One certificate, one shipment
An SCoC is issued for one shipment — the invoice, the models, the quantities and the container that carries them. It is used by that shipment and does not carry over.
SABER Shipment Certificate
SABER Shipment Certificate (SCoC) for Saudi Arabia
PCoC is for your product. SCoC is for each shipment. The shipment certificate is issued for one invoice, covers one container, and is the only one of the two that Saudi Customs ever looks at. Almost everything that goes wrong with it is a timing problem, not a rules problem.
To issue a shipment certificate we need:
- Final invoice
- Packing list
- Valid product certificate
The Short Version
Six things an SCoC is
Read the second one carefully. It is the rule that turns a routine shipment into a stranded one.
Issued against a valid product certificate
For regulated goods the SCoC can only exist if there is a valid PCoC. No valid PCoC, no SCoC, no clearance — in that order, with no way around it.
Applied for by the Saudi importer
It is issued on the importer’s SABER account against their company registration (CR). The exporter sends the documents; the importer, or their agent, applies.
Before arrival, not after
The certificate should exist before the ship docks. Issued after the shipment it still works, but the goods have already started accruing storage fees.
Checked, not just sent
The models, quantities and values on the certificate are checked against the commercial invoice and packing list. If they do not match, that is what holds the certificate up.
Read online at the border
Saudi Customs sees the certificate through the national online system, not as paper in a courier pack. You cannot email it to the port.
The Cycle
How to Get a Shipment Certificate
Five steps that repeat on each shipment. Once the routine is set it is easy — the trouble is always in the first two steps, where nobody thinks to look.
Check the models produced against the certified list
Before anything is booked, check the models actually made against the model list on the product certificate. A model that crept into the run is caught here, where it costs a conversation.
Finalise the commercial documents
Issue the invoice and packing list using the model numbers exactly as they appear on the product certificate. This is where most later queries are prevented, at no cost.
Inspection, where the route requires it
Some routes need a check before shipping, at the point of loading — marking, packing and quantity checked against the documents before the container closes.
Request the shipment certificate
The importer applies on SABER against the valid product certificate, attaching the commercial documents. Usually one to four working days, and faster where the documents are clean.
Certificate issued and read at clearance
The SCoC is issued to the importer’s account and shown online at customs clearance with the rest of the import documents.
Timing
When to get it, relative to the ship
The certificate takes days. The problems below all come from treating it as though it takes minutes.
Start when you book, not when it sails
The certificate takes days, not hours. Starting when the ship is booked leaves room for a query; starting when it sails does not.
Check the PCoC expiry against the arrival date
A certificate valid when loading but expired on arrival is the worst case in the whole system. Compare the two dates before the container leaves.
Update before you ship, not after
A model missing from the list is an update while the goods are in the factory, and a stuck shipment once they are at sea.
Finalise the invoice
Late changes — a corrected quantity, a changed description — break the matching and send the certificate back to be reissued.
Part shipments each need their own
Splitting an order across two containers is two shipment certificates, each matched to its own invoice and packing list.
Air freight leaves no buffer
Sea freight gives you the travel time as a buffer. Air freight does not — the certificate has to be in hand before the goods leave.
Two Routes
Regulated and not regulated
A product with no applicable Saudi rule still needs a shipment certificate. That surprises most first-time exporters — and it surprises them at the port.
Regulated goods
- A valid PCoC must exist before the shipment certificate can be issued
- The models shipped must appear on the product certificate’s model list
- The product documents behind the certificate are already checked
- A check before shipping applies on some routes
- If the PCoC expires, every shipment certificate under it stops
Goods that are not regulated
- No Saudi rule covers the HS code, so no PCoC is issued
- A shipment certificate is still needed for every shipment
- The Saudi importer applies for it on a self-declaration basis
- Confirm this from the HS code in writing, never assume it
- A code later changed to regulated turns this into full certification
Avoid These
Why shipments stop
Six situations, five of which you can see coming days ahead if anyone checks the packing list against the certificate.
The product certificate expired first
Nothing can be issued against it. The goods wait, charged by the day, while a certificate that took weeks the first time is rebuilt under pressure.
A model that is not on the list
One line on the packing list that never made it onto the product certificate. The certificate cannot be issued for the shipment as described.
Invoice and packing list do not match
Different quantities, different descriptions, or a model numbered one way in the factory and another in the accounts. Every mismatch is a query.
Requested after arrival
A certificate issued after the shipment still arrives, but the cargo has been sitting since it docked and the storage fees are not recoverable.
Issued under the wrong account
A freight agent applying under their own registration rather than the importer’s. The certificate exists, and it is attached to the wrong company.
Quantities changed at loading
A short-shipped pallet or an added carton after the documents were fixed. The certificate no longer describes the container, and it is reissued.
Keep Going
Related pages
The documents behind each certificate, the product certificate it depends on, and the wider import file it joins.
FAQs
Shipment certificate questions
The certificate and its timing. The documents needed are answered on the requirements page.
What is a SABER shipment certificate?
It is the shipment-level conformity certificate — often called an SCoC or Shipment Certificate of Conformity. It is issued on the SABER platform for one specific shipment. It confirms that the goods in that shipment match a product that is already certified, and it is what Saudi Customs looks for at clearance.
What is the difference between an SCoC and a PCoC?
The PCoC is yearly and covers a group of products. The SCoC is per shipment and covers one shipment of those products. The SCoC is issued against the PCoC and cannot exist without it, which is why the order you get them in is not flexible.
Who applies for the shipment certificate?
The Saudi importer, on their SABER account, under their company registration (CR) — or an agent with permission to use that account. The exporter supplies the commercial documents but cannot apply in their own name.
When should the shipment certificate be applied for?
Once the commercial invoice and packing list are final, and before the goods arrive. It usually takes one to four working days, so applying when the ship is booked leaves room for a query; applying while it is docking does not.
How long is a shipment certificate valid?
It is valid for the shipment it was issued for, and it is used by that shipment. A new shipment of the same models under the same product certificate needs a new shipment certificate.
Can I ship without a shipment certificate?
The goods can physically travel, but they will not clear customs. Customs checks for a valid certificate online, and cargo that arrives without one sits in storage while the certificate is issued after the shipment — assuming the product certificate behind it exists at all.
Do products that are not regulated need a shipment certificate?
Yes. Even where no rule applies and no product certificate is issued, a shipment certificate is still needed for each shipment, applied for on a self-declaration basis. "Not regulated" removes the certification project, not the shipment paperwork.
What happens if the quantities change after the certificate is issued?
The matching no longer holds and the certificate is reissued against corrected documents. This is normal if caught before the container closes, and expensive if caught at the port — which is why quantities are fixed before the request, not after.
Do part shipments need separate certificates?
Yes. Each shipment carries its own certificate, matched to its own invoice and packing list. An order split across two containers is two shipment certificates, not one covering both.
Is a check before shipping always required?
No. It depends on the route the Saudi rule sets. Where it applies, the check happens at the point of loading and verifies marking, packing and quantities against the documents before the certificate is issued.
Stop checking the packing list after the container closes
We check each shipment against the certified model list before the certificate is requested, so an unlisted model is a conversation at the factory rather than a held container at Jeddah.