Shipping Company from Jeddah to Benin 0552803439 | Car Shipping, Containers, Luggage and Cargo from Jeddah Port to Cotonou

Home Safe is a shipping company from Jeddah to Benin that moves cars, containers, furniture and goods by sea from Jeddah Islamic Port to the port of Cotonou, and urgent parcels and luggage by air from King Abdulaziz Airport. Jeddah and Cotonou are about 4,300 km apart in a straight flight line, and the sea route is far longer because it goes round the continent. A container arrives door to door in 35 to 50 days, and an air parcel in 4 to 8 days. A saloon car by sea starts from SAR 2,800, air freight from SAR 28 per kilogram, and an express parcel from SAR 110. To book: 0552803439.

In this guide48ShowHide

1. Who ships from Jeddah to Benin, and what do they send?
2. Why do Benin shipments start from Jeddah?
3. Route and transit time from Jeddah to Cotonou
4. What makes it take longer?
5. Loading containers at Jeddah Islamic Port for Cotonou
6. Shipping prices from Jeddah to Benin
7. How do you cut the cost?
8. Car shipping from Jeddah to Benin
9. Preparing and securing the car before sailing
10. Shipping lorries, buses and machinery to Benin
11. Shipping household effects and personal belongings from Jeddah to Benin
12. Sea-grade packing for goods and luggage
13. Parcels and the luggage of pilgrims and Umrah visitors
14. Shipping commercial goods from Jeddah markets
15. The BESC cargo tracking note: the document that precedes the ship
16. Customs in Cotonou and the documents required
17. What cannot be shipped to Benin, or needs a permit
18. Delivery of shipments from Jeddah in Cotonou and Abomey-Calavi
19. Transit from Cotonou to Niger and Nigeria
20. Is there land freight from Jeddah to Benin?
21. Air freight from Jeddah to Benin
22. Collection from Jeddah districts and nearby cities
23. Steps for shipping from Jeddah to Benin with Home Safe
24. Tracking and insurance on Benin shipments
25. An example from the route: three cars from the auction to Cotonou
26. Shipping from Benin to Jeddah
27. Tips before shipping from Jeddah to Benin
28. How do you choose a shipping company from Jeddah to Benin?
29. Common mistakes when shipping from Jeddah to Benin
30. Why Home Safe for shipping from Jeddah to Benin?
31. Related articles and pages
32. Tags
33. Frequently asked questions about shipping from Jeddah to Benin
34. How much does shipping from Jeddah to Benin cost?
35. How many days does a shipment need from Jeddah to Cotonou?
36. Does the ship sail from Jeddah to Cotonou directly?
37. What is the BESC cargo tracking note, and is it compulsory?
38. Does Benin set a maximum age for an imported car?
39. I am buying a car from a showroom or auction in Jeddah. Do you collect it there?
40. May I put spare parts or belongings with the car?
41. Is shipping to Benin from Jeddah cheaper than from other cities?
42. Do you ship the luggage of pilgrims and Umrah visitors from Benin?
43. Who pays the customs duties in Cotonou?
44. Can my shipment reach Niger or Nigeria through Cotonou?
45. Which documents should I prepare before collection day?
46. Is there land freight from Jeddah to Benin?
47. Do you insure the car or the container?
48. Do you work in the opposite direction, from Benin to Jeddah?

Sea route: Jeddah Islamic Port → Red Sea → transhipment port → Atlantic Ocean → Gulf of Guinea → port of Cotonou · Transit time: 35–50 days for a full container, 45–60 days for shared-container freight, and 4–8 days by air.

Who ships from Jeddah to Benin, and what do they send?

This route rests on trade more than anything else. Cotonou is a large market for used cars in West Africa, and Jeddah has showrooms, auctions and a lively second-hand market, so supply meets demand. Alongside the traders, we hear from nationals of Benin and its neighbours who work in Jeddah and Makkah, and from pilgrims and Umrah visitors whose purchases exceeded the airline allowance. Each of them has a method that suits the shipment:

Shipper	What they send	Best method
Car trader in Jeddah	Used cars from showrooms and auctions	RoRo for a running car, or a 40ft container for two cars
Equipment and transport trader	Lorries, buses, construction and farm machinery	RoRo, or a flat-rack container once dimensions are measured
Resident returning to Benin for good	Home furniture, appliances and sometimes a car	A 20ft container, or space in a shared container
Worker sending to family	Cartons of clothes, small appliances and gifts	Shared-container freight by the cubic metre
Pilgrim and Umrah visitor	Excess bags, dates, prayer rugs and copies of the Quran	Air for urgent items, shared sea freight for the rest
Trader buying in Jeddah markets	Spare parts, fabrics, perfumes and household goods	A full container, with air for samples
Company and official body	Project equipment, materials and documents	A container under contract, express for papers

Why do Benin shipments start from Jeddah?

