Shipping Company from Mecca to Switzerland 0552803439 | Luggage, Gifts, Dates, Furniture & Car Shipping to Zurich and Geneva

Home Safe is a shipping company from Mecca to Switzerland that collects luggage, gifts, dates, furniture and cars from your home or hotel in Makkah and delivers them to the recipient’s door in Zurich, Geneva and Basel. Switzerland is about 4,000 km from Makkah by air, and Makkah has neither an airport nor a port, so every shipment leaves from nearby Jeddah. An air shipment arrives in 3 to 6 days and a container in 26 to 34 days. Air freight starts from SAR 23 a kilogram, a sea part load from SAR 5,500 and a car from SAR 2,800. To book: 0552803439.

In this guide44ShowHide

1. Who ships from Makkah to Switzerland, and what do they send?
2. The shipping route from Makkah to Switzerland and how long it takes
3. From Mecca via Jeddah port to Switzerland
4. Shipping prices from Makkah to Switzerland
5. What is different when a shipment starts in Makkah?
6. Shipping luggage, gifts and dates from Mecca to Switzerland
7. What do gifts and dates pay at Swiss customs?
8. Moving furniture from Makkah to Switzerland and the mover’s relief
9. Sea freight for large and heavy containers: full container or part load?
10. Shipping parcels and documents from Makkah to Switzerland
11. Shipping commercial goods, devices and heavy equipment
12. Car shipping from Makkah to Switzerland
13. Documents and clearance at Swiss customs
14. What cannot be shipped from Makkah to Switzerland or needs a permit
15. Delivering Mecca shipments in Zurich, Geneva and Basel
16. Home Safe services for individuals, institutions, government bodies and embassies
17. Is there land freight from Makkah to Switzerland?
18. Air freight from Mecca to Switzerland
19. Collection from Makkah’s districts and nearby towns
20. Steps for shipping from Makkah to Switzerland
21. Tracking the shipment and insuring it
22. Shipping from Switzerland to Makkah
23. Home Safe tips before shipping from Makkah to Switzerland
24. How do you choose a shipping company from Mecca to Switzerland?
25. Common mistakes when shipping from Makkah to Switzerland
26. Why choose Home Safe for shipping from Makkah to Switzerland?
27. Related articles and pages
28. Tags
29. Frequently asked questions about shipping from Makkah to Switzerland
30. How much does air freight from Makkah to Zurich cost?
31. How long does a shipment from Makkah take to reach Switzerland?
32. Can I send dates from Makkah to my family in Switzerland?
33. Does a gift pay tax when it arrives in Switzerland?
34. Do you collect luggage from Makkah hotels?
35. Do you ship Zamzam water to Switzerland?
36. Can household furniture be shipped from Makkah to Switzerland?
37. Do you provide customs clearance in Switzerland?
38. Why does the container not reach Switzerland directly by ship?
39. Which Swiss cities do you deliver to?
40. How much does it cost to ship a car from Makkah to Switzerland?
41. What documents are needed to ship from Makkah to Switzerland?
42. Can I ship during Ramadan and the Hajj season?
43. What are the important tips for a shipment to arrive intact?
44. Do you ship from Switzerland to Makkah?

Route: your home or hotel in Makkah → Jeddah (the airport or the Islamic Port) → a European port or a Swiss airport → rail through the Alps for containers → the recipient’s address in Switzerland · Expected time: 3–6 days by air, 26–34 days by sea.

Who ships from Makkah to Switzerland, and what do they send?

Demand on this route comes from two clear groups. The first is visitors who came from Switzerland for Umrah or Hajj and bought more in Makkah’s markets than an airline bag will carry. The second is Makkah’s own people and residents who have a son studying there, a relative working there or a long course of treatment. Then come the traders who send dates and prayer goods to community shops. This table shows what each one sends and how:

Shipper	What they usually send	Best method
Umrah or Hajj pilgrim returning to Switzerland	Excess bags, gifts, dates and prayer rugs	Air via Jeddah airport
Makkah family with a son on a scholarship	Clothes, books, dates, coffee and spices	Air for the urgent, sea cartons for the rest
Resident who has finished work and is moving to Switzerland	Household furniture and appliances, perhaps the car	Full container or part load
Companion of a patient travelling for treatment	Luggage for a long stay and personal items	Air
Trader in Makkah	Packed dates, prayer beads, ihram garments and abayas	Sea for quantities, air for samples
Public body or institution	Printed matter, exhibition materials and documents	Air or express

For us, knowing who owns the shipment comes before knowing what it weighs. The visitor needs a fast collection before their flight, the mover needs a relief file, and the trader needs an invoice and a certificate of origin. Each of them takes a different path through Swiss customs.

