How to sell to customers in Saudi Arabia

How people pay online

• Electronic payments made up 85% of total retail payments in Saudi Arabia in 2025, up from 79% in 2024, with 14.6 billion electronic transactions. 1
• mada is a national payment system owned by the Saudi Central Bank, and mada E-Commerce lets cardholders pay online through 3D Secure. 2
• Checkout.com reported that preference for cash on delivery across MENA halved from 41% to 20% over 48 months, and dropped as low as 10% in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait. 3

Taking payments from abroad

• Checkout.com says a merchant outside Saudi Arabia can take mada cards as ordinary debit cards with no special setup, while processing inside Saudi Arabia needs a merchant ID from a Saudi acquirer. 4
• Antom lets merchants based in Singapore, Hong Kong, the EEA, the UK and the US accept Tabby from buyers in Saudi Arabia, for SAR 10 to 10,000 per payment. 5
• Antom lets merchants based in Singapore, Hong Kong, the EEA, the US and the UK accept Tamara from buyers in Saudi Arabia in SAR, from SAR 1 with no stated maximum. 6

Import tax and duty on parcels

• Online store purchases are exempt from customs duty when their total value, including shipping and insurance, is less than SAR 1,000 and no clearance permit is required. 7
• VAT on imported online purchases is collected in all cases regardless of value, and the carrier pays the duties and VAT once the declaration is approved. 7
• Saudi VAT on imported goods is 15% and is paid by the importer. 8

Where to reach buyers

• TikTok ads reached 38.6 million adults aged 18 and above in Saudi Arabia in late 2025. 9
• YouTube ads reached 27.5 million users in Saudi Arabia in late 2025, equal to 79.2% of the population. 9
• Snapchat ads reached 25.3 million users in Saudi Arabia in late 2025, equal to 72.9% of the population. 9
• Instagram ads reached 18.2 million users (52.4% of the population) and X ads 15.0 million (43.1%) in Saudi Arabia in late 2025. 9

Common questions

1. How do people in Saudi Arabia pay online?

   Electronic payments made up 85% of total retail payments in Saudi Arabia in 2025, up from 79% in 2024, with 14.6 billion electronic transactions. More on payments

2. Can a business outside Saudi Arabia accept the payment methods people there use?

   Checkout.com says a merchant outside Saudi Arabia can take mada cards as ordinary debit cards with no special setup, while processing inside Saudi Arabia needs a merchant ID from a Saudi acquirer. More on taking payments

3. Do customers in Saudi Arabia pay import tax or duty on goods bought from abroad?

   Online store purchases are exempt from customs duty when their total value, including shipping and insurance, is less than SAR 1,000 and no clearance permit is required. More on import tax

4. Where should a business advertise to reach buyers in Saudi Arabia?

   TikTok ads reached 38.6 million adults aged 18 and above in Saudi Arabia in late 2025. More on ads