Almost any Saudi shipment bound for Cotonou ends up on the quay of Jeddah Islamic Port, because it is the Kingdom’s largest port on the Red Sea and the Africa services leave from it. The difference is that a Jeddah shipment begins where the lorry journey ends for everyone else. A car bought in the morning from a showroom in the south of the city can be in the port yard within one to three days, and it pays for no long road.

• The inland haul: short and inside the city, whereas a shipper in Riyadh pays for about 950 km before the quay.
• Catching the sailing: being near the port allows cargo to be delivered shortly before the vessel’s cut-off.
• Showrooms and auctions: we collect the car from them directly on the purchase contract, so you do not drive it yourself.
• The airport is in the city too: an air parcel leaves from King Abdulaziz Airport with no transfer between cities.
• Wholesale markets: spare parts, fabrics and perfumes are gathered from suppliers in Jeddah in a single day.

To compare Saudi cities on this route see the article shipping company from Saudi Arabia to Benin, and for our services in the city the article international shipping companies in Jeddah.

Route and transit time from Jeddah to Cotonou

Cotonou lies on the Gulf of Guinea coast in West Africa and Jeddah on the Red Sea to the east of the continent, so the ship goes round Africa by one end or the other. Shipping lines normally take the Suez Canal, then the Mediterranean, then the Atlantic southwards, and some go south round the Cape of Good Hope depending on the carrier’s schedule and sailing conditions. Either way the container stops at a transhipment port and continues on a second vessel, so we confirm the route and date at booking, not before.

Stage	What happens	Usual time
Collection in Jeddah	Survey, packing or photographic record of the car, inventory	One to two days
Export and port entry	Export declaration, car export certificate, container handed to the quay	1–3 days
Sailing to the transhipment port	The first vessel from Jeddah	8–14 days
Waiting and connection	Container discharged and loaded onto the West Africa vessel	3–10 days
Sailing to Cotonou	The second vessel to the Gulf of Guinea	10–16 days
Clearance in Cotonou	BESC note matched, declaration, inspection, duties paid	4–8 days
Inland delivery	Lorry from the port to the consignee’s address	One to 3 days

These times vary with the shipping method itself. The next table brings them together door to door:

Method	Door to door	Suits
RoRo vessel	32–48 days	A car, lorry or bus that moves under its own power
Full container (FCL)	35–50 days	Two cars, a whole home, a trader’s goods
Shared container (LCL)	45–60 days	Cartons and belongings under 15 cubic metres
Air freight	4–8 days	Urgent parcels and luggage, small spare parts
Express for documents	3–6 days	Papers and light samples

What makes it take longer?

• Missing the connecting vessel: if the first ship is a day late, the container may wait a full week at the transhipment port.
• A late BESC note: issuing it needs the draft bill and the invoice, and any gap in them delays it.
• Congestion at Cotonou port: in peak seasons ships wait their turn for a berth.
• An incomplete car description: a bill with no chassis number or engine capacity is sent back for correction.
• A consignee who is not ready: anyone who has not appointed a broker before berthing pays storage for each day of waiting.
• Transit shipments: the road from Cotonou to the Niger border adds days to the total.

A wider comparison of durations is on the transit times page.

Loading containers at Jeddah Islamic Port for Cotonou

A container bound for Cotonou is loaded in one of two ways. In the first, the empty container comes to the door of the house or warehouse in Jeddah, where it is packed and sealed with a numbered seal in front of you, then goes to the port. In the second, the belongings are taken to our warehouse near the port and stowed there, which suits districts a container lorry cannot enter. In both cases the container number and seal number are recorded on the bill of lading, and these are what the broker in Cotonou checks.

Point of comparison	Full container (FCL)	Shared container (LCL)
For whom	Anyone filling half a container or more	Anyone with cartons or a few pieces
Size	20ft about 33 m³, 40ft about 67 m³	You pay only for the volume of your goods
Departure	With the first sailing after loading	When the shared container fills
Handling	Opened once, at the consignee	Unpacked and sorted in the Cotonou warehouse
Cars	One car in a 20ft, two cars in a 40ft	Not suitable for cars
Price	A fixed charge per container, set on request	By the cubic metre, set on request

Measure your shipment before you call with the CBM calculator, and compare dimensions on the container sizes page. The port service is detailed in the article international sea freight from Jeddah.

Shipping prices from Jeddah to Benin

Here we write what has a fixed starting price and leave to request what changes with every sailing. The container charge to West Africa moves from week to week with the carrier and the transhipment port, so printing a figure for it would mislead you. A Jeddah price carries no long inland road charge, which is what normally makes it lower than the price from cities far from the sea.

