Industry Ministry clears 1,182 customs exemptions in July

The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources processed 1,182 industrial customs exemption applications for factories based in Saudi Arabia during July 2026, in a move to support local manufacturing and ease production costs. The approved requests covered 7,055 raw material items and 13,707 machinery, equipment, and spare parts items.

The exemptions waive customs duties on approved industrial raw materials, machinery, equipment, and spare parts used directly in production operations, within the limits of the industrial license and the approved industrial capabilities list. To benefit, a facility must hold a valid Saudi industrial license, and the materials or equipment must be listed in the industrial license data and on the Industrial Capabilities List issued by the Ministry.

During the construction or pilot production phase, licensed establishments can request exemptions for limited quantities of raw materials through a dedicated electronic service. After obtaining the industrial license, investors can apply separately for exemptions on machinery, equipment, and spare parts. A further service lets facilities increase exempted raw material quantities within licensed limits or add licensed materials not previously exempted.

All applications are submitted electronically via the Ministry's Sanai (Senaei) platform. Facilities log in with their industrial account, choose the customs exemption service, enter item details, upload the required documents, and track their request status online. To add new customs items to the capabilities list, facilities select the "add a customs item" service and provide technical and pricing data.

A performance-based pathway also grants exemptions for input materials linked to products actually exported during the preceding 12 months, with eligibility based on the ratio of exports to licensed production capacity; export data issued by the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority must be attached. The measures aim to strengthen local industry and reduce operating costs for manufacturers across the Kingdom.

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