What we cannot carry, and what we will review.
This list is per destination, not regional. Saudi Arabia and the UAE do not share the same prohibited list, and a route that clears one will stop the other. Sensitive categories go through a written review before you pay.
Prohibited on every route we operate
No review changes these. They are not about paperwork, they are about the nature of the goods.
Weapons, ammunition and replicas of either. Narcotics and controlled substances. Counterfeit currency. Human remains. Live animals and plants without permits. Obscene material. Goods you cannot prove you own.
Goods you cannot prove you own
This one catches people who assume it means stolen goods. It also covers goods with no purchase record at all — a consignment bought on a marketplace account in someone else’s name, paid from an account that is not yours.
Customs asks for a payment trail. If there is none, the goods can be held regardless of what they are.
Additional to the list above, into the Kingdom
| Category | Position | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol and alcohol-based products | Not carried | Prohibited outright. Includes gift sets and food hampers containing alcohol, and high-alcohol perfume in some categories. |
| Pork and pork-derived goods | Not carried | Prohibited. Includes gelatine of porcine origin, which appears in more confectionery than sellers admit. |
| E-cigarettes, vapes, heated tobacco | Review required | Prohibited for import, including devices with no nicotine. The review exists to identify mislabelled goods, not to find a permit route — for personal imports the answer is no. |
| Drones and radio transmitters | Review required | CST approval, plus for many models a security clearance not issued to individuals. |
| Satellite phones and encrypted comms | Review required | Restricted regardless of certificate. Consignments are seized rather than returned. |
| Religious printed material | Review required | Subject to content review; some titles are held. We will not ship material we cannot get through. |
| Goods of Israeli origin | Not carried | Prohibited, and origin is declared on the entry. |
Additional to the list above, into the UAE
Two categories here behave in the opposite way to Saudi Arabia. Getting them wrong in either direction is expensive.
| Category | Position | Why |
|---|---|---|
| E-cigarettes and vaping devices | Review required | Legal with a licence in the UAE, unlike Saudi Arabia. Requires MoIAT compliance and attracts 100% excise duty. Personal imports without a licence are not released. |
| Restricted pharmaceuticals | Review required | Controlled medicines require MoH approval per shipment. Prescription documentation is checked against the quantity. |
| Food supplements | Review required | Certain stimulant and botanical ingredients are prohibited even where the product is sold legally elsewhere. |
| Publications and media | Review required | Content review; material contrary to public morals is held and destroyed. |
| Counterfeit goods | Not carried | See the section below. This is the one category where the wording of the listing matters as much as the item. |
Counterfeit goods, and what “replica & alternatives” actually means here
This section is the line the whole site rests on. It is written to be quoted back to us.
We do not carry counterfeit or trademark-infringing goods. An item that copies a brand’s logo, design or model number without authorisation cannot travel on any of our routes, at any declared value.
Our Replica & Alternatives category covers something different: unbranded equivalents, alternative materials, own-brand substitutes and discontinued-model replacements. These are legal goods that happen to serve the same purpose as a branded product, and they are declared honestly at the border like anything else.
The words a seller uses do not decide the category. We classify the goods, not the listing — so an item advertised as a 1:1, a mirror or a dupe is treated as a counterfeit good, whatever the seller calls it. Send the link before you buy and we will tell you which side of the line it falls on.
How a sensitive item is actually reviewed
One process for every category marked “review required”. It ends in writing, before you pay.
You send the item, not the category
A product link, the quantity and the destination city. No payment at this stage — the review is not a sales step and it does not commit you to an order.
We check the actual requirement
The governing authority for that category in that country: SASO and SABER, CST, SFDA, ZATCA, or the UAE equivalent. We check the current rule rather than a rule we remember.
You get one of three answers, in writing
Can carry — with the documents listed. Can carry with conditions — a certificate, a licence, a limit. Cannot carry — with the reason, and whether any route exists at all.
Why we still review categories that are always refused
A buyer describing “a gift for a friend” and a buyer describing “500 units for resale” are often describing the same object, and the honest answer differs. The review also catches mislabelled goods: a device sold as a humidifier that is a vape, a “toy” drone with a camera and a radio.
Reviewing is how we find out which of those you are actually holding. It is not a promise that the answer will be yes.
Restricted rather than prohibited
These can travel. They need something first, and the something is usually a certificate rather than an argument.
| Goods | What is needed |
|---|---|
| Electronics and electrical equipment | SABER PCoC and SCoC for Saudi Arabia |
| Toys and children’s products | SABER conformity; age-marking requirements apply |
| Telecoms and radio devices | CST type approval, registered per model and SKU |
| Food, cosmetics, medical devices | SFDA registration in Saudi Arabia; MoH or ESMA in the UAE |
| Batteries and power banks | Carrier restrictions vary by channel; air capacity is limited |
| Branded goods | A valid authorisation chain — invoice, distributor, provenance |
| Luxury and designer goods | Authorisation chain plus declared-value insurance — see the luxury page |
Restricted items, answered plainly
Is “replica” allowed or not? The site says both.
Why do I need a review for something that is legal in my country?
How long does a review take?
What if I ship something restricted without telling you?
Send the link before you buy.
We will tell you whether it can travel, on which route, and what it needs — in writing, within one working day.