Service	Price
Saloon car by sea to the port of Cotonou	Starts from SAR 2,800
4×4 or pickup	Set on request according to dimensions
Lorry, bus or machine	Set on request once length and height are measured
Full 20ft container	Set on request with the sailing date
Full 40ft container	Set on request with the sailing date
Shared-container shipment by the cubic metre	Set on request
Air freight per kilogram	Starts from SAR 28
Express parcel up to 5 kg	Starts from SAR 110
Express documents up to one kilogram	Starts from SAR 83
BESC cargo tracking note	A fee that follows the type of shipment, shown as a separate line

Prices circulating in the market: we looked for anyone publishing a price for this route and found no stated figure, neither for a car nor for a container. Companies settle for the words “price on request”, and the original article on our own site did the same. What is actually published concerns the destination: international moving guides put the total duties and taxes on a non-exempt car in Benin at between 45% and 57% of its value landed at the port, and value added tax there is 18%. So the figure worth asking about is not the sea charge alone but the cost until the shipment leaves Cotonou.

What sets the price	How it affects it
Shipping method	RoRo costs less for one running car; a container costs more but is shared between two cars or a car and goods
Vehicle dimensions	The vessel charges for the space a vehicle occupies, so a 4×4 is above a saloon and a bus above both
Volume of belongings	In a shared container every cubic metre is counted, and air is charged on the greater of actual and volumetric weight
Collection point	Jeddah districts cost much the same, while Makkah and Taif carry a stated addition for the distance
Added services	Full packing, storage before sailing, insurance on value, each a line you choose
Delivery in Benin	Collection at the port costs less, and delivery to Parakou or the north adds the road charge
Cotonou charges	Set by Beninese customs according to the item and its assessed value, and paid by the consignee

How do you cut the cost?

• Ship a running car on the RoRo vessel if it is a single car with no goods.
• Put two cars in one 40ft container, or share another trader’s container.
• Fill the empty space in the car’s container with declared spare parts, since the container charge does not change.
• Ask for the nearest sailing date before fixing the day of purchase, so you do not pay storage days.
• Have the consignee and his broker ready before berthing; free days at the port are limited and daily storage follows.
• Send luggage that can wait by sea and keep air for what cannot be delayed.

The remaining factors are on the pricing factors page, and container prices from the port in the article container shipping prices from Jeddah.

Car shipping from Jeddah to Benin

The car is what moves most on this route. The port of Cotonou receives large numbers of used cars every month, and a high share of them is sold to buyers from Nigeria, Niger and the inland countries. A car from Jeddah is wanted there because it is left-hand drive as in Benin, and because the Kingdom’s dry climate keeps its body away from rust. It remains for the buyer to work out the arrival charges before paying for it.

Point of comparison	RoRo	Container
Loading	The car is driven into the ship and lashed in the hold	Secured inside a closed, sealed container
Suits	A running car, a lorry or a bus	A luxury car, a non-runner, or two cars together
Accompanying items	Not allowed	Allowed outside the cabin, on a list
Cost	Starts from SAR 2,800 for a saloon	Set on request, and shared between two cars
Availability	When a RoRo sailing calls at Jeddah	With the regular container sailings

• Age of the car: current practice is that Benin sets no announced age limit for used cars, and we confirm what applies before shipping.
• Bill of lading details: chassis number, engine number, engine capacity, year of manufacture, make and model; any error in them stops clearance.
• Charges: customs duty under the West African common external tariff, 18% value added tax and other levies, on a value assessed by customs.
• Electric and hybrid cars: they enjoy tax concessions that are renewed periodically, so we check their position at the time of shipping.
• Export from the Kingdom: an export certificate from the traffic department once fines are paid and plates handed in, and a release letter from the lender if the car is financed.

Car shipping methods are set out in the article car shipping company in Jeddah and the article sea car shipping from Jeddah, and the two methods are explained on the RoRo shipping and container car shipping pages.

Preparing and securing the car before sailing

Between collecting the car in Jeddah and its boarding the ship there are a few steps worth knowing. We begin by photographing it from all four sides and inside with the odometer, and we record every existing scratch; a copy of the photographs stays with you. This record is what the car is checked against on delivery in Cotonou after a voyage of more than a month.

• Fuel: a small amount is left in the tank, enough to move it inside the two ports.
• Battery: it is checked, because a RoRo car must start when it is driven off after weeks of standing.
• Alarm: it is disconnected so that it does not drain the battery in the hold.
• Leaks: a car leaking oil or fuel is refused, so it is repaired before entering the port.
• Cabin: emptied completely for RoRo, leaving the spare tyre and the original tool kit.
• Securing in a container: wooden chocks in front of and behind the wheels, and straps tightened over the wheels themselves, not on the suspension arm.
• Partition: if goods travel with the car, a barrier is placed between them to stop cartons sliding towards the bodywork.

