Shipping Company from Saudi Arabia to the UK 0552803439 | Luggage, Containers and Car Shipping by Sea and Air to London

Home Safe is a shipping company from Saudi Arabia to the UK that moves relocating families’ furniture, students’ belongings, parcels, goods and cars from every city in the Kingdom to London, Manchester, Birmingham and the rest of Britain. Shipping is by sea from Jeddah Islamic Port in 25 to 40 days door to door, or by air in 3 to 6 days. Air freight starts from SAR 26 a kilogram, a part-load of furniture by sea from SAR 5,500, and a saloon car from SAR 2,800. To book: 0552803439.

In this guide46ShowHide

1. Who ships from Saudi Arabia to the UK, and what do they ship?
2. What does a company specialised in the Saudi Arabia – UK route offer?
3. Shipping methods from Saudi Arabia to the UK and how long each takes
4. Shipping prices from Saudi Arabia to the UK
5. Shipping to the UK from the cities of the Kingdom
6. Sea freight from Saudi Arabia to the UK: full container or shared?
7. Ports of departure and arrival: from Jeddah and Dammam to Felixstowe and Southampton
8. Shipping students’ belongings to the UK
9. Shipping household and office furniture from Saudi Arabia to the UK
10. Transfer of Residence relief: how do you bring your furniture in free of VAT?
11. Shipping small and large parcels to the UK
12. Shipping commercial and industrial goods from Saudi Arabia to the UK
13. Car shipping from Saudi Arabia to the UK
14. Packing for a sea voyage that crosses four seas
15. Storing the shipment before international transport
16. British customs and the documents required
17. What cannot be shipped to the UK, or needs a permit
18. Delivery in London, Manchester, Birmingham and the other British cities
19. Our services for individuals, companies, government bodies and embassies
20. Air freight from Saudi Arabia to the UK
21. Combining air and sea in one shipment
22. Steps for shipping from Saudi Arabia to the UK
23. Tracking and insurance
24. Shipping from the UK to Saudi Arabia
25. Home Safe’s tips before shipping to the UK
26. How do you choose a shipping company from Saudi Arabia to the UK?
27. Common mistakes when shipping from Saudi Arabia to the UK
28. Why Home Safe for shipping from Saudi Arabia to the UK?
29. Related articles and pages
30. Tags
31. Frequently asked questions about shipping from Saudi Arabia to the UK
32. How much does shipping from Saudi Arabia to the UK cost?
33. How long does shipping from Saudi Arabia to the UK take?
34. What is the cheapest way to ship to the UK?
35. Which Saudi port does the shipment leave from?
36. Do you collect from any city in the Kingdom?
37. Does a scholarship student pay customs on belongings in the UK?
38. What is Transfer of Residence relief, and when do I apply?
39. What documents are needed to clear the shipment on arrival?
40. What is the best way to pack furniture and appliances for the trip to the UK?
41. What insurance options are there for the shipment?
42. How do I track my shipment to the UK?
43. How do I bring the cost of shipping to the UK down?
44. Can my left-hand-drive car be registered in the UK?
45. Will my electrical appliances work in the UK?
46. Do you ship from the UK to Saudi Arabia?

The sea route: your city → Jeddah Islamic Port → Suez Canal → Mediterranean → Strait of Gibraltar → English Channel → Felixstowe or Southampton · Expected time: by sea 25–40 days, by air 3–6 days.

Who ships from Saudi Arabia to the UK, and what do they ship?

Six groups make up the traffic on this route, and for most of them Britain is a place to study or live before it is a place to trade. The scholarship student sends cartons, the relocating family sends a home, the Briton whose contract in the Kingdom has ended goes back with what he gathered, and whoever spends the summer in London sends his car. Settling which group you belong to decides two things at once: how the shipment travels, and what you will or will not pay British customs.

Shipper	What they ship	Most suitable method	Customs position
Student or scholarship holder	Cartons of books and clothes, suitcases	Cartons in a shared container, or air by the kilo	Student relief with proof of the university place
Family moving home	Household furniture and appliances	20ft or 40ft container	Transfer of Residence relief, approved in advance
Briton returning from work in the Kingdom	Furniture, carpets and keepsakes	Full container or part load	The same relief, on its conditions
Summer visitor, or owner of a London home	A car, or furniture to fit out the house	RoRo for the car, part load for furniture	Temporary admission for the car, VAT on new furniture
Trader or manufacturer	Dates, perfumes, goods and samples	Containers and pallets, air for samples	Duty by commodity and 20% VAT
Government body or embassy	Documents, equipment and exhibits	Mostly air	According to the status of the shipment and its official papers

What does a company specialised in the Saudi Arabia – UK route offer?