The shipping route from Makkah to Switzerland and how long it takes

The journey always opens with a short road leg, because Makkah is an inland city and its nearest international gateway is in Jeddah, about 80 km away. After Jeddah the two routes part: the aircraft lands in Switzerland itself, while the ship stops at a port in a neighbouring country and a train does the rest. These are the stages of a private container in order, with the time each one takes:

Stage	What happens	Usual time
Packing in Makkah	Dismantling, packing, inventory and numbering	One day
Makkah to Jeddah Islamic Port	Closed truck on the motorway	About two hours
Export and waiting on the quay	Export declaration and the vessel’s cut-off	3–5 days
The sea	Red Sea, then the Suez Canal, then the Mediterranean	8–12 days to Genoa
The European port	Discharging the container and opening the transit document	2–4 days
Rail through the Alps	From the quay to a Swiss container terminal	One to 3 days
Swiss customs	Declaration, then relief or payment	One to 3 days
Delivery	Distribution truck to the door	One to two days

If you would like to compare all the methods before deciding, this is how long each one takes from the sender’s door in Makkah to the recipient’s door:

Method	Door-to-door time	For whom
Air via Jeddah airport	3–6 days	Luggage, gifts, dates and documents
Private container via Genoa	26–34 days	A whole home’s furniture or goods
Sea part load	33–46 days	Cartons and a few pieces
Container via a North Sea port	35–45 days	Addresses in Basel and the north when the service suits them
Car by RoRo or in a container	28–40 days	Private cars

What lengthens the transit time?

• Makkah’s season: in Ramadan and Hajj the collection slot is booked days ahead, and the truck may not leave until night.
• An indirect vessel: if the container changes ship at an intermediate port, several days are added to the voyage.
• Alpine winter: snow delays trucks on the passes, while the train in the tunnel is less affected.
• Ban days in Switzerland: under the rules there, heavy trucks stop at night and on Sundays and public holidays.
• An incomplete declaration: an item with no value, or a recipient’s phone that goes unanswered, stops the release until it is put right.

To compare with other destinations, see the transit times page.

From Mecca via Jeddah port to Switzerland

No ship can berth in Switzerland, a country surrounded by land on every side. So the container’s journey is split into three parts: a truck from Makkah to Jeddah Islamic Port, then a ship to a European port, then a train across the Alps. The port we choose for most Makkah shipments is Genoa in Italy, because it is the first large port after the Suez Canal in the direction of Switzerland.

From Genoa the train climbs north and enters the Gotthard Base Tunnel, a railway tunnel about 57 km long under the mountain, and comes out in central Switzerland. The container stays sealed throughout this crossing and moves under a customs transit document opened at the port and closed at the Swiss office, so no duties are paid on it in Italy. These are the ports your shipment may pass through, and when we pick each one:

European port	Sailing from Jeddah	After the port	We choose it when
Genoa, Italy	8–12 days	Rail through the Gotthard to Zurich and Basel, or truck to Lugano	For most shipments, and for the shortest time
Rotterdam, Netherlands	15–21 days	Rail or a barge on the Rhine as far as Basel	The address is in Basel and the cargo is heavy and not urgent
Antwerp, Belgium	14–20 days	Rail to Basel	Its sailing date is the nearer one

Container train timetables and frequencies change from season to season, so we name the port and the train for you on the booking day, not before. The list of gateways we work from is on the ports and gateways page.

Shipping prices from Makkah to Switzerland

What you pay is spread over four stops: collection in Makkah and the transfer to Jeddah, then the air or sea freight, then the transit from the European port to Switzerland for sea freight, then clearance and delivery to the door. The first stop is light because Jeddah is close. The third does not exist in air freight at all, which is why the aircraft works out cheaper than the sea for small shipments. These are our starting prices:

What you ship	Method	Price starts from
Documents and papers	Express	SAR 83
Luggage, gifts, dates and parcels	Air via Jeddah airport	SAR 23 per kilogram
Cartons and pieces of furniture	Sea part load	SAR 5,500
A whole home’s furniture or goods	Full 20ft or 40ft container	SAR 11,000
Saloon car	RoRo to the European port	SAR 2,800
Car in a closed container to Switzerland	20ft container	Set on request by canton
Transfer from Makkah to Jeddah	Closed truck or light vehicle	Set on request by volume and district
Heavy equipment and sensitive devices	Sea or air in a special crate	Set on request once the dimensions are known

