An export sales head at a Surat-based diamond and gold jewellery manufacturer (a 700 crore turnover firm shipping into the Saudi market via the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council corridor) walked into our Noida office in March 2026 with a documentation cycle problem. The firm sent monthly consignments to four Saudi importers in Riyadh and Jeddah. Each consignment carried a commercial invoice, a packing list, a certificate of origin from the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council Mumbai (a Gem and Jewellery EPC-approved certifier for export-incentive purposes) and a quality certificate from the Bureau of Indian Standards. Before 7 December 2022, this paperwork ran through Chamber of Commerce attestation, MEA, Saudi Embassy attestation Delhi, then Saudi-listed Arabic translation. After 7 December 2022, the Saudi Embassy step was gone. The Surat firm's documentation cycle cost dropped by around INR 18,000 per shipment and the cycle time dropped by ten to twelve working days. The Saudi-listed Arabic translation was still required, but the rest moved on the cleaner Chamber of Commerce plus MEA apostille route.
That timeline shift is what the Saudi Hague accession on 7 December 2022 delivers for Indian exporters. The commercial invoice, the certificate of origin and the rest of the commercial papers heading to Saudi can now move on a single MEA apostille from Delhi. The old Saudi Embassy commercial counter in Delhi is no longer needed. The saving is real: the embassy step used to add one to two weeks and a substantial per-document fee on every shipment. Vision 2030 has pushed Saudi import demand further up. NEOM, the Red Sea Project, Diriyah, Qiddiya and the Riyadh Metro all need imported steel, glass, fitments, electrical goods, MEP equipment and finished products at a scale Saudi domestic industry does not cover. Indian suppliers fill a real share of that demand. This page is for the company director, the export documentation manager or the freight forwarder preparing commercial papers for a Saudi consignment or a Saudi-based distributor relationship.
What documents go in a Saudi export file
The commercial invoice. Saudi customs reads the HS code closely against the goods declared on the manifest, and the description against the actual product line. Generic descriptions ("Machinery", "Garments") are challenged and slow the file.
The packing list. Detailed contents of each carton or container.
The certificate of origin, issued by an Indian chamber of commerce. Confirms the Indian origin of the goods.
A free sale certificate or product certification. Pharmaceutical exports need the CDSCO free sale certificate. Food exports need the FSSAI free sale certificate. Cosmetic exports follow a similar path. Engineering and machinery exports often need a product analysis report or a BIS test certificate.
A Power of Attorney to your Saudi-side agent or distributor, if you have appointed one. The Saudi Ministry of Commerce and the Saudi Ministry of Investment will read the PoA, so it needs to be apostilled and Arabic-translated.
Your Indian company papers. The Certificate of Incorporation, the MOA, the AOA, the GST registration, the PAN, the Import Export Code (IEC) and the Registration cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) from the relevant export promotion council (Pharmexcil for pharma, APEDA for agri-products, EEPC for engineering, FIEO for general exports, CCI for chemicals).
Your trade licence and any product-specific licence (drug manufacturing licence, FSSAI manufacturing licence, BIS certificate, AYUSH licence) for the product you are exporting.
For products under SASO regulation, a Saber platform conformity certificate. The Saber platform is the online conformity system run by SASO (the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization). Saber registration is a separate process from apostille and is run by an accredited Notified Body, not by SiZA.
For pharmaceutical, food, medical device and cosmetic exports, SFDA registration. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority registers the product before it can enter the Saudi market. SFDA registration is a months-long process.
How the route runs in 2026
There are three steps on the India side, two less than the pre-2023 route.
Chamber of Commerce attestation. Your local chamber (FICCI, PHDCCI, ASSOCHAM, CII, the Bombay Chamber, the state chamber, or the right export promotion council) puts its stamp on the commercial papers. FICCI and PHDCCI are the most often used for documents that will move on to MEA. Two to four working days for routine documents.
MEA apostille. The Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi adds the apostille stamp on top of the chamber stamp. Three to five working days through the standard MEA channel.
Certified Arabic translation. Once the apostille is on, the documents go to a Saudi-listed Arabic translator, that is, one whose work Saudi MOFA recognises in Riyadh. Three to seven working days. Translations done outside the Saudi-listed network often get rejected in Riyadh, forcing a fresh translation done in Saudi at a much higher cost.
Tracked return courier from Delhi to your office, or directly to your Saudi-side distributor, closes the route. Three to seven working days inside India. Seven to fourteen working days for delivery in Saudi through a tracked international service.
If everything is in order, the steps run in two to four weeks. If a certificate needs a re-issue, names need to be reconciled, or a Saber registration is required before the goods can ship, allow more time.
Where Saudi export files often get stuck
HS code mismatches and vague descriptions. Saudi customs reads the invoice carefully. Verify the HS code with your freight forwarder before the invoice is finalised. Describe the product with model numbers, dimensions, fabric or composition.
Saber conformity. Electrical, electronic, building material, toy, textile, automotive part and several other product categories fall under SASO regulation and have to be registered on the Saber platform before they can clear Saudi customs. Saber is run by Notified Bodies (Intertek, TÜV, Bureau Veritas, SGS and a few others). It is not part of the apostille steps. Plan it in parallel from the start, not after the goods are ready.
SFDA registration. For pharmaceuticals, food, medical devices and cosmetics, SFDA registration is needed before the Saudi market entry. Registration takes months. Start it ahead of the first shipment.
Arabic translation rejected by Saudi MOFA. Translations done outside the Saudi-listed network are routinely rejected after arrival. Use a Saudi-listed translator for the original route.
Saudi Cultural Attestation hangovers. Some Saudi buyers and Saudi-side agents still ask for the old Saudi Embassy or Saudi Cultural Attaché stamps out of habit. Since 7 December 2022, these are no longer needed on commercial documents under the apostille. Sending the Saudi buyer a copy of MOFA Riyadh's circular on the apostille can resolve this.
The Noida-side work on a Saudi Arabia supplier file, and the Saudi Arabia side that follows
When you first send us scans on WhatsApp at +91 9220161774, we read the commercial documents with a Saudi customs eye. We tell you where HS codes need to be sharpened, where product descriptions need more detail, and which products will need Saber or SFDA registration before they ship. We share the realistic timeline and the realistic fees end to end before you pay anything.
When the originals reach our Noida office, we run the authentication in India. Chamber of Commerce attestation through FICCI, PHDCCI or the right body for your product. MEA apostille in Delhi. Certified Arabic translation by a Saudi-listed translator. Tracked return courier to your office or directly to your Saudi-side distributor. Named SiZA staff carry the documents between offices in Delhi NCR.
We do not handle Saudi customs clearance itself. That is your freight forwarder's job. We do not handle Saber conformity registration. Notified Bodies do that. We do not handle SFDA registration. Your Saudi-side regulatory partner does that. We do not negotiate the export contract with your Saudi-side buyer or distributor.
For a free scan-review of your Saudi export file, send a WhatsApp message to +91 9220161774 with photos of the commercial invoice, the packing list, the certificate of origin and the Power of Attorney (if you have appointed an agent).
Two pages on the SiZA site that follow on from this: Saudi Arabia country documentation guide, apostille services, certified translation services.