Lashing details are on the packing and lashing page, and what you prepare yourself is in the car shipping guide.

Shipping lorries, buses and machinery to Benin

Demand in West Africa does not stop at the small car. Medium buses, haulage lorries and construction and farm machinery find a buyer in Cotonou and beyond. Whatever moves under its own power boards the RoRo vessel and is charged on its length, width and height. Whatever does not move, or stands higher than the container door, is loaded on a flat-rack or open-top container and lashed with chains. We ask you for the dimensions, the weight and photographs of both sides before pricing, because a few centimetres move a machine from one class to another. The service is on the heavy equipment shipping page.

Shipping household effects and personal belongings from Jeddah to Benin

A family that has ended its stay in Jeddah and is returning to Benin takes a whole home with it: bedrooms, a sitting room, a fridge and washing machine, the children’s books. The crew comes to the house, dismantles what can be dismantled, wraps every piece, puts the small items in numbered cartons, then writes a contents list in Arabic and French. That list is not an internal paper; it is the document Cotonou customs ask for in order to treat the shipment as personal effects, not merchandise.

Type of belongings	How we prepare them	Note for Benin
Bedrooms and wardrobes	Dismantled with panels numbered, and screws bagged and fixed to the piece	Written on the list piece by piece
Sofas and sitting rooms	Plastic film, then a blanket, then card on the corners	Fabrics are protected from coastal humidity
Electrical appliances	Fridge and washing machine dried out, moving parts secured	The invoice is attached for any new one
Glass and crockery	Wrapped singly, in a double-wall carton with dividers	The carrying direction is marked in French
Clothes and books	Medium cartons weighing no more than 25 kg	Listed by number of cartons

• Condition for exemption: current practice is that the goods are used and have been owned by their holder for at least six months.
• What is required with them: a certificate of change of residence, an undertaking not to sell, a valued list signed in French, and a copy of the passport.
• Remaining charges: the exemption does not cancel everything; small-percentage charges remain, and we confirm their current level before shipping.

More about the service is on the furniture shipping page, and if the home in Benin is not ready the belongings wait in storage in Jeddah.

Sea-grade packing for goods and luggage

A container to Cotonou is lifted by crane at least four times: in Jeddah, twice at the transhipment port, then in Cotonou. It also crosses hot, humid zones from the Red Sea to the Gulf of Guinea. Packing meant for a move inside the city is therefore not enough, and we pack on the assumption that the load will shake and sweat from within.

• Humidity: absorbent bags are hung in the container, and fabrics and rugs go in breathable covers so they do not turn mouldy.
• Stowage: heavy items on the floor and light ones above, with gaps filled so cartons do not shift as the ship rolls.
• Cartons: five-ply for the sea voyage, with the number written on two sides of each carton.
• Wood: crates and pallets are of heat-treated timber bearing the ISPM 15 stamp.
• The list: every number on a carton has a matching line on the packing list, which is what the inspector in Cotonou reads.

The packing method step by step is in the packing guide.

Parcels and the luggage of pilgrims and Umrah visitors

Jeddah is the gateway to the Two Holy Mosques, and pilgrims and Umrah visitors from Benin pass through it both ways. Many of them buy dates, rugs, copies of the Quran and clothing beyond what the aircraft allows. We collect these items from the hotel or residence in Jeddah and Makkah, weigh them in front of their owner, and hand over a receipt with a number for each piece. Whatever is wanted before the traveller reaches home goes by air to Cotonou airport, and the rest is consolidated with other shipments in a sea container.

• Small parcel: by express up to 5 kg from SAR 110.
• Papers and certificates: a document envelope from SAR 83.
• Dates: in their sealed packs, and in personal quantities.
• What we do not take: Zamzam water, as taking it out within shipments is not permitted.

Parcel conditions are on the parcel shipping page.

Shipping commercial goods from Jeddah markets

A Beninese trader finds in Jeddah what sells at home: car spare parts from the specialist shops, fabrics, abayas and perfumes from the Al-Balad area, and household goods and plastics from the wholesale warehouses. We gather the purchases from the suppliers, check each batch against its invoice, then stow them in one container. Benin applies the West African common external tariff, so the correct tariff heading on the invoice is what sets the duty rate.