Market prices quoted for this route are mostly higher than that, and they vary. By air, a parcel of up to 5 kg is put at SAR 900 to 1,200, ten kilograms at about SAR 1,500, twenty kilograms of devices at about SAR 2,700 and thirty kilograms at about SAR 3,800, with priority service adding 20% to 35%. Express couriers quote SAR 40 to 120 a kilogram, and some reach SAR 400. By sea, a 20ft container is put at SAR 7,500 to 9,000, a 40ft container from SAR 13,000, a car in a shared container at about SAR 4,200 and in a private container from SAR 6,500, and the haul from the European port to Geneva at SAR 1,200 to 1,800. We found no one publishing a price from Makkah itself to the door.

Factor	Its effect on the price of your shipment from Makkah
Chargeable weight by air	The greater of the scale weight and the weight worked out from the dimensions is taken
Volume by sea	Charged by the cubic metre. Estimate it with the CBM calculator
Collection point in Makkah	A hotel near the Haram or a steep street needs a light vehicle ahead of the truck
The season	Ramadan, Hajj and the weeks that follow them see higher demand
The Swiss town	A place near the container terminal costs less than a mountain village
Packing required	A wooden crate and internal dividers for dates are charged with the service

How do you bring the cost down?

• Gather your whole group’s gifts into one hotel collection instead of a visit for each room.
• Fill the carton to the top, since empty space is charged to you as volumetric weight.
• Send books and large amounts of dates by sea if you are not in a hurry, and leave the aircraft for what you need soon.
• Hand over your shipment two weeks before the peak of the season, or after it.
• Split the gifts into parcels in their owners’ names, as each parcel under 100 francs passes tax free.

Each item is detailed on the pricing factors page, and what moves the container rate itself is covered in the article on container shipping prices from Jeddah.

What is different when a shipment starts in Makkah?

Makkah is unlike other cities on loading day. It has no quay and no runway, its streets around the Haram are crowded most of the year, and many of its districts climb the hillsides. Entry of large trucks is tied to hours set by the regulating authorities, and those hours narrow in Ramadan and Hajj. So we plan collection around these five points:

• Truck hours: we ask about the hours in force before loading day and book our slot inside them, and we do not promise you an hour we do not control.
• Hillside districts: in narrow streets the goods come down in a small vehicle to a truck waiting on the wide road.
• Hotels: collection is from the lobby, not the room, weighing is done in front of the owner, and packing happens in our warehouse.
• The road to Jeddah: an air shipment spends the night in the airport’s cargo village on the day it is collected, if its papers are complete.
• Items particular to Makkah: Zamzam water is not shipped, while dates, prayer beads and ihram garments ship with hardly any restriction.

When a container cannot be parked outside your home, we load the furniture into a closed truck and stow it in the container inside our warehouse, then send you photos of the stowage and the seal number.

Shipping luggage, gifts and dates from Mecca to Switzerland

Three things come together in most shipments on this route: a bag the aircraft had no room for, gifts for family and neighbours, and dates. The airline charges a high rate for each excess kilogram, and group flights are strict about bag weight. The easier course is to hand us the surplus and travel light, and it reaches your home in Switzerland a few days later.

Dates get their own preparation with us. We place them in cartons divided on the inside, so every box sits in its own compartment and does not press on the next one. The carton is then strapped in two directions and marked with a number matching the receipt you hold. That way Ajwa, Sukkari and Medjool dates arrive in their box just as you bought them, rather than as a paste at the bottom of a suitcase. These are the kinds of Makkah gifts and the rule for each:

Item	How we prepare it	What applies in Switzerland
Dates of all kinds	Sealed boxes in a divided, strapped carton	Enter with no phytosanitary certificate as published, and are treated as food
Suitcases	Stretch wrap, a strap and a numbered tag	Used personal effects, described on the declaration
Prayer rugs, prayer beads and copies of the Quran	Carton with reinforced corners	Listed by number and value
Abayas, ihram garments and fabrics	Sealed bags inside the carton	A large quantity is treated as commercial goods
Perfumes, oud oil and incense	Tightly closed containers in absorbent padding	Restricted by air, and commercial amounts of oud need a certificate
Zamzam water	We do not accept it	The traveller carries it personally in the dedicated pack

We ask for the shipment to be handed over at least two days before you leave Makkah, so that we can weigh, pack and prepare the declaration while you are present. If you would rather pack yourself, the wrapping and reinforcing methods are explained in the packing guide.

