car.
• Price: set on request by weight and dimensions, and it is several times the sea fare.

After release the car is moved on an enclosed carrier to your address in Madrid, Barcelona or beyond. Air freight for things other than cars is on the air freight page.

Steps for shipping your car from Saudi Arabia to Spain

The whole job runs in one order, and the first two steps are the ones that decide everything after them: your position in Spain, then the acceptance of your car there.

1. You send the model of the car, its year of manufacture, your city in the Kingdom and your Spanish city.
2. We review your position: a visitor on temporary entry, someone moving with a relief, or an importer paying the charges.
3. You receive an itemised price with the method, the port and the time, and an estimate of the Spanish charges.
4. You settle the fines and the lien with us, then the export certificate is issued by the traffic department.
5. We collect the car, photograph it and sign its condition report with you.
6. It is handed to Jeddah port, its export is cleared, and it sails.
7. Our agent clears it in Barcelona or Valencia.
8. It is delivered at your home, and you take the key after the inspection.

Shipping cars from Spain to Saudi Arabia

The route works in both directions. For anyone buying a car in Spain, or going back with their car after the summer, we arrange shipping from Barcelona or Valencia to Jeddah port through our agent there. A car returning on its Saudi plates enters without a fresh import. A purchased car, however, is subject to the Saudi import conditions, and the rule in force is that a passenger car is no more than five years old, that its steering wheel is on the left, and that it conforms to Saudi specifications. Ask before you pay for it, and we confirm what applies at the time.

Tips before shipping a car to Spain

This is the gist of what we tell customers on the first call, and most of it is about Spain rather than about shipping:

• Work out the duties, the registration tax and the approval before you decide, as selling the car here and buying another there may be cheaper.
• Ask for the consulate certificate and the foreigner’s identification number early, as their appointments take longer than the sea voyage.
• Do not surrender the plates if you are a visitor, as temporary entry is enough for you.
• Buy insurance covering Spain before collection day, as the car does not leave the port without it.
• Keep the original purchase invoice, as it proves both the value and the length of ownership.

How do you choose a car shipping company to Spain?

The sea fare is close from one company to another because the ships are the same. What differs is what the company knows about the Spanish end, and that shows in its questions before it shows in its price:

What you ask about	A reassuring sign	A warning sign
Your position in Spain	It asks whether you are a visitor or a resident before any figure	It prices without asking
The port	It chooses it by your city and the sailing available	One port for every customer
The charges	It estimates the duty, the tax and the registration tax for you	It says “no customs” with no condition
Approval	It asks about the specifications of the car and its engine	It does not mention it at all
Belongings	It bans them in RoRo and asks for a list in a container	“Put what you like in the boot”
The price	Items: sea, port, clearance and delivery	A single figure with unknown contents
Documentation	A signed photo report before loading	Collection with no report

Common mistakes in shipping cars to Spain

• Buying a car a month before travelling and expecting it to be exempt like a car owned for years.
• Surrendering the plates of a car that will only spend the summer and then come back.
• Shipping a car with a large engine without reckoning on the top band of the registration tax.
• Filling the boot of a RoRo car with suitcases and dates.
• Leaving the Kingdom without the certificate of termination of residence from the consulate.
• Shipping to Barcelona when the home is in Marbella, so the car covers a thousand kilometres by road.
• Signing for the car at the port before checking it against the photo report.

Why Home Safe as your car shipping company from Saudi Arabia to Spain?

Because we start from the end of the road: we ask where you will live and in what capacity, then work back to the port, the ship and the traffic department. So before you pay a riyal you know what awaits your car in Spain.

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
• International shipping company from Saudi Arabia to Spain
• Car shipping company from Saudi Arabia to France
• Car shipping company from Saudi Arabia to Morocco
• Shipping from Saudi Arabia to Europe
• Sea freight

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Frequently asked questions about car shipping from Saudi Arabia to Spain

How much does it cost to ship a car from Saudi Arabia to Spain?

A saloon by RoRo starts from SAR 2,800 from Jeddah Islamic Port to the Spanish port. A 4×4 and a pickup are priced by their dimensions, and the container, transport from your city to the port, delivery inside Spain and air freight are priced on request. Send the model of the car, its year of manufacture and your Spanish city to 0552803439 and you receive an itemised price the same day.

How many days does a car need to get from Saudi Arabia to Spain?

20 to 32 days from your door in the Kingdom to your door in Spain. The sailing itself from Jeddah to Barcelona or Valencia takes 9 to 14 days when the voyage is direct, and the rest goes on the export certificate, waiting for the vessel, clearance and inland transport. By air it arrives in 3 to 6 days.

