Sep 20, 2026
Importing a Crane Truck into Saudi Arabia: What Actually Stops the Shipment
Most suppliers quoting into Saudi Arabia mention SABER. That is correct — and it is also usually where the useful information stops.
Most suppliers quoting into Saudi Arabia mention SABER. That is correct — and it is also usually where the useful information stops.
If you are buying a truck-mounted crane — a crane body on a commercial truck chassis, HS 8705.10 — two certificates in SASO's own conformity list apply specifically to your machine. Most quotations never mention them. They are also the reason shipments sit at the port.
SABER is not something your supplier can do for you
Saudi Arabia requires conformity assessment through SABER, the electronic portal under the Saleem product safety programme. It runs in two stages:
- PCoC — Product Certificate of Conformity. Model-specific, done once per model.
- SCoC — Shipment Certificate of Conformity. Done per shipment.
The part that changes your planning: the SABER portal is only open to Saudi importers, SASO-approved certification bodies and Saudi Customs. An overseas exporter cannot open an account or file a declaration.
The practical consequence: certificate work has to be started by your Saudi importer, and it has to be started before production finishes — not after the truck is on the water. If a certificate requirement is going to surprise anyone, better it happens while we can still change the build.
The two certificates that apply to a crane truck
SASO publishes its list of conformity certificates. Two entries map directly onto this product (list last updated 28 September 2025):
Certificate | Applies to | Why it hits you |
|---|---|---|
Certificate of Conformity for Trucks and Trailers Under-run Protective Devices | Trucks, trailers and semi-trailers over 3.5 t GVW — front, side and rear under-run protection. Excludes off-highway and military trucks. | A crane truck on a commercial chassis is a truck. The protection has to be there, and it has to match the standard. |
Certificate of Type Conformity for Lifting Equipment | Lifting equipment covered by the Machinery Safety Technical Regulation, Part 3: Lifting Equipment. Used lifting equipment is excluded. | This one is the crane itself. It is a separate certificate from the vehicle's — and it is where crane suppliers most often have nothing prepared. |
The under-run requirement is backed by three standards: SASO 2955:2021 (front), SASO 2956:2021 (side), SASO 2957:2021 (rear). The general vehicle standard is GSO 42:2015.
Two details worth knowing:
- The lifting-equipment certificate excludes used lifting equipment. Buying new, the path is clean. If someone is offering you a used crane, that is a different problem.
- Because the crane is certified separately, your crane's exact configuration matters at the documentation stage — not just at the specification stage. Options you agree in a quotation should be written into the PCoC material. If they are not, the SCoC stage will find the difference.
Emission: Saudi Arabia is Euro V, not Euro VI
This one costs deals in both directions.
The GCC motor vehicle technical regulation — GSO Technical Regulations for Motor Vehicles, MV 2025 MY-D3, Saudi country annex — states that a heavy-duty diesel engine should comply with Euro V for Saudi Arabia "that have in their markets suitable fuel".
That is the current requirement. Not Euro VI. If a supplier tells you Saudi Arabia mandates Euro VI, ask them for the reference. If they then charge you for a Euro VI package on that basis, you are paying for something the regulation does not ask for.
The fuel condition is met. Under SASO 844:2023, the sulfur limit for automotive diesel was cut from 500 mg/kg to 10 mg/kg, and the Ministry of Energy announced the nationwide switch to ultra-low-sulfur diesel and gasoline on 27 February 2024, with a maximum of 10 mg/kg.
Why that matters mechanically: 10 mg/kg is ultra-low-sulfur diesel. Euro V aftertreatment — SCR with urea, and DPF where fitted — has no fuel-quality obstacle in Saudi Arabia. This is not a market where you have to argue about aftertreatment life. (Markets still on 500 ppm diesel are where that conversation genuinely matters.)
What we will not tell you
Two things, because they are the two most common ways a quotation misleads a buyer.
We will not tell you the duty is 5%. Saudi Arabia applies the GCC Common External Tariff, where most goods are subject to a rate "not less than 5%", charged ad valorem on CIF value. That is a floor, not the rate for your vehicle. The exact rate lives in ZATCA's 12-digit tariff — and since January 2025 the GCC has used a 12-digit schedule based on HS2022. Anyone quoting you a landed duty figure without looking it up has guessed it.
VAT is separate and confirmed at 15% (raised from 5% in July 2020), charged on CIF plus duty. Beyond that, the Saudi system includes a customs surcharge, port charges, a freight service fee and an import inspection tax — all payable locally, all buyer-side.
We will not promise clearance. SABER filing belongs to your importer. What we can commit to is preparing the technical file to the standards that apply — GSO 42, and SASO 2955/2956/2957 where applicable, plus the lifting equipment regulation — and supporting your importer through PCoC and SCoC.
What to send us
If you are pricing a crane truck for Saudi Arabia, four things decide whether the quotation is real:
- GVW and chassis — the under-run requirement turns on 3.5 t.
- Crane model and configuration — this is what gets certified separately as lifting equipment.
- New or used — the lifting equipment certificate excludes used.
- Your importer's SABER status — have they filed a PCoC before, or is this their first?
Send those four and we will come back with the model, the load chart section that covers your job, and the list of technical documents we will prepare for your importer.
One more thing. Saudi Arabia is a hot, dusty market. The official standard for intake filter performance testing is SASO ISO 5011:2015 — note that SASO marks this one as not applicable for certification, so treat it as a technical reference rather than a compliance route. It is still the right basis for specifying filtration where summer heat and airborne sand are the operating conditions.
Saudi Arabia drives on the right and takes left-hand-drive vehicles, the same as China — so there is no steering conversion in this programme.
Official references
- GSO Technical Regulations for Motor Vehicles, MV 2025 MY-D3 (Saudi country annex) — emission and standards annex
- SASO, Certificates of Conformity (official certificate list, last modified 28 September 2025) — under-run and lifting equipment certificates
- SASO 844:2023 (clean diesel, sulfur limit) and the Ministry of Energy announcement of 27 February 2024
- ZATCA tariff search (12-digit schedule) — for the actual duty rate on your HS code
This article describes requirements as documented at the date of writing. Import rules change; confirm the current position with your Saudi importer before you commit to a build.
Need a crane truck specified for a Gulf market? Message us on WhatsApp at +86 158 0912 4321 and tell us the market and the machine.