Wholesale & Bulk Shisha Tobacco for Saudi Arabia

Global Shisha Tobacco is a Pakistan-based manufacturer and distributor of shisha and hookah tobacco. We supply wholesale and bulk quantities to importers, wholesalers, distributors and tobacco manufacturers, and goods ship from Pakistan to the buyer's destination port or warehouse. A buyer in Saudi Arabia sends a destination, quantity and specification, and the sales team replies with a written commercial quotation that states price, shipping term and lead time. Nothing is priced automatically, and no order is accepted until the quotation is confirmed in writing.

Saudi Arabia has its own rules on tax, packaging and who may import tobacco, so we check the destination first. The sections below set those rules out from official sources, so a buyer reaches the quotation stage with the right questions already answered. Request a quotation for Saudi Arabia when you are ready.

Every quotation for Saudi Arabia states the same fields, so offers can be compared like for like.

• Tobacco type and cut: shisha tobacco, hookah tobacco or Virginia leaf, and fine, medium or coarse cut. See the specification sheet guide.
• Moisture, nicotine and sugar: stated as ranges and agreed in writing.
• Packing: retail packs, master cartons, bulk drums, palletised goods or full containers. For retail supply into Saudi Arabia, pack size and labelling must follow the rules above, so confirm them before packing is specified.
• Shipping term: FOB, CIF, CFR or EXW. DDP is rarely practical for regulated tobacco; see choosing an Incoterm.
• Documents: commercial documents agreed for each shipment against a checklist. See documentation and the export process.
• Customs classification: waterpipe tobacco is classified under HS 2403.11. See the HS code guide.

For payment and quotation steps see payment terms and how to request a wholesale quotation.

If you import, distribute or manufacture in Saudi Arabia and want to buy wholesale or bulk shisha tobacco, hookah tobacco or shisha tobacco leaves from a Pakistan-based manufacturer and distributor, this is how an order with Global Shisha Tobacco works. Every step is in writing, every quotation states the specification, and we check what Saudi Arabia requires before we price.

1. Tell us you are importing into Saudi Arabia. Give your company, your licence or registration and the port or city. Confirm the competent authority for tobacco imports in Saudi Arabia before you order.
2. Define the specification. Product type, cut, moisture, nicotine and sugar ranges and the flavour list, with the packaging Saudi Arabia requires built in (Packaging: Plain packaging standard SFDA.FD 60:2018 covers tobacco molasses, the SFDA's term for waterpipe tobacco).
3. State quantity and port. For Saudi Arabia, the main container ports are Jeddah Islamic Port or King Abdulaziz Port (Dammam). Name the port you want and whether you need delivery beyond the port.
4. Receive a written quotation. Price, shipping term, lead time, payment terms and the document list, stated for Saudi Arabia.
5. Agree the documents. The export documents we prepare and the permits, certificates or markings that Saudi Arabia requires of the importer.
6. Order and dispatch. You confirm the quotation in writing and pay as agreed; we produce, pack, check and ship from Pakistan against the confirmed terms.

You can start now with the quote form for Saudi Arabia, or read on for the detail.

Start from the table below and replace the entries with your own targets. It is pre-filled with the rules from our sourced guide for Saudi Arabia, so the packaging requirements are in the specification from day one.

The specification sheet guide explains every field.

The price on a quotation is only the start. In Saudi Arabia, tax and compliance can matter more than the product price, so calculate landed cost before you compare suppliers.

Rates change, so we do not quote tax figures as fixed here; check the dated figures in the sourced sections of this guide and confirm with a customs broker. The import guide includes a full worksheet.

Currency. The local currency in Saudi Arabia is the Saudi riyal (SAR). Quotations state the currency of the price. Many cross-border tobacco orders are priced in a major international currency, so discuss early which currency you want to pay in, how long the price is held and who bears exchange-rate movement. Your bank's rules on foreign payments, and any currency controls in Saudi Arabia, apply to your side of the transaction.

Language. Packs sold in Saudi Arabia generally carry health warnings and required information in the official language or languages (Arabic); confirm the exact requirement and format with the authority, because it fixes the artwork before production. Commercial documents are normally prepared in English, and your broker may need translations for the customs declaration.

Where buyers are based. Importers, distributors and lounge groups in Saudi Arabia are most often found in and around Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. If you serve more than one city, say so in your enquiry, because delivery points, storage and the inland leg affect the shipping term you choose.

• Ordering before checking Saudi Arabia's rules on pack size, warnings and stamps.
• Comparing quotations on different shipping terms.
• Forgetting duty, excise and local charges when comparing prices.
• Assuming the licence for finished product covers raw leaf or base in Saudi Arabia.
• Over-ordering slow flavours instead of starting with a core range.
• Leaving the first order's documents to the last week.

Most can be avoided by completing the checklist in this guide before you ask for a quotation.

A sensible first order for Saudi Arabia is one you can sell, store and fund the duty for. Work backwards from the date you need the goods.

1. Confirm your licence and the packaging rules.
2. Write the specification and approve a sample if one can be supplied.
3. Receive and compare written quotations on the same shipping term.
4. Confirm the order in writing and pay as agreed.
5. Allow for production, pre-shipment checks and loading.
6. Allow for the sea voyage and customs clearance in Saudi Arabia.
7. Receive, inspect and store; record lots and dates.

We do not publish fixed times here, because lead time depends on the product, the quantity and whether goods are in stock; the written quotation states it. Ask for a lead time in writing and plan the rest around it. See how we work.

ZATCA states that tobacco products are excisable goods and that the scope is all items in Chapter 24 of the GCC unified customs tariff. The excise rate on tobacco products has been 100% since the excise law took effect in June 2017. Importers and manufacturers of excisable goods are required to register with ZATCA, so a Saudi buyer should confirm its registration and its excise treatment before an order is confirmed.

The SFDA Conditions and Requirements for Tobacco Products (2020) set the rules for importing tobacco products and prohibit the import of non-smoked tobacco products. Gulf technical regulation GSO 2390/2014 lists permitted and prohibited additives in tobacco products. Ask the Saudi importer to confirm the current SFDA and GSO requirements for your flavour range before you commit to a formulation, because both texts are revised over time.

This guide is prepared by the Global Shisha Tobacco commercial team from the 3 official and primary sources listed at the end of the page, and was last reviewed on 30 September 2026. Tax rates, deadlines and labelling rules change, so each figure is dated and linked to its source. It describes the rules for trade buyers and is not legal, tax or customs advice: confirm with the competent authority or a licensed customs broker before you order.

If you find a figure that is out of date, tell us and we will check it against the source and correct the page.

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