A mistake on this route does not show on loading day but a month later, when the container sits in a British port waiting for a paper nobody prepared. So a carrier whose job ends at the Saudi quay is not enough. You need one party that runs the journey from the bedroom in Riyadh or Jeddah to the third floor in Manchester, and knows what customs there will ask before they ask it. This is what our service covers:

• A plan for each shipment: we choose the method, the port and the sailing after we know the volume and the consignee’s city, not before.
• Packing for the sea, not the road: materials that stand four weeks of damp and crane handling in two ports.
• The relief checked before booking: we ask about your status in the UK, because that decides whether you pay VAT or are relieved of it.
• Clearance at both ends: export release at the Saudi port, and the import declaration to British customs through our agent.
• Three services in one order: sea, air and express, and we split your shipment between them when that costs less.
• Tracking from day one: a reference number at collection, then the waybill or container number at shipping.
• Optional insurance: on the value you declare, from your door to the consignee’s door.

Shipping methods from Saudi Arabia to the UK and how long each takes

Two methods work in practice: sea and air. The sea carries the large and the heavy at the lowest cost per cubic metre, and the air carries the light and the urgent and is charged by the kilogram. The overland road crosses many countries and several borders before it reaches the English Channel, so we do not rely on it for this route. The times in the table run from the sender’s door to the consignee’s door:

Method	Route	Approximate time	Best for
Full container	Jeddah port → Suez → Gibraltar → British port	25–35 days	A whole home of furniture and wholesale goods
Part load in a shared container	The same route, with consolidation here and unpacking there	30–40 days	Under 15 cubic metres, and students’ cartons
RoRo for cars	Vehicle carrier to Southampton	25–35 days	A car that runs and can be driven
Air	Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam airport → Heathrow or Manchester	3–6 days	Suitcases, parcels and samples
Express door to door	International courier network	2–4 working days	Documents and a small parcel

Sea time is more than the days of sailing. The ship covers the distance between Jeddah and the British coast in 14 to 20 days, and the rest of the time goes before the container is lifted aboard and after it is set down. This is how a full container’s journey divides:

Stage	What happens	Usual time
Collection and packing	Dismantling, packing and numbering at your address	One to two days
Haulage to Jeddah port	Truck from your city to the quay	Hours from the western cities, one to 3 days from distant ones
Export and loading	Customs release and waiting for the sailing	2–5 days
Sailing	Red Sea, then Suez, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic	14–20 days
Clearance in the UK	Import declaration, and inspection if called	Two to 5 days with a complete file
Delivery	From the port to the consignee’s address	One to 3 days

What lengthens the time?

• Consolidation: a part load waits for the container to fill in Jeddah, then to be sorted in a British warehouse.
• The relief number: a shipment that lands before it is issued stays in the port until it is.
• A vague list: the words “personal effects” with no detail invite the customs officer to open the cartons.
• Student season: in August and September shared containers and distribution warehouses fill up.
• A distant city: Scotland and Northern Ireland add days of transport after the port.

If you are torn between sea and air, the shipping methods comparison page sets the two side by side, and the transit times page gives the figures for other routes.

Shipping prices from Saudi Arabia to the UK

No single figure fits every shipment, but each service has a known floor. Furniture is priced by the cubic metre or the container, air by the kilogram of chargeable weight, and a car by its class. The table shows where our services to the UK start, and your price is then settled by the volume, the two cities and whatever dismantling, packing and assembly you ask for:

What you ship	Method	Price starts from
Documents up to one kilogram	Express	SAR 83
Parcel up to 5 kg	Express	SAR 110
Parcels, suitcases and samples	Air	SAR 26 a kilogram
A student’s cartons	Shared container by sea	Set on request by the number of cartons
Furniture and belongings	Part load by sea	SAR 5,500
A whole home of furniture	Full container	SAR 11,000
Saloon car	RoRo to Southampton	SAR 2,800
A 4×4, or a car in a container	RoRo or container	Set on request by class
Commercial goods and equipment	Container or pallets	Set on request by volume and delivery term

Market prices on this route are far apart, and most are advertised without saying what they include. Among those published: about SAR 28 for a kilogram by air, SAR 400 for every 5 kilograms, and about SAR 500 for a 30-kilogram parcel by the economy postal service. Also on offer: SAR 1,200 for an air parcel up to 5 kilograms, SAR 3,200 for a load up to 100 kilograms, SAR 4,500 for a sea shipment up to 10 cubic metres, and SAR 6,800 for a car. So ask of every figure: to the port or to the door, and with clearance or without. The full worked examples are in the article shipping prices from Saudi Arabia to the UK.

The starting prices are the same whichever city you are in; what changes is the inland haulage to Jeddah port for sea freight. Air freight leaves from the nearest of the three airports at the same rate:

Collection city	Air, per kilogram, from	Furniture part load from	Saloon car by RoRo from	What is added
Jeddah, Makkah and Taif	SAR 26	SAR 5,500	SAR 2,800	Nothing, as the port is close
Riyadh and Qassim	SAR 26	SAR 5,500	SAR 2,800	Haulage to Jeddah port, set on request
Dammam, Khobar, Jubail and Al-Ahsa	SAR 26	SAR 5,500	SAR 2,800	Haulage to Jeddah, or a longer sailing from Dammam
Madinah, Tabuk, Abha and Jazan	SAR 26	SAR 5,500	SAR 2,800	Haulage to Jeddah port, set on request

What sets the price	Its effect
Volume or weight	Cubic metres by sea and kilograms by air. Work out your volume with the CBM calculator
Method	Part load for a small volume, a container for a large one, and air the highest per kilogram
Your city in the Kingdom	The further from Jeddah, the larger the inland haulage item
The consignee’s city	London and the south are near the ports; Scotland and Northern Ireland are further
Difficulty of delivery	A high floor with no lift, or a street that needs a parking permit
Services	Dismantling, wooden crates, assembly and storage are separate items
Season	August and September for students, May and June for summer visitors’ cars

How do you bring the cost down?