• Documents for goods: the trader hands us a commercial invoice with its packing list and a certificate of origin; the bill of lading and the BESC note are then added from our side.
• Language: customs in Benin work in French, so the invoice and list are written in it or their translation is attached.
• Controlled goods: foodstuffs, medicines and electrical parts are subject to quality inspection there, so we ask about their conditions before purchase.
• Samples: they go ahead of the container by air so that the trader starts selling before the quantity arrives.

The service for traders is on the commercial shipping page.

The BESC cargo tracking note: the document that precedes the ship

Anyone shipping to the Gulf or Europe has never met this document, and anyone shipping to Benin cannot do without it. Its French name is Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons, and it is also known by the letters ECTN. It is an electronic record that ties each bill of lading to the details of the shipper, the consignee, the cargo, its value and its freight charge, and the port authorities review it before the ship berths.

• What it applies to: every sea shipment to the port of Cotonou, whether a container, a car or a part load, including transit shipments to Niger.
• When it is issued: after the draft bill of lading exists, and it must be complete some days before the ship arrives.
• What it needs: the bill of lading, the commercial invoice with its value, the freight statement, and for a car the chassis details.
• If it is missing: a fine on the bill of lading and a halt in clearance until the position is settled.

We issue the note as part of the shipment file and send you its copy with the bill of lading, so you never deal with the issuing body yourself.

Customs in Cotonou and the documents required

Clearance in Benin goes through a licensed broker and in practice begins before the ship arrives: the documents are sent to him as soon as the vessel sails and he prepares the declaration. Shipping lines ask for the papers to be handed in days before berthing, and give the container a limited number of free days after discharge. The table shows what each type needs:

Type of shipment	Documents
Car or vehicle	Original registration card, export certificate, purchase contract or invoice, bill of lading with chassis and engine details, BESC note, and the consignee’s ID
Furniture and personal effects	Passport, valued list in French signed by the owner, certificate of change of residence, undertaking not to sell, proof of work or residence, and the BESC note
Commercial goods	Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, bill of lading, BESC note, and the importer’s tax identification number
Transit shipment	The above, with the final country and city written on the bill, plus the transit document and guarantee
Air parcel	Air waybill, invoice or statement of contents, and the consignee’s ID

For what each of these papers contains, open the shipping documents page; how the Cotonou release proceeds step by step is on the customs clearance page.

What cannot be shipped to Benin, or needs a permit

What is barred on this route falls into three kinds: what the ship and aircraft refuse as dangerous, what Benin forbids from entering, and what it allows with a permit from a competent ministry. We go through your list before packing, because one offending item holds the whole container.

Item	Ruling
Narcotics and pornographic material	Strictly prohibited
Weapons and ammunition	Enter only with authorisation from the interior ministry there
Radio transmitting equipment	With prior authorisation
Medicines in non-personal quantities	With authorisation from the health ministry; some items are banned
Counterfeit goods	Confiscated
Ivory, furs and precious stones	Prohibited within personal effects
Frozen poultry and perishable foods	Restricted there, and we do not ship them
Flammable materials and gas cylinders	Not accepted in the container or in the car
Perfumes and batteries	By sea, and under special conditions by air
Cash, gold and original documents	Stay with their owner in hand luggage

The general list is on the prohibited items page.

Delivery of shipments from Jeddah in Cotonou and Abomey-Calavi

After release the shipment leaves the port on a lorry for the consignee’s address. Most of our customers are in Cotonou itself and in Abomey-Calavi, which adjoins it to the north and is now among the country’s most populous cities. The driver telephones the consignee before arriving and unloads the belongings at the door of the house or shop, where they are checked against the numbers before signing. A car is handed over in the port yard or delivered to its address, as requested.

City	Approximate distance from Cotonou	Note
Cotonou	In the city	The port, the airport and the largest markets
Abomey-Calavi	About 18 km	Usually delivered the same day
Porto-Novo	About 40 km	The official capital, east of Cotonou
Ouidah	About 40 km	On the coastal road to the west
Bohicon and Abomey	About 125–135 km	The centre of the country
Parakou	About 415 km	The largest city of the north, one extra day
Djougou and Natitingou	About 460–540 km	The north-west, on an agreed date

The destination page shipping to Benin has the remaining details, and the door-to-door service explains what delivery includes.

Transit from Cotonou to Niger and Nigeria

The port of Cotonou does not serve Benin alone. Niger is a landlocked country and a large part of its imports enters through this port, and Nigeria is about 30 km to the east at the Seme-Krake crossing. Some traders therefore ask us about a shipment whose final destination is outside Benin. The answer is that it crosses under the transit regime: Benin’s duties are not paid on it, but corridor and guarantee charges are, and it is monitored electronically until it leaves the border.

