Shipping From Thailand to Saudi Arabia

If your business plan involves shipping from Thailand to Saudi Arabia, you will be well advised to learn all of the “ins and outs” of managing this part of your business. 

Building a relationship of trust with your Saudi customer will be of strategic importance. When traveling to Saudi Arabia for business, here are a few important tips that can help make your visit productive:

• Saudi Business Culture – Saudi business culture is one where risk is not embraced and changes in business models happen very slowly. Decisions will typically be discussed up and down the chain of command, making agreements slow to develop.
• Attending a business meeting – It is always important to be punctual, but don’t be surprised if you are kept waiting for a long period of time or to even have the meeting cancelled at the last minute. Once you are in the meeting, expect to have an extended discussion of a more personal nature including your background, family, etc. This is necessary to slowly build a level of trust and familiarity that will allow business discussions to advance productively.
• Reaching agreement – As mentioned above, risk is anathema within Saudi culture. It may take several meetings or negotiation sessions to reach a final accord. When working with Saudi business leaders, patience is a virtue. Trying to use time pressures as a leverage point in a negotiation will usually backfire. The best strategy is to reinforce your position by repeating your key points. 

When at last you have reached agreement and established a foundation for your business dealings, it will be important to make sure your commitment on deliveries, costs, quantities, etc., are met. This is where it is important that you have researched and understand as much of the details for moving goods from Thailand to Saudi Arabia as is possible. 

• Ports – Saudi Arabia has ports on both its eastern border of the Persian Gulf and its western border with the Red Sea. The ports are all modernized for both the import of commercial goods and exports of petroleum products.
  
• Airports – The 3 major international airports in Saudi Arabia are Dammam, Jeddah and Riyad.
• Customs Regulations – Saudi Arabia has stringent requirements and a rather long list of restricted goods. In addition to items like alcohol, explosives and ivory, there are many types of publications and foodstuffs that are restricted.

With a myriad of issues and regulations required to export goods into Saudi Arabia, it is important to secure the support of an experienced freight forwarder like Eagles Air & Sea, Ltd. We can advise you on selecting the right mode of transportation for your goods, present you with options for timing vs. cost tradeoffs and what you can expect in areas like documentation, duties, taxes, and other details related to each shipment. Our staff are all trained professionals capable of working with you as you expand your business into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For more information contact us at +66 (02) 790 4599 or email at sales@eaglesthai.com.