SFDA registration for importers: food, cosmetics and medical devices

What needs SFDA, in one table

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority regulates food, feed, cosmetics, medicines, medical devices and tobacco products. For an importer this means two separate tracks: registering your company and your products with SFDA before you ship, and getting each shipment released by SFDA at the port, through requests filed in FASAH. Product conformity under SABER and customs duty and VAT still apply in parallel.

Step one for every importer: the GHAD account

GHAD is SFDA's unified electronic system. The importer opens an account, receives an establishment number and applies for the licences its activity needs. For medical devices, SFDA's guidance says the commercial record must include the import or distribution activity, the importer needs a medical devices warehouse licence (or a space warehouse licence), and the licence is issued within two working days at most after review and payment, with an inspection afterwards. Foreign manufacturers of devices act through a Saudi authorised representative, which is a separate licence type. A Chinese supplier cannot hold these registrations for the buyer; it supplies the documents.

Food and beverages

1. Register the establishmentThe importer registers on GHAD and arranges a licensed warehouse, unless exempt as a small importer.
2. Register the productsEach food product the importer plans to bring in is registered with SFDA.
3. Fix the label before productionLabels must be in Arabic, with expiry dates under SFDA.FD/GSO 150-1; logos such as halal or organic need proof.
4. Collect origin documentsHealth certificate from the Chinese competent authority, certificate of origin, invoice with batch numbers and expiry dates.
5. File the release requestThe broker submits the documents electronically in FASAH with the customs declaration.
6. Inspection and samplingSFDA can take samples free of charge; the importer pays for the analysis.
7. Release and recordsAfter release, keep the original clearance documents for five years.

• Warehouse exemption: local factories importing raw materials, and importers with no more than 5 shipments a year totalling up to 2,000 kg.
• Halal certificate for products that require one or are labelled halal; halal slaughter certificate for meat, poultry and raw food gelatine.
• Phytosanitary certificate for grains, crops and fresh produce.
• Ingredients for manufacturing may use English labels if the importer files a commitment through FASAH.
• As of November 2026 some carriers have suspended reefer bookings to many Gulf ports, so confirm cold-chain space before buying.

Cosmetics and personal care

SFDA made electronic registration of imported cosmetics mandatory through eCosma, phased by product type from 2015. Since 2018 provisional numbers are no longer accepted: every product in a shipment needs a final eCosma notification number, or the certificate of conformity cannot be issued. The importer also needs an SFDA warehouse licence number; the 2018 update named goods imported directly to a retail store as the exception. SABER applies where a technical regulation covers the product.

• Full ingredient list with concentrations, checked against SFDA's prohibited and restricted substances.
• Front and back label artwork and product photos for the notification.
• A manufacturer's authorisation for the Saudi notifier.
• Arabic label information required by the regulation, confirmed before printing.
• Batch numbers and expiry dates on the invoice that match the cartons.

Medical devices

Most devices need an MDMA before they can be marketed. Non-sterile, low-risk devices without a measuring function can use a low-risk registration instead. The importer holds an MDEL, and each shipment is cleared under SFDA's shipment requirements (MDS-G21). Used medical devices cannot be imported. Devices for demonstration or training are exempt from MDMA but need a separate importation licence and must be re-exported or destroyed within at most six months.

• Purchase invoice certified by the chamber of commerce in the country of origin, with manufacturer, device name, quantity, unit price, model and lot or serial numbers.
• Bill of lading or air waybill.
• Declaration of conformity on SFDA's template for MDMA or low-risk devices.
• Copy of the importer's MDEL and evidence of the MDMA or low-risk registration.
• Labelling that matches the MDMA file; Arabic labelling for devices for non-professional use, and a barcode for home-use devices.
• Remaining shelf life of at least 40% (total shelf life up to 1 year) or 60% (over 1 year).
• Data logger for temperature-sensitive devices, with its serial number on the invoice.

Why SFDA holds shipments, and how to avoid it

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General information checked on the date shown. Rules and rates change: our team confirms the details for your shipment.