Destination	Road from Cotonou	What is needed
Niger	North through Parakou to Malanville, about 735 km to the border	A bill in the name of the consignee in Niger, and a BESC note for transit
Nigeria	East to the Seme-Krake crossing	A review of Nigerian import restrictions before shipping
Togo	West on the coastal road, about 150 km to Lome	Better shipped to the port of Lome directly

Current practice is that a transit vehicle has a set number of days to leave Benin or it loses transit status, and the state of the land crossings changes, so we confirm what applies before the bill is written. Destination pages: shipping to Niger and shipping to Nigeria.

Is there land freight from Jeddah to Benin?

There is none. A land route would mean crossing the Red Sea, then Sudan, Chad and Niger or Nigeria, a course on which no regular lorry service runs and whose crossings cannot be relied on. We therefore work this route in two ways only: sea for everything heavy or large, and air for what is light and urgent. If anyone offers you a lorry from Jeddah to Cotonou, ask which crossings it will use before you pay. The differences between methods are on the shipping methods comparison page.

Air freight from Jeddah to Benin

Air freight leaves from King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah and arrives at Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport. There is no direct flight between the two airports, so the shipment passes through an intermediate airport such as Addis Ababa or Casablanca and then continues. The time from collection to delivery in Cotonou is 4 to 8 days, which shortens six weeks at sea to roughly one week.

• Who it suits: urgent luggage of a pilgrim or traveller, small spare parts a workshop is waiting for, commercial samples and papers.
• Price: starts from SAR 28 per kilogram, and the rate per kilo falls as the weight grows.
• Calculation: on the greater of actual and volumetric weight, so measure the carton in the volumetric weight calculator before you decide.
• What it does not suit: cars, furniture and heavy goods, whose cost by air is several times that of the sea.
• Restrictions: perfumes, batteries and liquids have conditions on aircraft, and some are switched to the sea.
• Delivery: at the door in Cotonou and Abomey-Calavi, or collection from the airport with the consignee’s ID.

Service details are on the air freight page and in the article air freight office in Jeddah.

Collection from Jeddah districts and nearby cities

We reach every district of Jeddah, from Obhur in the north to Al-Khumra in the south. Furniture is dismantled and wrapped in the house, a car is collected from its owner or from the showroom, and a trader’s goods are gathered from the suppliers’ shops. Being close to the port makes collection day and quay-entry day consecutive in most cases.

Area	Districts or sites	Note
North Jeddah	North and South Obhur, Al-Mohammadiyah, Al-Basateen, Al-Naeem, Al-Zahra, Al-Salamah	Modern villas and blocks; the container stands at the door in most
Central Jeddah	Al-Rawdah, Al-Hamra, Al-Andalus, Al-Aziziyah, Al-Faisaliyah, Mishrifah, Al-Rehab	Loading time is set outside the busy hours
East Jeddah	Al-Safa, Al-Marwah, Al-Samer, Al-Ajwad, Al-Haramain	Close to the Haramain Expressway
South Jeddah	Al-Balad, Al-Kandarah, Ghulail, Al-Jamiah, Al-Sanabel, Al-Khumra	The districts nearest the port and the warehouses
Car showrooms and auctions	Showrooms on Makkah Road and Prince Majid Street, and the auction yards	Collection on the purchase contract and the owner’s authorisation
Makkah	About 80 km	From hotels and homes, with a small vehicle in the hillside districts
Taif and Rabigh	About 170 km and 150 km	A closed lorry gathers shipments to Jeddah

The other cities we serve are on the cities page.

Steps for shipping from Jeddah to Benin with Home Safe

1. Send the details: for a car the chassis number and year of manufacture, for belongings photographs or a list, with the consignee’s city in Benin.
2. Review: we make sure the item may enter Benin and estimate the charges awaiting it there.
3. Price and date: you receive an itemised price with the nearest sailing and the name of the transhipment port.
4. Collection: from the house, showroom or shop, with photographs and a numbered inventory of which you sign a copy.
5. Export papers: the export declaration, and the car’s export certificate from the traffic department.
6. Port entry and issue of the bill of lading: together with the BESC note and its number.
7. Sailing and follow-up: a message at every move, and the documents sent to the broker in Cotonou.
8. Clearance and delivery: release at the port, then delivery and checking against the inventory or the car photographs.

Tracking and insurance on Benin shipments

A shipment that travels for six weeks needs someone to tell you where it is, not someone asking you to be patient. From collection day the shipment has a reference number with us, and after sailing the container or bill of lading number is added so you can see it on the ocean carrier’s website. The time difference between Jeddah and Cotonou is two hours, so a question put to the broker in the morning is answered the same day.