What do gifts and dates pay at Swiss customs?

This is the question we hear most from visitors, and the answer lies in three figures published by Swiss customs. A gift from one private person to another is exempt up to 100 francs. VAT is 8.1% on most goods and 2.6% on food and books. And a tax amount of less than 5 francs is not collected. We would stress that these are the figures in force, and we check the current ones before every shipment.

What you send	The rule	What it means
A gift from one private person to another	Exempt up to a value of 100 francs	The parcel is marked as a gift on the outside, and the freight charge does not count towards this limit
Dates and dry foods	Reduced 2.6% tax	Not collected while the parcel’s value plus its freight stays below roughly 193 francs
Clothes, rugs and prayer beads	8.1% tax	Not collected while the value plus freight stays below roughly 62 francs
Tobacco	Outside the gift relief	Do not put it in a gift parcel

The practical result: someone carrying gifts for ten relatives writes ten parcels with ten names and addresses, and does not pool them in one carton worth a thousand francs. Dates sent in a commercial quantity may attract a duty calculated by weight, so we enquire about it before shipping and tell the recipient what they will pay.

Moving furniture from Makkah to Switzerland and the mover’s relief

Someone who has finished work in Makkah and gone back to Switzerland, or has been accepted for a job there, moves the whole home in a container. We dismantle bedrooms and wardrobes, pack each piece in what suits it and number it on an inventory in English. Swiss customs exempts the furniture of a person moving residence from duty and tax if conditions are met, and the application is made on form 18.44. These are the conditions as currently applied:

Condition	In detail
Transfer of residence	Shown by the residence permit, the employment contract or the tenancy agreement in Switzerland
Previous use	The belongings must have been used for at least six months before the move
Continued use	The owner must go on using them after arrival
Timing	They enter with the move, and anything arriving later is listed on the form with the first consignment
What is excluded	New items in their boxes, and tobacco and alcohol above the allowance

The form is handed in with an original signature, together with the inventory and passport copies. We draw the attention of people from Makkah to two things before packing: Swiss flats are usually smaller than our homes, so a large majlis and a six-door wardrobe may not fit. And the electricity there is 230 volts with a three-pin socket, so some appliances need an adaptor. The full service is on the furniture shipping page.

Sea freight for large and heavy containers: full container or part load?

A full container is booked for you alone and sealed with a number that is broken only in front of Swiss customs. A part load books you cubic metres in a container you share with others, so you pay for your own volume and wait longer. The rule we work by: under 15 cubic metres the part load is cheaper, and above that it is compared with the price of a 20ft container.

Point of comparison	Full container	Part load
Price starts from	SAR 11,000	SAR 5,500
Time from Makkah	26–34 days	33–46 days
Capacity	20ft about 28 cubic metres, 40ft about 58	From one cubic metre
Where it is stowed	Outside the home if the street allows, or in our warehouse	At the consolidation warehouse in Jeddah
Suits	A whole home, heavy goods, and a car with furniture	A student’s cartons, many gifts and a few pieces

Heavy loads carry an extra calculation: a container has a weight limit on Europe’s roads and railways, so we spread the weight inside it and secure it with straps and timber before sealing. Compare the sizes on the container sizes page, and read about the service on the sea freight page.

Shipping parcels and documents from Makkah to Switzerland

A small parcel is the simplest and fastest shipment on the route. It is collected from your home or office in Makkah, weighed and measured in front of you, and then flies from SAR 23 a kilogram. Documents, such as attested certificates, university papers and contracts, travel in a sealed envelope from SAR 83 and are delivered against signature. A Swiss parcel has a few small requirements that keep it from being returned:

• Address: the name as in the passport, the street and building number, the four-digit postcode, and the town.
• Phone: a Swiss number the recipient answers, as the courier calls before coming.
• Declaration: every item by name, number and value in English, since the word “gifts” alone is not accepted.
• Speed: a standard service arriving in 4–6 days, and a priority service leaving on the first flight at a higher price.

The remaining conditions are on the parcel shipping page.