• Split the shipment: a carton or two by air for your first week, and the rest by sea.
• Dismantle the furniture; a wardrobe taken apart takes close to half its volume.
• Do not ship cheap furniture, as buying it in Britain costs less than the freight on its cubic metre.
• Apply for the relief and wait for its number; without it you pay 20% of the value of your belongings.
• Book two months before you travel, and keep clear of August and September if you can.
• Share one consolidated container with fellow students in the same city.

The pricing items are explained on the pricing factors page.

Shipping to the UK from the cities of the Kingdom

We collect from every Saudi city, and all sea shipments come together at Jeddah Islamic Port because it is the nearest to the Suez Canal. So the difference between one city and another is the length of the road to that quay, and the airport an air shipment leaves from. Here is a summary of the cities, each with its detailed article where one exists:

Collection city	Seaport	Distance to the port	Air cargo airport	Detailed article
Jeddah	Jeddah Islamic Port	Within the city	King Abdulaziz International	Shipping from Jeddah to the UK
Makkah	Jeddah port	About 80 km	Jeddah airport	Served from Jeddah
Taif	Jeddah port	About 170 km	Jeddah airport	Served from Jeddah
Madinah	Jeddah port, or Yanbu when a sailing is available	About 420 km to Jeddah, 220 km to Yanbu	Madinah airport, or via Jeddah	Served from Jeddah
Riyadh	Jeddah port as a rule	About 950 km	King Khalid International	Riyadh to UK shipping company
Dammam, Khobar and Jubail	Jeddah port, or King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam	About 1,350 km to Jeddah	King Fahd International	International shipping company in Dammam
Qassim: Buraidah and Unaizah	Jeddah port	About 900 km	Riyadh airport	Served with the Riyadh runs
Tabuk	Jeddah port	About 1,000 km	Jeddah airport	Hauled to Jeddah in a closed truck
Abha, Khamis Mushait and Jazan	Jeddah port	About 700 km from Abha	Jeddah airport	Hauled to Jeddah in a closed truck

Jeddah, Makkah and Taif: the shortest road to the ship is here. A container is loaded at your door in the morning and spends the night in the port yard, and pilgrims’ and visitors’ belongings are collected from hotels. In Makkah, large trucks enter at hours set by the authorities, tighter in Ramadan and Hajj, so we fix the slot before loading day.

Riyadh and Qassim: the capital has no seaport, so the container travels by truck to Jeddah in one to two days. It does have a dry port linked by rail to the port of Dammam, used when sailing from the Gulf suits heavy cargo better. Air freight from Riyadh goes straight from King Khalid airport, which is what most Riyadh scholarship students choose for their first cartons.

Dammam, Khobar and Jubail: an Eastern Province shipment has two sea options. One is to haul it overland to Jeddah and take the short sailing. The other is to load it at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, in which case the ship rounds the Arabian Peninsula and the voyage normally runs about a week longer. We cost both for you and name the cheaper. Air freight leaves from King Fahd airport.

Madinah, Tabuk and the south: the shipment is gathered in a closed truck to Jeddah port. Madinah airport has its own flights, and when none suits, the air shipment leaves from Jeddah. The list of cities we serve is on the cities page.

Sea freight from Saudi Arabia to the UK: full container or shared?

The sea carries most of what moves on this route by volume: household furniture, students’ many cartons, goods and cars. The container is either 20ft or 40ft, booked whole for you or shared with others. Choosing between the two systems is the first thing that changes both the price and the time:

Comparison	Full container	Shared container (part load)
You pay for	The whole container, however much of it you fill	The cubic metres you occupy
Better value when	The volume is over about 15 cubic metres	The volume is below that
Door-to-door time	25–35 days	30–40 days
Handling	Sealed at your door and opened at the consignee’s	Consolidated in Jeddah and sorted in a British warehouse
Packing needed	Sturdy	Sturdier, because cartons are handled more than once
Price starts from	SAR 11,000 for a home’s furniture to the door	SAR 5,500 for furniture and belongings

For an estimate before measuring: ten medium cartons make roughly one cubic metre, and a complete bedroom is between 6 and 10 cubic metres. A 20ft container holds about 28 cubic metres, a flat of two to three bedrooms, and a 40ft about 58 cubic metres, a villa or a home with a car. Dimensions are on the container sizes page, and the service on the sea freight page.

Ports of departure and arrival: from Jeddah and Dammam to Felixstowe and Southampton

The container usually leaves from Jeddah and arrives at one of three British ports, and we choose the arrival port by the consignee’s city and the kind of shipment. Felixstowe on the east coast is the largest container port in Britain. London Gateway on the Thames estuary is the nearest to the capital. Southampton on the south coast receives both car carriers and containers.

