Saudi trade authorities: the numbers and channels that answer
The two hotlines every importer eventually needs: ZATCA (customs, VAT) — 19993, around the clock inside the Kingdom, +966 11 204 8998 from abroad; and SFDA (food, drugs, medical devices) — 19999. Most other trade bodies answer through their portals rather than phone lines — and for operational shipment questions, the fastest channel is almost always whoever files your declarations, because they see the live FASAH status.
The directory
- ZATCA (duties, VAT, declarations) — 19993 / +966 11 204 8998; zatca.gov.sa for tariff lookup and e-services; @Zatca_Care on X
- SFDA (food, cosmetics, medical, pharma) — 19999; sfda.gov.sa for registrations and product checks
- SABER / SASO (conformity certificates) — via saber.sa support tickets; certification bodies handle most product questions in practice
- FASAH (declarations platform) — support through fasah.sa; brokers see declaration statuses directly
- Mawani (Saudi Ports Authority) — mawani.gov.sa; operational container matters go through the terminal operator at your port (delivery orders, storage, appointments)
- Saudi Business Center (company registration) — business.sa
- Saudi Exports / EXIM Bank (exporter support) — saudiexports.sa / saudiexim.gov.sa
Which channel actually solves which problem
Phone lines answer policy and account questions; they do not push a specific container through. The mapping that saves days: declaration held → your broker reads the FASAH status and responds to the specific query; storage and delivery orders → the terminal operator, not the authority; certificate stuck → the certification body processing it, not SABER support; tariff disagreement → a formal ZATCA channel through the declaration, not the call centre. Calling 19993 about a red-lane inspection feels active but changes nothing — answering the inspector's document request does.
One number that covers all of it
Sanad Global clients skip the directory for shipment matters: our team works inside FASAH, at the terminals and with the certification bodies daily, so the question "who do I even call about this" becomes ours. The directory above is still worth bookmarking — for the account-level matters (VAT registration, SFDA facility files, company registration) that belong to you rather than your broker.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the Saudi customs phone number?
ZATCA's unified 19993, 24/7 inside Saudi Arabia; +966 11 204 8998 internationally. It covers customs, VAT and zakat queries.
What is the SFDA contact number?
19999 — the SFDA unified number for food, drug, cosmetics and medical device matters; registrations run through sfda.gov.sa.
How do I contact SABER support?
Through the saber.sa portal; for certificate progress, the accredited certification body handling your product is usually the effective contact.
Who do I call when my container is stuck?
Whoever files your declarations — they see the FASAH status and the actual blocker. Hotlines answer policy, not individual shipments.
Get a clearance cost estimate
Leave your number. A licensed broker replies within 30 minutes during working hours (Sun–Thu, 9:00–18:00 KSA).