• Notifications: when preparation is finished, on entering Jeddah port, on sailing, on arrival at and departure from the transhipment port, on berthing in Cotonou, on release and on delivery.
• The consignee: we inform him of the dates directly if you give us his number, so that he can ready his broker. The method is on the track your shipment page.
• Insurance: optional, at a percentage of the declared value, and it includes handling at the transhipment port. Its terms are on the cargo insurance page.
• On receipt: what has arrived is examined before signing, and any remark is written in the delivery report with a photograph.

An example from the route: three cars from the auction to Cotonou

Take a case that recurs often. A trader on his first export buys three cars at an auction in Jeddah on a Thursday. He sends us the purchase contracts and chassis numbers, and we collect the cars from the yard the same day and photograph them. Over the following days the export certificates are completed, the cars enter the port yard, and they are booked on the nearest sailing. The bill of lading and the BESC note are issued, and copies go to his broker in Cotonou before the ship arrives. When it berths the declaration is ready, so the cars leave without storage charges. What saved time here was not speed but the fact that every paper went ahead of the ship.

Shipping from Benin to Jeddah

The route works in both directions, though demand from Jeddah is greater. Someone coming from Benin to work or study sends personal belongings, and a trader imports agricultural products such as cashew and shea. Our partner in Cotonou collects the shipment and loads it by sea to Jeddah Islamic Port or by air to King Abdulaziz Airport. Personal effects enter the Kingdom with a contents list and a copy of the residence permit or visa. Food and agricultural products are subject to the requirements of the Saudi authority responsible for food, so we review the conditions for the item before it is loaded.

Tips before shipping from Jeddah to Benin

• Ask about the car before buying it, not after: send the chassis number to learn its approximate charges in Cotonou.
• Tie the day of purchase to the sailing date; a car that waits two weeks in the yard pays storage.
• Name a consignee and a broker in Benin before the shipment moves, and give us his local telephone.
• Write the consignee’s name exactly as in his document, letter for letter; a bill of lading is not easily amended after sailing.
• Keep a copy of the purchase contract, the registration card and the car photographs on your phone.
• Leave nothing in the cabin of a RoRo car, however small.
• Prepare the contents list in French from the start; translating it at the last minute delays the BESC note.

How do you choose a shipping company from Jeddah to Benin?

This route has many intermediaries who work from a WhatsApp number and book with someone else. Some are honest, yet you do not know who is actually carrying your shipment or whom to ask if it is late. The following questions show the difference between someone who runs the route and someone who passes on another’s words:

What you ask about	A reassuring answer	An answer that calls for caution
The BESC note	He issues it himself and sends you its number	He does not know it, or says it is the consignee’s job
Route and duration	He names the transhipment port and gives a time between two limits	He promises three weeks direct
Cotonou charges	He explains they follow the customs valuation and gives an estimate	He says they are small and names no figure
Clearance there	He gives you the broker’s name and number	His role ends at sailing
Price	Itemised: Jeddah, sea, the note, Cotonou	One figure, after which port charges appear
Paperwork	A contract, photographs and a bill in your name	A verbal promise and a voice note
Responsibility	One party from your door to Cotonou	Several parties, each referring you to another

Common mistakes when shipping from Jeddah to Benin

• Buying the car on impulse, then finding that its charges in Cotonou approach half its value.
• Loading the shipment before arranging the BESC note, then paying a fine on arrival.
• Writing the car’s details on the bill from memory instead of copying them from the registration card.
• Putting spare parts in the boot of a RoRo car in the hope that nobody notices.
• Sending a transit container to Niger on a bill that names Cotonou as the final destination.
• Leaving the consignee without a broker until the ship berths, when storage begins.
• Relying on an intermediary with no address and no registration because his price is slightly lower.

Why Home Safe for shipping from Jeddah to Benin?

You can request the service in three ways: a call in which you explain what you have, a WhatsApp message with photographs of the shipment and the car’s details, or the request form on the website at any hour. In all three a member of staff who knows the route replies, and gives you an itemised price and a duration between two limits.

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

Related articles and pages

• Shipping company from Saudi Arabia to Benin
• Shipping company from Riyadh to Benin
• Shipping company from Jeddah to Ivory Coast
• Shipping from Saudi Arabia to Togo
• Car shipping from Saudi Arabia
• Sea freight

Tags

shipping company from Jeddah to Benin, shipping from Jeddah to Benin, shipping prices from Jeddah to Benin, car shipping from Jeddah to Benin, car shipping to Cotonou, sea freight from Jeddah to Cotonou, container shipping from Jeddah to Benin, air freight from Jeddah to Benin, furniture shipping from Jeddah to Benin, cargo shipping from Jeddah to Benin, pilgrims’ luggage shipping to Benin, BESC cargo tracking note, shipping from Jeddah to West Africa, shipping to Niger via Cotonou, shipping from Saudi Arabia to Benin, Home Safe International Shipping

Frequently asked questions about shipping from Jeddah to Benin

How much does shipping from Jeddah to Benin cost?