Port	Location	Its part in your shipment
Jeddah Islamic Port	Red Sea	The usual port of departure, with ships heading straight for Suez
King Abdulaziz Port, Dammam	Arabian Gulf	An alternative for heavy Eastern Province cargo, on a longer voyage
Felixstowe	Eastern England	Furniture and goods containers for London, the Midlands and the North
London Gateway	Thames estuary	Containers for consignees in London and the South East
Southampton	Southern England	RoRo cars, and containers for the South and West

We name the departure port, the arrival port and the vessel before loading, so you know where to follow it. The ports we work from are on the ports and gateways page.

Shipping students’ belongings to the UK

A student’s belongings travel one of two ways: by the carton in a shared container by sea, or by the kilo by air from SAR 26 a kilogram. A student is not moving a home. He or she is moving what makes a hall room familiar: course books, winter coats, the coffee pot, the prayer rug and a few kitchen pots. The rule that makes it easy: what is needed in the first week travels with the student or by air, and everything else goes ahead by sea.

• By the carton, by sea: numbered cartons in your name go into a shared container, priced by their number and volume.
• By the kilo, by air: for one or two cartons and the extra suitcase, arriving before lectures begin.
• Timing: send the sea shipment five to six weeks before you travel so that it lands at the start of term.
• Customs: used study belongings are relieved on conditions, with the offer letter or university card attached.
• What not to pack: meat and dairy, new appliances in their boxes, and medicines without a prescription.
• On graduating: we bring your belongings and books back from the UK to your city in the Kingdom.

What delays a student’s shipment most is an incomplete address, not customs. University halls are many buildings sharing one postcode, and the reception desk will not sign for a student who has not yet enrolled. Write the building name and room number, your name exactly as on the offer letter, and a British number if you have one. If you have not been given your room yet, we keep the cartons with our agent until you send the address.

Shipping household and office furniture from Saudi Arabia to the UK

A whole home’s furniture goes in a dedicated container from SAR 11,000 to the door, and a few pieces as a part load from SAR 5,500. The challenge in Britain is not the sea alone but the house that receives the furniture: narrow stairs, doors less wide than you are used to, and flats on upper floors with no lift. So the work starts with measuring before packing.

• Survey: at the house or by photos and video, to work out the volume and decide what is dismantled.
• Measuring the large pieces: corner sofas and bedroom wardrobes are checked against the British front door before they ship.
• Dismantling and numbering: every piece with its number, and its screws in a bag fixed to it.
• Sea packing: blankets and tight film for wood, and wooden crates for glass, marble and ornaments.
• Office furniture: desks, metal cabinets and archives are inventoried item by item, and screens and servers go in their original cartons or a padded substitute.
• Delivery: carrying into the rooms, assembling what we dismantled, and taking away the packing waste.

Carpets and Arabic seating ship as they are, but a full floor majlis takes a great deal of volume, so weigh up whether you need it in a smaller house. Details are on the furniture shipping page.

Transfer of Residence relief: how do you bring your furniture in free of VAT?

Anyone moving their home to the UK brings in used belongings free of duty and VAT, provided the relief is applied for before shipping and not at the port. The application is an online form with the British tax authority, ending in a reference number that goes on the customs declaration. These are the conditions in force, and we confirm what currently applies before you book:

Condition	Detail
Previous residence	At least 12 consecutive months outside the UK before the move
Ownership and use	The belongings in your possession and use for at least 6 months
Time limit for import	Within 12 months of the date you move
After entry	Not sold, lent or hired out for 12 months
Not covered	Tobacco, commercial vehicles, and non-portable tools of a trade
Attached to the application	Passport and visa, proof of your home in the Kingdom, proof of the British address, and the packing list

The order is everything: application, then number, then shipping. The number comes in days and can stretch to weeks in busy seasons, and a container that gets ahead of it pays daily storage or is cleared with VAT in full. Write on the list what you are sending by air and by sea together, so that one number covers both shipments.

Shipping small and large parcels to the UK

A small parcel goes by express door to door in 2 to 4 working days, starting from SAR 110 up to 5 kg. A larger parcel is charged by air by the kilogram from SAR 26. Anything heavy that is not urgent belongs in a shared container. Most parcels on this route are sent by families to their sons and daughters: dates, coffee, spices and Eid clothes.

• Documents: certificates, powers of attorney and contracts by express from SAR 83 up to one kilogram.
• A gift: a gift between two individuals has a low relief threshold in the UK, and VAT on anything above it is collected from the recipient.
• Dates, coffee and spices: in personal quantities, in sealed packs with their contents written on them.
• Contents declaration: each item by name, number and value in English; the word “gifts” alone is not enough.
• Updates: a message at collection, at take-off, at release, and when the courier goes out to deliver.
• Delivery: to the door of the house or office, or to a collection point if the recipient is not at the address.

Details are on the parcel shipping page and in the article on express international shipping.