Which suits my car better: RoRo or a container?

RoRo is for a car that runs and is not harmed by standing uncovered in the garage deck of the ship, and it is the cheaper fare. The container is for a luxury car, a classic and a car that does not run, and for anyone who wants the car locked behind a seal that is opened only in Spain. If you have a second car, or a friend shipping on the same date, the cost of a 40ft container is split between two.

Which Spanish port is the car shipped to: Barcelona or Valencia?

It depends on the city you will live in. Barcelona serves Catalonia, Zaragoza and the north, and Valencia serves Madrid, Alicante, Murcia and the centre of the country. For anyone living in Málaga or Seville we also look at landing the container at the port of Algeciras, as it is the nearest to Andalusia. We fix the port at booking according to the sailing available.

How much does a car pay in charges on entering Spain?

The rule in force is a customs duty of 10% on the value of the car plus its freight, then 21% value added tax on the total. On first registration a registration tax is paid that follows the emissions of the engine, from exemption for low-emission cars to about 14.75% for the highest. We work out the approximate amount with you before the plates of the car are surrendered.

Am I exempt from customs if I move to live in Spain?

Yes, on conditions applied by Spanish customs: that you have lived outside the European Union for at least twelve consecutive months, that the car has been yours and in your use for six months before the move, that it enters within twelve months of your move, and that you do not sell or hire it out for a year after it enters. The relief is applied for with its paperwork, so it is not granted automatically.

Can a car built to Gulf specifications be registered in Spain?

In most cases yes, but after an individual approval. A car that carries no European certificate of conformity is examined by an approved laboratory and an engineer prepares a technical sheet for it, then it goes through the import inspection. Changes may be required to the rear indicators, the fog light, the tyres and the tint on the front glass. We ask about the model first, because for some engines the emission standard is hard to prove.

What does the traffic department require before the car is exported from the Kingdom?

A valid registration card in the name of the owner, a record clear of fines, and a car with no lien on it. Then the two plates are handed in and the export certificate and temporary export plates are issued. Part of these steps is done online and part by visiting the traffic department, and we tell you the method in force on the day you ask.

Can I put my belongings inside a car shipped to Spain?

By RoRo, no. The car is handed to the port empty, and only the spare wheel and the jack stay in it. In a private container, items may be shipped with the car provided they are written in a list and declared to Spanish customs, since they are cleared as personal effects and not as part of the car.

My car is still on instalments. Can I ship it?

A financed car is not exported until the lender agrees. The traffic department does not issue the export certificate while a lien stands on the car, so either the balance is settled and the lien released, or the bank issues a no-objection letter for export. Ask for the letter first, as it is the slowest paper in the file.

Do you collect the car from Riyadh, Dammam and the other cities?

Yes. The car is carried on a flatbed or a car carrier from Riyadh, Qassim, the Eastern Province, Madinah, Tabuk and Abha to Jeddah Islamic Port, because it is the nearest to the Suez Canal. From Dammam we look at King Abdulaziz Port if there is a sailing that suits the destination. The fare for this inland leg is set on request.

Can the car be shipped to Spain by air?

Yes, to Madrid Barajas Airport or Barcelona Airport, from the airports of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, direct or through a transit airport. The car arrives within 3 to 6 days of handover. It is an option for a luxury car or one tied to a date, and it costs several times the sea fare, so it is priced on request by weight and dimensions.

Can I drive my car in Spain on its Saudi plates without importing it?

A visitor who is not resident in the European Union is allowed, under the rule in force, to bring a car in temporarily for up to six months in the year, with insurance valid inside Spain and a registration card in their name. Anyone who obtains Spanish residence must register the car there within a short deadline. So a visitor for a season ships it on its plates, and a resident exports it for good.

Is the car insured at sea?

The liability of the shipping line exists but is limited to what the bill of lading states, which is far below the price of the car. That is why we offer optional marine insurance for the declared value of the car, covering the journey from handover in Jeddah to receipt in Spain. In any claim it rests on the photo report signed before loading.

Do you ship a classic car, a car that does not run, or a motorcycle?

Yes to all three, and all inside a container. A classic is loaded on a low ramp and tied down by its wheels, and one that is more than thirty years old and still original has, in Spain, the treatment of historic vehicles on its conditions. A car that does not run is winched in. A motorcycle is fixed upright on a wooden base. Their prices are set on request.