Shipping commercial goods, devices and heavy equipment

Makkah’s trade with Switzerland is small in volume and specific in kind: packed dates, prayer goods, modest clothing and oriental perfumes. As things stand, Switzerland charges no customs duty on industrial products, keeps it on agricultural and food products, mostly by weight, and collects VAT on every import. This is what we need for each type of goods:

Goods	Shipping method	What we ask for
Packed dates for shops	Pallets in a container, small orders by air	Invoice, certificate of origin and a label in the region’s language
Prayer rugs, prayer beads and ihram garments	Cartons as a part load	An invoice stating the material and country of manufacture
Sensitive electronic devices	By air in a padded crate	The serial number and value of each device
A complete commercial project	Several containers in scheduled lots	A shipping plan and a packing list for each lot
Heavy equipment and machinery	Open-top or flat-rack container	Dimensions, weight and lifting points
Sensitive or restricted materials	According to their classification	The material safety data sheet and the carrier’s approval

Devices have their details recorded before the crate is closed, so compensation is clear if damage occurs. Equipment larger than a container is loaded by crane and secured with chains, as detailed on the heavy equipment shipping page. What concerns exporters is on the commercial shipping page.

Car shipping from Makkah to Switzerland

The car is carried from Makkah on a transporter to Jeddah port, where it is shipped in one of two ways. RoRo: it is driven into the vessel and comes off at a European port, then continues on a car transporter to the border. Container: it is lashed by all four wheels and sealed, and reaches Switzerland without being opened. Air freight for a car is possible when the need is urgent, and is priced on request.

Item	RoRo	Shared or private container
Price	Starts from SAR 2,800 for a saloon to the port	Set on request by canton
How the car travels	Driven into the ship’s hold and lashed	Secured and sealed from Jeddah
Belongings	Nothing is left inside	Furniture can travel with it in a private container
For whom	The everyday car	The luxury car, and a mover’s car with the household

In Switzerland, as currently applied, there is a 4% automobile tax and 8.1% VAT, with relief from both for someone who has moved residence and used the car for six months. The car is then technically inspected in the canton, where changes may be required on a Gulf-specification vehicle, and it is issued the customs inspection report 13.20 A with which it is registered. We check the rates and forms in force before it is loaded. The two methods are explained on the RoRo car shipping and container car shipping pages, and export procedures from the Kingdom in the article on car shipping from Saudi Arabia.

Documents and clearance at Swiss customs

Swiss customs has its own system and forms, and has nothing to do with the customs of the European Union whose territory the container crosses. The declaration is filed electronically at a border or inland office, along with proof of the value and of the recipient’s status. We collect these papers in Makkah before the shipment moves and send a copy to our partner there:

Shipment	Papers	What is paid
Luggage, gifts and dates	Passport copy, a declaration of items and values, and the recipient’s address and phone	Nothing below the relief limits, and the rest by the recipient
Furniture of a person moving residence	Form 18.44, the inventory, passports, and the residence permit or housing contract	Nothing if the conditions are met
Commercial goods	Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and bill of lading	VAT, and a duty on food products
Car	Registration, export certificate from the traffic department and purchase invoice	4% and 8.1% unless relieved

We work out for the recipient what they can expect to pay before the shipment leaves Makkah, so the courier does not surprise them with an amount at the door. Each paper is explained on the shipping documents page, and the release stages on the customs clearance page.

What cannot be shipped from Makkah to Switzerland or needs a permit

We open every carton we receive, or ask what is in it, because a single prohibited item stops the whole shipment. Some items may not leave the Kingdom, and some are confiscated by Switzerland at the border. These are the main ones under the rules in force:

Item	Its status
Zamzam water	Not shipped; the traveller carries it in the dedicated pack
Meat, dairy and ghee	Animal products do not enter in personal parcels from outside Europe
Counterfeit watches and bags	Confiscated even if it is a single piece
Oud, ivory and skins of endangered species	With the international convention certificate
Medicines	In the amount of personal need for about a month, with the prescription
Plants, seeds and soil	With a phytosanitary certificate; dates are excepted
Perfumes, aerosols and loose batteries	Restricted by air, and shipped by sea
Weapons and narcotics	Prohibited, or with a prior Swiss licence for a weapon

The general list for all destinations is on the prohibited items page.