Shipping commercial and industrial goods from Saudi Arabia to the UK

Commercial goods enter the UK in the name of an importer holding a British customs identification number, and pay VAT at the general rate of 20% plus a duty that follows the commodity code. Because Britain has left the European Union, it now has its own tariff, conformity mark and declaration, and what suited a European port does not necessarily suit it. We classify the goods first, then choose the method and the packing:

Goods	Shipping method	What they need in the UK
Dates and date products	Dry container, or refrigerated for soft varieties	A label in English with the importer’s name and address
Perfumes, oud and incense	Sea, and air under dangerous-goods rules for alcohol-based ones	An ingredients statement, and a CITES certificate for commercial agarwood
Food of animal origin	Refrigerated	A veterinary certificate and entry through a border control post
Consumer products and appliances	Pallets in a container	The British conformity mark, or the accepted European one
Petrochemicals and plastics	Full containers or tank containers	A safety data sheet and hazard classification
Industrial equipment and spare parts	Wooden crates, or a flat rack for large dimensions	An invoice with part numbers and country of origin
Samples and exhibition pieces	Air	An invoice showing no commercial value, or temporary admission

Pallets and wooden crates must be heat-treated and stamped ISPM 15, or they are rejected at inspection. For a regular supplier we fix a monthly schedule and an agreed price, and distribute the goods to its customers inside the UK after arrival. Details are on the commercial shipping page, and for machinery on the heavy equipment shipping page.

Car shipping from Saudi Arabia to the UK

A car ships on a RoRo vessel to Southampton from SAR 2,800 for a saloon, or inside a container to Felixstowe or London Gateway. But the question that matters most is not how it ships, it is in what capacity it enters. Britain distinguishes three cases, and each has its own payment and its own steps after arrival:

Capacity	Who it is	Customs	After arrival
Visitor	Someone who spends the summer in London and goes home	Temporary admission without charges for up to 6 months	Stays on its Saudi plates, with British insurance
Moving home	A student, employee or family relocating	Relief on the Transfer of Residence conditions	Registered on a British plate after modification and testing
Importer	Someone shipping it to sell, or who does not meet the conditions	10% duty, then 20% VAT	Registered on a British plate

• RoRo: the car is driven into the ship’s hold and lashed by its wheels, so it travels uncovered and with nothing at all inside it.
• Container: for luxury, classic and non-running cars, and it can travel with a relocating owner’s furniture in a 40ft container.
• Left-hand drive: it can be registered in the UK after changes to the lamps and speedometer and an approval test for a recent car.
• Arrival notification: the tax authority is told of the vehicle’s entry within 14 days, and there is no registration without it.
• Before you hand it to us: a quarter tank, an empty cabin, a valid registration, and photos of the odometer and bodywork.

Do not cancel your plates if you are a visitor, and do not ship ahead of the relief number if you are moving. The full duty calculation and the registration steps are in the article car shipping from Jeddah to the UK, and the two methods on the RoRo car shipping and container car shipping pages.

Packing for a sea voyage that crosses four seas

A container bound for the UK leaves the heat of the Red Sea and arrives in the cold of the Atlantic, and that swing in temperature condenses water vapour on the inside of its roof, which then drips on whatever lies beneath. So packing here reckons with damp before it reckons with impact. The rules we work to:

• A plan for each shipment: we decide the material for every piece: carton, wooden crate or pallet.
• Moisture barrier: tight film round wood and mattresses, and desiccant sachets inside cartons and on the container walls.
• Impact layers: bubble wrap, then corrugated board, then corner guards, with something between layers to stop rubbing.
• Securing: straps, timber chocks and air cushions filling the gaps, so nothing shifts as the ship rolls.
• Sensitive devices: anti-static bags, a double carton, and a this-way-up mark.
• Labels: a number in English on every piece, matching the list lodged with British customs.

Packing methods are in the packing guide, and securing inside the container on the packing and lashing page.

Storing the shipment before international transport

We store your shipment in a closed warehouse until its date comes, and on the UK route the need for that keeps recurring. The person moving hands back a rented home in the Kingdom before the relief number is issued. The student flies in September and the room is not handed over until after enrolment. The trader gathers goods from more than one supplier.

• The warehouse: closed and under camera watch, with temperature and humidity controlled for whatever is affected by them.
• Access: authorised staff only, and every movement is logged.
• Inventory: the shipment is numbered and photographed as it comes in, and arranged in the order it will later be loaded.
• Duration: days or months as you need, charged by the cubic metre.
• In the UK: short storage with our agent if the shipment arrives before your address is ready.

Details are on the storage page.

British customs and the documents required

The UK is outside the European Union, so it has its own customs, VAT and declaration. Every shipment enters on a full import declaration, small or large. The general rule: 20% VAT on the value of the goods plus their freight and insurance, and a customs duty that follows the item, unless a relief applies. These are the documents for each kind:

Type of shipment	Documents	Note
A student’s belongings	Passport and visa, offer letter, packing list, and hall address	No Transfer of Residence number needed
Furniture of someone moving home	Passport, relief approval number, packing list, and bill of lading	The number is issued before shipping
Parcel or gift	Sender’s ID, a statement of contents and value, and the recipient’s details	VAT on anything over the gift threshold
Commercial goods	Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin, and importer number	Extra licences for food, medicines and chemicals
Car	Registration, proof of ownership, owner’s passport, and bill of lading	Vehicle arrival notification within 14 days

In the Kingdom we need the sender’s ID or residence permit and the packing list to complete export release. British duty and VAT are paid there by the consignee, and we estimate them for him before shipping so that they are no surprise on arrival. Documents are explained on the shipping documents page, and procedures on the customs clearance page.

