Importing chocolate from Türkiye to Saudi Arabia: what the supplier side looks like

Who holds what

The Saudi importer registers with the food authority, files the conformity on the Saudi platform and answers for the product on the market. The Turkish producer does not register in Saudi Arabia for confectionery. That splits the work into two piles: what the importer builds on its side, and what the supplier must send so that file is complete. Our job is the second pile. The details of the platform change; the offer states what applies on the day.

The Arabic label

The mandatory information in Arabic under the Gulf labelling standard, on the pack or on a sticker: the name of the food, ingredients with allergens, the nutrition table, net quantity, storage, best-before wording and the importer’s details. For lines in our standard packs we confirm what the export pack already carries and what the importer adds; for private label we prepare the content in Arabic and English from our data sheet and check the artwork before printing. The Saudi private label page goes through it.

Halal, from a named body

In Saudi Arabia the halal certificate is not a formality: the certifying body matters and the importer’s file names it. Our certificates are held for our factory; the offer names the holder and the body for every line and attaches copies. Lines without a certificate are stated as such rather than argued. The halal article explains what a certifier checks in confectionery.

Customs and documents

There is no free trade agreement between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye; the offer states the tariff line for each product and what applies on the day, and nothing about duty is printed on this site. The document set is the commercial invoice, packing list per pallet, certificate of origin, analysis report and, for pistachio lines, an aflatoxin certificate, listed on the how we work page, with copies of our certificates on request.

The route and the reefer

Sea freight from Mersin to Jeddah for Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah, and to Dammam for the east. The Red Sea and the Gulf are warm in every month, so chocolate and chocolate-coated lines are quoted in a reefer year round; Turkish delight, sugared almonds and jellies travel dry. Each line has its own pallet; the mixed-container page explains how the load is built.

What to send first

The product references, the quantity per line, the port, whether any line carries your own brand and whether the list must be halal-certified from named bodies. The written offer follows within two working days, in US dollars,, the certificate holder and the data sheet named per line. The Saudi Arabia page lists what stays the same on every offer.

Every line here is made in our own factory at Başpınar OSB, Gaziantep — a 10,000 m² site, exporting since 2002 — and certificate copies are available on request.