Delivering Mecca shipments in Zurich, Geneva and Basel

Delivery begins only after customs release. Once the shipment is cleared it is loaded onto a distribution truck, the courier calls the recipient to fix a time, and then hands it over at the door of the house or flat. Most Makkah shipments go to three cities, Zurich, Geneva and Basel, and then to the towns around them. This is what applies to each destination:

City	How the shipment reaches it	Neighbouring towns served with it
Zurich	Its airport is Switzerland’s largest for cargo, and the container reaches it by rail	Winterthur, Baden and Zug
Geneva	Geneva airport for air, and sea freight by truck from the container terminal	Lausanne, Montreux and Nyon
Basel	Container terminals and ports on the Rhine	Liestal and the towns of the north-west
Bern	Truck from Zurich or Basel	Biel and Fribourg
Lucerne and St. Gallen	Truck from Zurich	Towns of central and eastern Switzerland
Lugano	The closest city to Genoa, reached by the container on a truck	Locarno and Bellinzona

With furniture, the crew carries the pieces up, reassembles what was dismantled and takes the empty cartons away. We ask the recipient for two things before the appointment: permission for the truck to park, from the building management or the municipality, and the size of the lift. Small mountain towns are served by a smaller vehicle on a date agreed with the recipient.

Home Safe services for individuals, institutions, government bodies and embassies

We serve anyone with a shipment between Makkah and Switzerland, and change the paperwork and arrangements to suit who they are:

• Individuals and visitors: collection from home or hotel, a scale in front of you, a numbered receipt and delivery to the door.
• Students and scholarship holders: cartons of clothes, books and dry foods, by air or part load depending on the start of term.
• Companies and institutions: goods and samples with invoices and export documents, and a regular shipping schedule for those who send every month.
• Government bodies and organisations: documents, printed matter and materials for official participation in Geneva, with documented collection and delivery records.
• Embassies and missions: the belongings of a transferred staff member, with the documents their employer specifies.

Is there land freight from Makkah to Switzerland?

We do not offer a full overland route to Switzerland, nor do we recommend one for luggage and furniture. The distance crosses the borders of many countries, and its cost and duration are higher than the sea. Our trucks serve the two ends of the journey: from Makkah to Jeddah, and then from the rail terminal or airport to the recipient’s door. Our road service within the Kingdom and the Gulf is on the land freight page.

Air freight from Mecca to Switzerland

The aircraft is the first choice for urgent dates and gifts, because it delivers them fresh before their owner’s holiday is over. The shipment goes via Jeddah airport, that is King Abdulaziz International Airport, since Makkah has no airport. We collect in the morning, and the shipment enters the cargo village in the evening if its papers are ready. There are direct flights between Jeddah and both Geneva and Zurich according to the current schedule, and when their timing does not suit, the shipment travels with one stop. The whole trip takes 3 to 6 days, and the price is from SAR 23 a kilogram.

Arrival airport	Cities it serves	Delivery inside Switzerland
Zurich	Zurich, Basel, Bern, Lucerne and St. Gallen	On the release day or the day after
Geneva	Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux and western Switzerland	On the release day or the day after
Milan, then truck	Lugano and southern Switzerland	Under a transit document when its timing is nearer

• Why dates go by air: the heat of a container in summer softens moist dates, and the aircraft cuts the trip to days.
• Chargeable weight: a small, heavy box of dates is charged by its weight, and a light, roomy carton of clothes by its size. Try the volumetric weight calculator.
• What does not fly: alcohol-based perfumes and oud oil in quantity, aerosols and loose batteries.
• Delivery inside Switzerland: we clear at the airport and hand over at the door, or the owner collects from the airport if preferred.

For the terms of this service, open the air freight page; to find where our desk near the airport is, read about the air freight office in Jeddah.

Collection from Makkah’s districts and nearby towns

We cover all of Makkah’s districts: Aziziyah, Shawqiyah, Sharaie, Awali, Naseem, Zahir, Rusaifah, Utaibiyah, Nawariyah, Batha Quraysh and Kakiyah. We collect from the hotels of the central area and from pilgrims’ accommodation. The places around Makkah are added to its daily run to Jeddah:

Collection point	Location	How we collect
Central-area hotels	Around the Haram	Light vehicle, handover in the lobby with a receipt and weighing
Aziziyah, Shawqiyah and Sharaie	Residential districts with wide streets	Closed truck parked outside the home
Hillside districts	Steep, narrow streets	Small vehicle shuttling to the truck
Al Jumum and Bahrah	20–40 km from Makkah	On the same day as the Makkah collection
Taif	About 90 km	The day before shipping day

Anyone who travels before having a settled address in Switzerland can leave the shipment with us, numbered and stored, to go out the day the address is sent. Details are on the storage and door-to-door shipping pages.