What cannot be shipped to the UK, or needs a permit

Britain is stricter than most in three areas: animal products, bladed weapons, and anything touching protected species. Some things that count as an ordinary gift in the Kingdom fall into one of them. Check the table before you seal the carton:

Item	Ruling
Meat, dairy, ghee and their products	Prohibited in personal effects and parcels
Daggers, janbiyas and ornamental knives	Subject to the bladed-weapons rules, and many are banned
Self-defence sprays	Prohibited
Agarwood (oud) and its oil	Listed under CITES. Small personal quantities are normally allowed, and we confirm the current limit
Ivory and skins of protected animals	Prohibited without the international convention certificate
Medicines	Personal-use quantities with a prescription, and some need a licence
Plants, seeds and seedlings	With a phytosanitary certificate
Tobacco and shisha molasses	Outside the relief, and heavily taxed
Counterfeits	Seized
Perfumes, batteries and aerosols	Restricted by air, and moved to sea in quantity

The general list is on the prohibited items page.

Delivery in London, Manchester, Birmingham and the other British cities

We deliver in every British city once clearance is finished at the port or airport: clearance, then delivery. The shipment moves from the port to a distribution warehouse, then to the consignee’s address at a time agreed with him. The distance from the port of Felixstowe is what sets the delivery day and the inland transport item:

City	Distance from Felixstowe	What to watch for
London	About 140 km	Narrow streets, and zones where the truck needs a parking permit
Birmingham and Coventry	About 260 km	The middle of the country, and easy to deliver to
Leeds and Sheffield	320–370 km	University cities, where student halls keep set receiving hours
Manchester and Liverpool	400–430 km	Served by Manchester airport for air freight
Cardiff	About 400 km	Wales, also served from the southern ports
Newcastle	About 480 km	The North East
Glasgow and Edinburgh	680–720 km	Scotland, adding two to 3 days
Belfast	A ferry after the road leg	Northern Ireland has a customs arrangement of its own

• The appointment: the driver rings the consignee a day ahead and gives a morning or afternoon window.
• Home or collection point: parcels are handed over at the address, or at a nearby collection point if the consignee prefers.
• Inside the house: furniture carried to its rooms and assembled if that was asked for at booking.
• At signing: the pieces are checked against the list, and any remark is noted before the crew leaves.
• After delivery: we call to hear your comments on the service, and deal with whatever needs dealing with.

The service for the whole journey is explained on the door-to-door shipping page.

Our services for individuals, companies, government bodies and embassies

The service is one at its core and differs in arrangement according to who asks for it. An individual wants someone to take the whole worry off him. A company wants a schedule, a tax invoice and an account manager. A government body or an embassy wants a kept deadline, discretion in handling, and official documents with nothing missing.

Customer	What they mostly ship	What we arrange
Individuals and families	Furniture, belongings, parcels and a car	Advice on the method, and a door-to-door service
Companies and factories	Goods, samples and equipment	A fixed shipping schedule, an agreed price, and distribution inside the UK
Government bodies and universities	Exhibits, printed matter and devices	The event date kept, and documents matching the body’s letter
Embassies, consulates and attaché offices	Documents, staff furniture and equipment	Insured handling, and clearance coordinated according to the status of the shipment

An official shipment is not consolidated with others; it travels in a closed unit sealed with a number entered in the handover record, and one member of staff follows it from collection to signature. We store it before travel if the body’s letter or the event date is delayed.

Air freight from Saudi Arabia to the UK

Air freight delivers urgent parcels and belongings in a few days: 3 to 6 days with clearance, from SAR 26 a kilogram. It leaves from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam and arrives at London Heathrow or Manchester airport, and is then distributed by road. There are direct flights between the Kingdom and London, so in most cases the shipment does not pass through an intermediate stop.

Departure airport	Serves	Usual arrival airport
King Khalid International, Riyadh	Riyadh, Qassim and Hail	Heathrow or Manchester
King Abdulaziz International, Jeddah	Jeddah, Makkah, Taif, Madinah and the south	Heathrow or Manchester
King Fahd International, Dammam	Dammam, Khobar, Jubail and Al-Ahsa	Heathrow, depending on the flight schedule

• Chargeable weight: the airline both weighs and measures the carton, then bills the higher figure. So a light, roomy carton is paid for by its size, not its weight. Try your dimensions in the volumetric weight calculator before you choose the cartons.
• Example: three cartons with a chargeable weight of 48 kg start from SAR 1,248.
• It suits: a student’s suitcases, winter clothes, documents, samples and urgent spare parts.
• It does not suit: furniture, books by the dozen and anything heavy, which belong at sea.
• Restricted: perfumes, loose batteries, aerosols and flammable liquids.
• Receipt: delivery to the address, or the consignee collects in person from the airport cargo building.

