Rice and other food imports into Saudi Arabia are regulated by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), not by SASO. Many buyers, and many guides, assume food goes through SASO’s product conformity scheme on the SABER platform. It doesn’t: SASO’s technical regulations cover products such as electrical goods, building materials and PPE, while food follows SFDA’s own registration and clearance process.
What SFDA requires for a rice import
- Establishment and product registration on SFDA’s GHAD platform, done by the Saudi importer for its business and for each food product it imports.
- A licensed warehouse, unless the importer qualifies as a small importer (no more than five shipments a year totalling 2,000 kg or less).
- Shipping documents submitted electronically: certificate of origin, commercial invoice showing batch numbers and expiry dates, bill of lading, health certificate, phytosanitary certificate and, where applicable, a halal certificate.
- Product standards for rice covering microbiology, pesticide residues and contaminants. SFDA can take samples at the port, and the importer pays for testing.
- Arabic labelling, including production and expiry dates.
Shipments are released through SFDA’s FASEH system and FASAH, the Saudi customs single window. The full list is in SFDA’s conditions and requirements for food clearance.
Where SASO and SABER still come in
SASO’s SABER platform issues Product Certificates of Conformity for regulated products and, since 1 October 2025, shipment certificates for commercial consignments. SASO’s announcement on shipment certificates covers all products, while the product safety law behind SABER excludes goods under SFDA’s jurisdiction. Until that is clarified, ask your customs broker whether a rice consignment also needs a SABER shipment certificate. Our SABER certificate guide explains how the shipment certificate works.
SASO also matters if your rice comes with non-food items. Kitchen equipment, packaging machinery or cookware in the same order can fall under SASO technical regulations, even though the rice itself does not.
Halal certification is a separate requirement
SFDA registration confirms the product and importer meet Saudi food rules. Halal certification is a separate document from a recognised certifying body. A rice shipment needs both, and the details on each must match the commercial invoice and the registered product.
What causes delays at Saudi ports
Most holds on rice shipments come from paperwork that doesn’t line up: a product not yet registered on GHAD, an invoice without batch numbers or expiry dates, a missing phytosanitary certificate, or labels that don’t match what was registered. Each one can leave a container waiting at port and building up demurrage charges. All of them can be fixed before the rice leaves the mill.
For the full process, from supplier to delivered rice, see our guide to importing rice into Saudi Arabia. If you are planning a Saudi-bound rice order, get in touch and we will prepare the exporter-side documents to match your SFDA registration.