Steps for shipping from Makkah to Switzerland

1. Contact: you send photos of the shipment on WhatsApp, your location in Makkah, and the Swiss town and its postcode.
2. Price: we reply with the suitable method and its price broken down by stop.
3. Appointment: we fix the collection time within the hours permitted in your district or at your hotel.
4. Collection and weighing: a scale in front of you, and a receipt showing the number of pieces and the number of each piece.
5. Packing and declaration: divided cartons for dates, strapping and numbering, and a declaration of items and values.
6. Jeddah: the export declaration, then the air waybill number or the container number.
7. Arrival and clearance: a declaration at Swiss customs and collection of what is due, or application of the relief.
8. Handover: at the door, with the piece numbers checked against the receipt.

Tracking the shipment and insuring it

After the shipment leaves Makkah you receive a number to follow it by. By air it is the air waybill number, and by sea the container number on the shipping line’s website. We add short messages at the stops the website does not show: arrival in Jeddah, take-off or sailing, arrival in Europe, release, and the departure of the distribution truck. How to search is explained on the track your shipment page.

Insurance is optional, and we set out its terms for you before you pay. It covers damage and loss from collection in Makkah to handover, and its premium is a percentage of the declared value, with the market quoting between 1% and 3%. You can insure the whole shipment or only the valuable pieces, such as devices, handmade rugs and the car. The insurance policy stays with you, and we handle the claim if you need one. The terms are on the cargo insurance page.

Shipping from Switzerland to Makkah

The route works in both directions. Someone coming to work in Makkah sends their belongings ahead, and families send their relatives winter clothes, chocolate and appliances. Our partner collects from the Swiss address, and parcels fly to King Abdulaziz Airport, or the container goes down by rail to the European port and sails to Jeddah. After clearance our truck carries it to Makkah. New goods are subject to duty and VAT in the Kingdom, and we review with you which used belongings are exempt before shipping. Our other European routes are in the article on shipping from Saudi Arabia to Europe.

Home Safe tips before shipping from Makkah to Switzerland

• Weigh every bag and measure every carton before calling, since a price built on a correct figure does not change.
• Buy dates in sealed factory boxes marked with the weight, and do not ship loose dates sold by the kilo.
• Keep fragile pieces apart from the rest and ask for double packing for them.
• Write the recipient’s name and Swiss phone number on a sheet inside every carton as well.
• Keep the purchase invoices and a photo of the receipt, as they are your evidence if you claim compensation.
• Choose the aircraft for what you want within a week, and the sea for what can wait a month.
• Keep your phone working in Switzerland on the arrival days, and ask us about the shipment whenever you like.

How do you choose a shipping company from Mecca to Switzerland?

Ask the company five questions before you hand over your bag, and judge it by its answers. Whoever knows this route answers with details, and whoever does not answers with promises:

Ask	A sign of knowledge	A sign to slow down
Where does my shipment leave from?	From Jeddah airport or port, with a date given	“Straight from Makkah”
How does the container reach Switzerland?	A European port, then rail through the Alps	“To the port of Switzerland”
Is tax paid on my gifts?	Mentions the 100-franc limit and splitting the parcels	“No taxes at all”
Do you ship Zamzam?	Declines and explains why	“We ship everything”
What does the price include?	Clear items through to the door	A single figure with no breakdown

Common mistakes when shipping from Makkah to Switzerland

• Pooling several people’s gifts in one parcel whose value exceeds the relief limit.
• Calling the shipping company on the night of travel, when the hotel collection window has closed.
• Putting a bottle of Zamzam or a tin of ghee among the dates without telling the agent.
• Writing a Swiss address with no postcode or no phone number.
• Shipping moist dates in a sea container at the height of summer.
• Booking furniture loading in the last ten days of Ramadan or the days of Hajj.
• Shipping a full majlis before knowing the size of the Swiss flat and its lift.

Why choose Home Safe for shipping from Makkah to Switzerland?

Because we know both ends of this route: Makkah’s seasons, hotels and truck hours, and the forms and relief limits of Swiss customs. Your shipment stays with us under one number from the lobby in Makkah to the door in Switzerland.

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

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• Shipping company from Saudi Arabia to Switzerland
• Shipping company from Jeddah to Switzerland
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• Shipping company from Mecca to Germany
• Car shipping

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Frequently asked questions about shipping from Makkah to Switzerland

How much does air freight from Makkah to Zurich cost?

The chargeable kilogram to Zurich starts from SAR 23, and a document envelope from SAR 83. Geneva and Basel cost the same, because the three cities differ in the last leg inside Switzerland, not in the air fare. The amount rises if you ask for a wooden crate or delivery on a fixed day. Call 0552803439 with the weight and size of your carton.

How long does a shipment from Makkah take to reach Switzerland?