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

Combining air and sea in one shipment

Many customers on this route do not pick one method; they split. A small part flies to arrive with its owner, and a large part sails and catches up a month later. That costs less than flying everything, and is easier than waiting for everything by sea. The usual split:

• By air: the season’s clothes, the laptop, first-term books, and what the children need.
• By sea: furniture, the rest of the books, the kitchen, carpets, and whatever is not needed in the first month.
• One list: both shipments are written on a single packing list covered by a single relief number.

Overland freight is something we do not offer to the UK, given the length of the road and the number of borders it crosses. A car whose owner wants to drive it across Europe is shipped by sea to a European port and driven from there, and its customs carnet is covered on the triptik carnet page.

Steps for shipping from Saudi Arabia to the UK

1. Contact: you send photos of what you are shipping, your city, and the postcode of the British address.
2. Status and relief: we settle with you whether you are a student, moving home, a visitor or a trader, and start the relief application if one is needed.
3. Method and price: sea, air or a split between them, and you receive the price itemised, with what lies outside it.
4. Booking: we fix the collection day to the sailing or flight date.
5. Collection and packing: at your address, with every piece numbered and a list in English.
6. Export and shipping: release at the Saudi port or airport, then a waybill in your name and a tracking number.
7. Clearance in the UK: our agent lodges the declaration with the relief number, or the VAT is paid.
8. Delivery: at an agreed time, checked against the list and signed for.

Tracking and insurance

On an air journey you watch the shipment move every few hours; on a sea journey days pass with no news because the ship is out in the Mediterranean. So we send you an update at the milestones rather than every day. Insurance completes the picture: tracking tells you where the shipment is, and insurance compensates you if something happens to it.

• Tracking number: an air waybill for the aircraft, and a container or bill of lading number for the ship. The steps are on the track your shipment page.
• The milestones we report: collection, entry to the port or airport, departure, arrival, customs release, and out for delivery.
• All-risks cover: for damage, loss and theft from door to door.
• Total-loss cover: a lower premium for those willing to bear partial damage.
• Valuable pieces: listed singly with their value and photos. It is explained on the cargo insurance page.

Shipping from the UK to Saudi Arabia

The service runs both ways, and the return direction is what a scholarship student asks for on graduation day and a family asks for after the years of study. Our agent collects from the house or student hall in any British city, packs, and ships by sea to Jeddah port or by air to Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam. A returnee’s used personal effects have an eased customs treatment in the Kingdom on its conditions, which we go through with you before shipping. Anything you bought new, though, carries duty and VAT according to its kind.

Home Safe’s tips before shipping to the UK

• Plan early: two months before travel is enough for the relief, the booking and a suitable sailing.
• Measure and weigh accurately: a rough figure produces a rough price, then a difference asked for on loading day.
• Match the packing to the method: what is enough for an aircraft is not enough for a month in a container.
• Describe the contents honestly: an exact list in English shortens inspection, and a vague one invites it.
• Write the address in full: a British postcode pins down the street, so one wrong character sends the shipment to another district.
• Follow up and keep in touch: you hold the tracking number, and our team answers from 7 am to 11 pm.
• Keep the copies: the waybill, the list and the relief number, on paper and on your phone.

How do you choose a shipping company from Saudi Arabia to the UK?

Ask the company about Britain specifically, not about international shipping in general. Whoever works this route knows the answer to five questions without having to refer to anyone:

What you ask about	Reassuring sign	Warning sign
The relief	Asks about your status and mentions the advance application and its number	“No customs on personal effects”, with no qualification
Scope of the price	States: to the door, with clearance, and what lies outside it	A to-the-port figure presented as if it were to the house
The British agent	A broker and a distribution warehouse at a known address	“You collect it from the port yourself”
The time	Separates sailing days from the time to the door	“Two weeks by sea to London”
Registration and paperwork	A commercial registration, a waybill in your name, and a numbered list	A handwritten receipt and a mobile number only

Common mistakes when shipping from Saudi Arabia to the UK

• Loading the container before the relief number is issued, then paying VAT or port storage.
• Putting ghee, dried meat or cheese among the belongings, so the whole carton is opened.
• Shipping large furniture never measured against the door and stairs of the British house.
• Sending a student’s cartons to a hall room not yet handed over.
• Choosing air for books by the dozen, or sea for a suitcase needed in the first week.
• Cancelling the plates of a car its owner means to bring in temporarily as a visitor.
• Writing “personal effects” on the list instead of naming the items.

Why Home Safe for shipping from Saudi Arabia to the UK?

Because shipping to the UK is half transport and half paperwork, and whoever masters the transport and neglects the paperwork costs the customer a tax that need not have been paid. We start with you from the question of status and relief, then choose the method, then follow through to the signature at the door.

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

Related articles and pages

• Shipping from Jeddah to the UK
• Riyadh to UK shipping company
• Shipping prices from Saudi Arabia to the UK
• Car shipping from Jeddah to the UK
• Shipping from Saudi Arabia to Europe
• Shipping from Saudi Arabia to Germany

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Frequently asked questions about shipping from Saudi Arabia to the UK

How much does shipping from Saudi Arabia to the UK cost?