A saloon car by sea from Jeddah Islamic Port to the port of Cotonou starts from SAR 2,800. Air freight starts from SAR 28 per kilogram, an express parcel of up to 5 kg from SAR 110, and a document envelope from SAR 83. The container in both sizes and the cubic metre in a shared container are set on request, because they follow the sailing of the week. Photograph what you intend to send and message it on WhatsApp 0552803439 to receive the figure the same day.

How many days does a shipment need from Jeddah to Cotonou?

A full container normally needs 35 to 50 days counted from loading in Jeddah until it leaves the port of Cotonou. The roll-on roll-off vessel is close to that, between 32 and 48 days. The shared container is longer, 45 to 60 days, because it is not sealed until it fills. An air parcel arrives in 4 to 8 days including its clearance.

Does the ship sail from Jeddah to Cotonou directly?

Usually not. The container moves from one vessel to another at a transhipment port before heading down to the Gulf of Guinea, which is why we tell you the name of the intermediate port and the date of the second vessel when you book. The route itself is decided by the ocean carrier: north through the Suez Canal or south around the continent.

What is the BESC cargo tracking note, and is it compulsory?

It is an electronic document that Benin requires for every sea shipment entering the port of Cotonou, whether a car, a container or a part load. It is issued once the draft bill of lading exists and its number is written on that bill. A shipment arriving without one is fined and its clearance stops, so we issue it ourselves as part of preparing the file.

Does Benin set a maximum age for an imported car?

Current practice is that Benin announces no age limit for used cars, which is one reason its market is so busy. Duties, however, are calculated on a value the customs assess from the model and year of manufacture, and the rules are revised from time to time. Send us the chassis number before you buy so we can confirm what applies.

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

Yes. The purchase contract and an authorisation from you are enough: our driver or recovery flatbed goes to the showroom or auction yard and photographs the car from every angle, with its odometer, before it moves. We then complete the export certificate with you at the traffic department and the car enters the port.

May I put spare parts or belongings with the car?

In a container, yes, provided they are stowed outside the cabin of the car and written item by item on the packing list. On a roll-on roll-off vessel the car travels empty apart from its spare wheel and original tool kit, and any extra item delays its acceptance at the port.

Is shipping to Benin from Jeddah cheaper than from other cities?

Usually yes, because the port is inside Jeddah. A shipment coming from Riyadh or Dammam pays for a lorry that covers hundreds of kilometres before it reaches the quay, and that item is almost absent from a Jeddah invoice. You also gain a day or two in catching the sailing.

Do you ship the luggage of pilgrims and Umrah visitors from Benin?

Yes. We take bags and cartons from the hotel or residence in Jeddah and Makkah and fix on each piece a number that matches the inventory. Light urgent items go by air to Cotonou airport, and whatever can wait is consolidated by sea. We do not ship Zamzam water, because taking it out as cargo is not permitted.

Who pays the customs duties in Cotonou?

The consignee in Benin. The broker we work with lodges the declaration and attends the inspection, then tells him the amount before payment. Duties on a car are calculated from the customs valuation table, not from the purchase invoice, so ask us for an estimate before you pay for it.

Can my shipment reach Niger or Nigeria through Cotonou?

It can, under the transit regime. The final country and city are written on the bill of lading, and the shipment crosses Benin with a transit document and guarantee and is cleared in its own country. Transit vehicles have a set period in which to leave the border, so we confirm the procedure in force before loading.

Which documents should I prepare before collection day?

A copy of your ID or residence permit, the name of the consignee as in his document with his telephone in Benin and his address, and a list of the contents. A car adds the registration card, the purchase contract and the export certificate. Commercial goods add an invoice, packing list and certificate of origin. We prefer the lists to be written in French as well.

Is there land freight from Jeddah to Benin?

No. Between the two countries lie the Red Sea and the whole width of the African continent, and no regular lorry service crosses it. Heavy shipments travel by sea and light urgent ones by air.

Do you insure the car or the container?

Insurance is optional and calculated as a percentage of the value you declare, and it covers the sea voyage with its handling at the transhipment port. We recommend it for a car and for a commercial container. With it come the condition photographs taken before loading, which are what everyone refers to if a remark arises.

Do you work in the opposite direction, from Benin to Jeddah?

Yes. Our partner in Cotonou collects the shipment from its address, and it sails to Jeddah Islamic Port or is loaded by air. We then clear it in Jeddah and deliver it in the city or in Makkah and Taif. We review the Saudi conditions for the item before it is loaded.