When you’re shipping internationally, you will need additional documentation in order to ensure that your shipment passes through export and import procedures smoothly.

We will help you ensure you have all the documentation you need, but, in general, you’ll want to be prepared to produce:

• Commercial Invoice. An invoice that states the commercial price and the cost of freight, insurance, packing and other miscellaneous charges. This may also be referred to as a “pro forma invoice.”
• Certificate of Origin. Some countries require this documentation in order to identify in which country the goods were manufactured. Customs generally uses this document to enforce embargoes or calculate tariffs and duties.
• Packing List. This is simply a detailed inventory of items contained in a shipment. Although it’s often optional, it can facilitate inspection by customs and help buyers and shippers account for goods shipped.
• Material Safety Data Sheet / Hazardous Goods Form. If you’re moving potentially hazardous products via ocean freight or air freight, you’ll need one of these forms for documentation.

This is probably the most frequent question we get. It all comes down to 1) cost and time and 2) which one matters more to you.

Within international freight, you have two major options:

Option #1: Air Freight

Air freight offers you two main advantages over ocean freight: faster speeds and less handling of your goods.

However, that speed does come at a price. Air freight is generally more expensive than ocean freight. That being said, within air freight, you’ll have a menu of service levels to choose from. They range from the fastest speeds (and highest costs) of chartering a dedicated flight, all the way to the more cost-effective air freight consolidation.

When the speed and handling of your goods are a consideration, air freight is your best option. However, if you’re more concerned with cost, you’ll likely want to consider the second option.

Option #2: Ocean Freight

Ocean freight is certainly the more budget-friendly option for moving goods internationally. However, at the end of the day, planes are simply faster than boats, so it will take longer to move your goods. Additionally, ocean freight is also subject to sailing schedules, meaning that you may need to wait a day or two to get your goods on a boat sailing to your destination.

Ocean freight offers you two options, based on how much you want to transport:

• FCL: A full container load, usually best for larger loads. However, with high-value shipments, many shippers choose the FCL option so their goods get their own, dedicated container for maximum protection.
• LCL: A less-than-container load. Freight forwarders consolidate LCLs to create a full load, which can result in extra cost savings for you.

FCL or Full Container Load is a standard set by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) which refers to one 20 or 40ft container filled with cargo. A shipper uses up the space of the entire container.

LCL or Less than Container Load refers to a shipment that doesn’t fill one 20 or 40ft standard container. In the case of LCL, several shippers load their cargo into a single container. While LCL is the cheaper option for small shipments.

Parcel shipments are small, lightweight, individually packaged and labeled, and they typically weigh 75 pounds or less. However, most parcel carriers allow shipments of up to 150 pounds and 165” in length + girth. Freight, on the other hand, is any shipment that weighs more than 150 pounds and is normally boxed, palletized or crated.

Yes, your freight needs to be packaged and/or palletized, it is the shipper’s responsibility for packaging the goods. Shrink wrap, corrugated boxing, palletizing and strapping or banding is the most common type of packaging.

Yes. Along with our own infrastructure in the KSA, we have a solid and extensive network of international partners/agents around the world. They are chosen based on their reliability and ability to meet the demands of each customer: customs clearance, cargo storage or delivery.