By air, between 3 and 6 days from the day it is collected in Makkah until it is handed over at the Swiss address, which includes the day on the road to Jeddah airport and the clearance day. By sea, between 26 and 34 days for a private container, and between 33 and 46 days for cartons shipped with other people’s goods, since they wait for the container to fill and are then sorted in Europe.

Can I send dates from Makkah to my family in Switzerland?

Yes. Swiss customs states that dates enter from all countries with no phytosanitary certificate and no plant inspection. We ship them in their sealed boxes inside divided cartons and write their weight and value on the declaration. They are food, charged at the reduced 2.6% VAT rate, and the tax is not collected when it comes to less than 5 francs.

Does a gift pay tax when it arrives in Switzerland?

A gift sent by a private person in Makkah to a private person in Switzerland passes free of duty and tax as long as its value is no more than 100 francs, under the rule in force there, and the parcel must be marked as a gift on the outside. Tobacco is not covered by this relief. Anything above the limit has its tax collected from the recipient on delivery.

Do you collect luggage from Makkah hotels?

Yes, and in the seasons that is half our work. The agent reaches the hotel lobby at the agreed time, weighs the bags in front of you and gives you a receipt with the number of every piece. All you leave with us is the full Swiss address and a passport copy, and then you fly with hand luggage alone.

Do you ship Zamzam water to Switzerland?

No. Zamzam water is not shipped as cargo or in parcels; what leaves the Kingdom is the dedicated traveller’s pack that passengers carry with them from the airport. If we find bottles in a carton, we return them to the owner before sealing so that the whole shipment is not held up.

Can household furniture be shipped from Makkah to Switzerland?

Yes. We dismantle and pack the furniture in your Makkah home, move it to Jeddah port, and it then travels in a private container from SAR 11,000 or as a part load from SAR 5,500. Anyone moving their residence to Switzerland applies for relief on used furniture with form 18.44, and we go through the paperwork with them before loading.

Do you provide customs clearance in Switzerland?

Yes. Our partner there files the electronic declaration at the customs office, pays what is due or submits the relief application, and then releases the shipment to the delivery truck. Our part in Makkah is making sure the file arrives complete before the goods: the inventory, the values, passport copies and the signed form.

Why does the container not reach Switzerland directly by ship?

Because Switzerland is a landlocked country with no sea coast. The ship ends its voyage at a European port, and the closest one to Jeddah is Genoa in Italy. From there the container is lifted onto a train that crosses the Alps through the Gotthard tunnel, comes off at a terminal near the destination town and finishes by truck.

Which Swiss cities do you deliver to?

Zurich, Geneva and Basel first, along with their neighbours: Winterthur and Baden around Zurich, Lausanne and Montreux on Lake Geneva, and Liestal near Basel. We also deliver to Bern, Lucerne, St. Gallen and Lugano, and to small towns by an arrangement agreed according to how far they are.

How much does it cost to ship a car from Makkah to Switzerland?

A saloon car by RoRo starts from SAR 2,800 as far as the European port. Added to that are its transfer from Makkah to Jeddah port and the transporter from the European port to the Swiss border, both of which are set on request. Shipping in a closed container all the way to Switzerland is priced by canton.

What documents are needed to ship from Makkah to Switzerland?

For luggage and gifts: a passport copy, a declaration of every item and its value, and the recipient’s address and phone. For a mover’s furniture: form 18.44 with an original signature, the inventory, and the residence permit or housing contract. For goods: a commercial invoice, packing list and certificate of origin. For a car: the registration and the export certificate from the traffic department.

Can I ship during Ramadan and the Hajj season?

Yes, provided you book early. In both seasons the hours when trucks may enter Makkah narrow and the crowds around the Haram grow, so we collect small luggage with light vehicles and move furniture loading to the permitted night hours. If no slot can be found, we keep the shipment in the warehouse until the season eases.

What are the important tips for a shipment to arrive intact?

Four things are usually enough: measure and weigh the carton before you ask for a price, leave the packing of fragile pieces to our team, write every item by name and value on the declaration, and make sure the recipient’s Swiss phone is working. Most of the delay we see on this route comes from an incomplete declaration, not from a breakdown on the way.

Do you ship from Switzerland to Makkah?

Yes. Our partner collects from the Swiss address, and parcels arrive by air at King Abdulaziz Airport, or the container sails to Jeddah Islamic Port. After clearance in Jeddah our truck carries it to your district in Makkah and enters during the hours allowed for trucks.