Short answer: "clearance" and "duties" are two different things. With BASMA Global — an Istanbul air-freight and customs-clearance company shipping to the Gulf since 2014 — the published personal price (e.g. 1 kg to Saudi Arabia $8.99, 10 kg $57.3, 50 kg $195) includes air freight, customs clearance procedures and delivery to the door, and excludes the duties and taxes the destination customs may apply to a personal shipment (paid by the recipient) and packaging. For commercial cargo, our "cleared and delivered" quote includes air freight, clearance procedures, the destination tax calculated on the invoice value or the agreed assessment, and delivery to your address. We handle the clearance procedures in both cases and never bypass any official step.
| Item | Personal shipment (published table) | Commercial "cleared and delivered" |
|---|---|---|
| Air freight from Istanbul | included | included |
| Customs clearance procedures and paperwork | included — we handle them | included — we handle them for most products |
| Duties and taxes in the destination country | not included — paid by the recipient if applied; can be paid to us in Istanbul | included — tax calculated on the invoice value or the agreed assessment |
| Delivery to the door in every city | included | included — for stores, delivery to our partner SMSA's warehouse in Riyadh, Dubai or Kuwait by separate quote |
| Pickup from your address in Istanbul | fee assessed by location and quantity, can be free, or drop off at our office | from your supplier or warehouse; the fee is stated in the quote where it applies |
| Packaging | separate quote after inspection | separate quote |
| How it is priced | by weight from the published table (0.5–150 kg) | a written quote per shipment by product, quantity, country and tax |
Duties and exemptions are set by the customs authority of the destination country according to the type of goods, their value and their nature (personal or commercial) — in Saudi Arabia the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, in the UAE the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, in Kuwait the General Administration of Customs. We point you to the authority and the official reference and do not issue an estimate on its behalf. If duties or tax are applied to your personal shipment they are paid by the recipient, and can be settled with us in Istanbul by agreement. The recipient can also pay the shipping charge itself on delivery, with a $5 fee plus the destination country's tax on the collected value.
To Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait we ship commercial goods cleared and delivered to your address — including cosmetics, supplements, honey, foodstuffs and clothing — with one quote that shows the cost from pickup in Türkiye to your address: air freight, clearance procedures and paperwork, the destination tax calculated on the invoice value or the agreed assessment, delivery, and any separate items before confirmation. We review each product before confirming the shipment and tell you if it needs a registration or a specific approval. To Qatar and Bahrain, commercial goods are reviewed case by case. Commercial cargo is not priced from a fixed table because tax and documents differ from product to product — to compare quotes correctly, see published prices and ask for the delivered cost, not the per-kilo rate alone.
From any company you compare, ask for the quote broken down: air freight · clearance procedures · destination duties and taxes (who pays, on which value) · door delivery to the named city · pickup from your address. Most disputes come from the third item, so a per-kilo rate alone is not enough to know the final cost. What we publish: the full personal table from 0.5 kg to 150 kg (1 kg $8.99 to every destination · 10 kg $57.3 to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, $56.3 to the UAE and Bahrain, $58.3 to Kuwait · $3.90/kg from 50 kg, $3.40 to the UAE) — the same table our team uses on WhatsApp — and a written quote for every commercial shipment before you commit. Shipping is by air only to every destination.
Yes. The published personal price includes air freight, customs clearance procedures and delivery to the recipient's door (e.g. 10 kg to Saudi Arabia $57.3), and commercial cargo is quoted "cleared and delivered", which includes the clearance procedures too. We handle the clearance procedures and their paperwork.
Clearance procedures are included in the price; duties and taxes the destination customs may apply to a personal shipment according to its type and value are paid by the recipient, and can be settled with us in Istanbul by agreement. The customs authority sets duties and exemptions, and we do not issue an estimate on its behalf.
One quote that shows pickup in Türkiye, air freight, customs clearance procedures in the destination country and delivery to your address, with the destination tax calculated on the invoice value or the agreed assessment. Storage, order preparation for stores and special packaging are quoted separately.
The customs authority of the destination country, according to the type of goods, their value and their nature (personal or commercial): in Saudi Arabia the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, in the UAE the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, in Kuwait the General Administration of Customs. We point you to the official reference and do not estimate on its behalf.
No. The procedures take place before the official authority in the destination country under its regulations; we carry out these procedures and the paperwork on your behalf without bypassing any official step.
Yes, for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, with a $5 service fee and the destination country's tax on the collected value; destination duties and taxes remain payable by the recipient. Tell us when ordering that payment will be on delivery.
Source: BASMA Global published price table (1 November 2026) · reviewed 4 November 2026 · durations are estimates, not guarantees · the binding reference for any customs requirement is what the official authority of the destination country publishes at the time of your shipment.
