Buying car parts from Dubai for Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is the largest buyer of vehicle parts from the UAE. United Nations Comtrade data, as mirrored by TrendEconomy, show UAE exports of parts and accessories for motor vehicles to Saudi Arabia of USD 718 million in 2023. That was 18.3 percent of the UAE's USD 3.92 billion total in that category, with Iraq second at USD 244 million. TradingEconomics shows the Saudi figure rising to USD 798.06 million in 2024. Export enquiries from Saudi numbers also reach our parts desk regularly, which fits the trade data.

The cars behind that trade are familiar ones. Best Selling Cars Blog counted 827,857 new light vehicles registered in Saudi Arabia in 2024 and 857,247 in 2025. Toyota took 28.2 percent of 2024 sales, down from 29.5 percent a year earlier, and the Yaris sedan, Camry and Hilux all ranked in the top five models alongside the Hyundai Accent. Hyundai and Kia both grew faster than the market, by 8.3 and 26.6 percent, so Korean parts are in steady demand as well.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE both drive on the right, and most new cars on their roads come through the Gulf dealer networks of the same brands. That is a real advantage over lanes where the cars are built to a different specification: a part stocked in Dubai usually fits a Saudi car of the same model and year. It still has to be matched by part number or VIN, because engines and trims vary inside one model, and a person on the parts desk checks that before quoting.

Only in a narrow case. A Ministry of Commerce and Industry decision dated 11 September 2011, in force from 26 November 2011, prevents the import of used car parts, with one exception: main spare parts, named as the transmission, the outer body of the car, the differential and the engine. Bureau Veritas, an inspection firm that works on Saudi shipments, still listed used car parts among banned products in its import guide edition of October 2021.

Even the exception comes with conditions. The decision says such parts must be packed, clean and free of grease and oil, must be accompanied by a certificate of conformity proving that they are refurbished, and must be marked refurbished in a way that cannot be removed. The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority restated these conditions in a notice reported on 24 September 2022. The US Commerce Department's guide to Saudi imports, updated in May 2026, adds that Saudi law prohibits retreaded or used tyres.

For a Sharjah yard part the practical meaning is clear. An engine pulled from a donor car is used, not refurbished, so it does not qualify just because it runs well. A rebuilt engine or gearbox with the right paperwork might. Ask your Saudi importer to confirm in writing that the exact item will be accepted, and which certificate and marking customs will expect, before you pay for it. If the importer cannot confirm, order a new or aftermarket part instead.

New parts face a different gate. The Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, known as SASO, adopted a Technical Regulation for Auto Spare Parts in 2017 and amended it in August 2023. An importer needs a Product Certificate of Conformity for each type of part, valid for one year, and a Shipment Certificate of Conformity for every consignment, both issued through the SABER online platform.

The regulation lists categories such as brake linings and braking systems, safety belts, airbags, radiators, filters, vehicle glass, mirrors, lamps and suspension parts. SABER is an importer-side system: only a Saudi entity with a commercial registration can create and manage the account, so the certificate work sits with your Saudi importer or their clearing agent. We can name the make, model, year and condition of each part in the quote, which is what the agent needs to start.

Two habits save money. Ask for the answer part number by part number, not category by category, because a category can contain items with different rules. And ask before the money moves, because the shipment is cleared in the importer's name, and a part that cannot clear is a loss on the importer's side.

Easy Auto does not ship abroad. A part is quoted on WhatsApp, and your cargo agent or forwarder collects it in Dubai and moves it on. Road freight is an option because the two countries share a land border. Trucks leave the UAE at Al Ghuwaifat and enter Saudi Arabia at Al Batha, which Property Finder reported in March 2026 operates 24 hours a day, and the road from Dubai to Riyadh is about 980 km.

On the UAE side, Abu Dhabi Customs made advance electronic customs declarations mandatory at Al Ghuwaifat from 18 September 2023 and introduced a truck crossing permit issued before the truck arrives; your agent handles both. On the Saudi side, the US Commerce Department's guide, updated in May 2026, says importers must complete the Fasah clearance procedure, with the documents and the customs declaration, at least 48 hours before the shipment reaches the port of entry.

Sea and air are the alternatives. Heavy parts and full loads can go by sea to a Gulf or Red Sea port, and small valuable parts can go by courier. Courier is the costly choice for weight, as the table shows. We do not promise transit times: they depend on the carrier, the border and the paperwork, and your forwarder quotes them for your booking.

Two charges matter. The US Commerce Department's Saudi import guide, last published in May 2026, says Saudi Arabia levies the GCC common external tariff, at least 5 percent, on most goods from outside the GCC, and that VAT rose from 5 to 15 percent in July 2020. Customs asks for a commercial invoice, a bill of lading and a certificate of origin. The exact duty follows the part's tariff line, so we give no single figure for all parts; your clearing agent confirms the line and the rate.

The buyer, or the Saudi importer the buyer works through, is the importer of record and pays duty and VAT in Saudi Arabia. We do not clear goods into Saudi Arabia and we do not quote duty-paid prices. If a supplier abroad offers you a price that includes everything to your city, ask who is named as importer on the paperwork, because that name carries the duty and the responsibility for the certificates.

Freight is charged on weight and volume, so the parts that make sense are compact and valuable: control modules, headlamps, instrument clusters, sensors and sets of small mechanical parts matched by VIN. A single bumper, radiator or exhaust is often cheaper from a local supplier, because freight can exceed the part's price. Several of the compact items, lamps and filters among them, sit inside the SABER categories, so ask your importer first.

Airbags are on the SABER list and are also dangerous goods, so they need both the certificate and a carrier approved to move them. Wet batteries, gas-charged shock absorbers, fluids and undrained engines are in the same position when they travel by air. For a pallet or container of mixed stock, the trader route is the better fit than a string of single orders.

Send a photo of the old part, the part number if you have it, the VIN or a photo of the registration card, and the make, model and year. Say Saudi Arabia in your first message, because it changes what can be quoted. Say whether you want new, aftermarket or, only if your importer has confirmed it qualifies, a refurbished engine or gearbox, and give the name of your cargo agent in Dubai if you have one.

A person replies with a quote and confirms how to pay on WhatsApp. If you run a parts shop or a workshop in Saudi Arabia and buy regularly, or you want a mixed load from several UAE suppliers, say so in the message and ask for the trader route.