It varies with the service. Documents by express start from SAR 83, a parcel up to 5 kg from SAR 110, and air freight from SAR 26 a kilogram. By sea, a part-load of furniture starts from SAR 5,500, a container for a whole home from SAR 11,000, and a saloon car on a RoRo vessel from SAR 2,800. British VAT and duty sit outside these figures. For a price: 0552803439.

How long does shipping from Saudi Arabia to the UK take?

A full container takes 25 to 35 days door to door, 14 to 20 of them sailing from Jeddah port. A part load takes 30 to 40 days because it waits for consolidation and then for unpacking. Air takes 3 to 6 days, and express for documents and a small parcel 2 to 4 working days. From Riyadh, Dammam and the cities far from Jeddah, add one to three days of inland haulage.

What is the cheapest way to ship to the UK?

The sea, for anything with volume. Below 15 cubic metres it goes as a part load in a shared container, and above that a full container becomes the better value. For one or two cartons, though, air by the kilo is cheaper than the sea minimum, and they arrive within days.

Which Saudi port does the shipment leave from?

Jeddah Islamic Port in most cases, even for shipments from Riyadh and Dammam, because its ships enter the Suez Canal directly. King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam is an option for heavy, non-urgent cargo in the Eastern Province, and its voyage is normally longer because the ship sails round the Arabian Peninsula.

Do you collect from any city in the Kingdom?

Yes. From Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah, Taif, Dammam, Khobar, Jubail, Al-Ahsa, Qassim, Tabuk, Hail, Abha, Khamis Mushait and Jazan. A sea shipment travels to the port in a closed truck, and an air shipment leaves from the nearest of three airports: Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam.

Does a scholarship student pay customs on belongings in the UK?

Usually not. A student’s used belongings needed for study and accommodation have a relief of their own, and the student does not have to apply for Transfer of Residence approval; the goods are declared at clearance with proof of the university place. The relief does not cover new appliances in their boxes, or tobacco. We go through the current conditions with you before shipping.

What is Transfer of Residence relief, and when do I apply?

It is relief from duty and VAT for someone moving their home to the UK after at least 12 consecutive months outside it, on belongings owned and used for 6 months before the move. You apply online to the British tax authority before shipping, and a reference number is issued that goes on the customs declaration. Goods relieved may not be sold or lent for 12 months.

What documents are needed to clear the shipment on arrival?

For personal effects: a copy of the passport and visa, a detailed packing list in English, the relief approval number or proof of study, and the bill of lading. For commercial goods: a commercial invoice, a packing list, a sea or air waybill, a certificate of origin when requested, the importer’s customs identification number, and any special licence for food, medicines or chemicals.

What is the best way to pack furniture and appliances for the trip to the UK?

Large pieces are dismantled and their parts wrapped singly: legs, drawers and mirrors each on their own. Wood is wrapped in blankets and then in stretch film, and glass in bubble wrap with cardboard corners. Appliances go in double-wall cartons with filler closing every gap and desiccant sachets against damp. Fragile items are marked “Fragile” and “This way up” in English, because whoever opens them in the British warehouse reads English.

What insurance options are there for the shipment?

Three. All-risks cover for damage, loss and theft in transit. Total-loss-only cover at a lower premium. And special cover for valuable pieces, each listed at its own value. The premium is a percentage of the value you declare, and the figure in circulation is between 1 and 3% depending on the goods and the method. Insurance is optional, and we would not leave it off a whole household or a car.

How do I track my shipment to the UK?

Air and express shipments are followed by the air waybill number on the carrier’s site, where every stop and the flight number appear. A container is followed by its number or the bill of lading number on the shipping line’s site, where you see the vessel and its berthing date. From us there is a WhatsApp update at collection, on leaving the port, on arrival, on release, and when the shipment goes out for delivery.

How do I bring the cost of shipping to the UK down?

Ship only what is worth it: dismantling furniture cuts its volume to nearly half, and cheap furniture is better bought there. Choose a part load for a medium volume, and the sea for everything you will not need in your first week. Book ahead of August and September, the student peak. And apply for the relief before shipping, as the VAT difference alone is 20% of the value of your belongings.

Can my left-hand-drive car be registered in the UK?

Yes, it can be registered and driven, although the steering wheel there is on the right. What is needed is adjustment of the headlamps and rear fog lamp, a speedometer that reads in miles, and then an individual approval test for a car under ten years old. A visitor drives it on its Saudi plates for a limited period without registration. The details are in the article on car shipping from Jeddah to the UK.

Will my electrical appliances work in the UK?

The British socket has three rectangular pins, which is the common one in Saudi homes, and the voltage there is 230 V. So an appliance whose label reads 220–240 V works straight away. An older appliance built for 110–127 V needs a transformer, and buying a replacement there is safer than shipping it.

Do you ship from the UK to Saudi Arabia?

Yes. Our agent collects from the house or student hall in any British city, and the belongings go by sea to Jeddah port or by air to Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam; we then clear them and deliver to your city. It is the service a scholarship student asks for on graduating.