Shipping Company from Saudi Arabia to India | 0568829975 ◈ Containers, Kerala Air Cargo & Car Shipping

For anyone who needs a shipping company from Saudi Arabia to India, Al Rahwan packs a returning resident’s flat and cartons, a trader’s stock or a single gift parcel, collects it in Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam and Khobar, Makkah, Madinah, Qassim or any other Saudi town, then sends containers by sea via the Islamic Port in Jeddah or King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam on to Nhava Sheva (Mumbai), Mundra, Chennai and Cochin, while urgent consignments fly out of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam towards Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Kochi. The sea voyage from Jeddah to Mundra takes about 4 days and to Nhava Sheva 6–7 days, stretching to 16–21 days for east-coast ports that usually involve a transhipment, while a direct flight to Mumbai takes roughly 3 hours 45 minutes. On cost, a small parcel sent by courier is from SAR 69, while containers, furniture and air freight by weight depend on volume and the Indian destination city, so request an itemised quote. Call 0568829975.

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We wrote this guide for whoever is planning a consignment to India, large or small: a worker who has finished his contract and is going home to Kerala with the contents of his flat, a family moving a whole apartment to Hyderabad, a trader sending stock to Mumbai, or someone posting a box of gifts to relatives in Lucknow. It explains the difference between a full container, consolidated sea freight, air freight and courier; realistic transit times for each port; how volumetric weight is calculated; the documents Indian customs expects for each kind of consignment; what may not be imported; and how delivery works in India’s main cities.

Al Rahwan handles destinations worldwide over road, sea and air routes — flying only what is urgent — yet India is one of the routes most requested by residents of the Kingdom, so we have set out everything customers ask before they book. Our starting point with each customer is simple: first, which state and city is the shipment going to? The answer decides the Indian port, the transit time and how delivery is handled. Then we ask what is being sent and roughly how much of it, and only then do we suggest the best method.

Is a road route from Saudi Arabia to India possible?

There is no practical land route between Saudi Arabia and India, so shipments travel in only two ways: by sea for containers, furniture and heavy goods, and by air for parcels and urgent, light consignments. Any offer of a “truck from Riyadh to India” really means the lorry that carries the goods inside the Kingdom to the port or airport, not the international journey itself.

Every shipment to India therefore has three clear stages. The first is inside Saudi Arabia: collection from the home or warehouse, packing and loading, then trucking to Jeddah port, Dammam port or the air-cargo terminal. The second is the international leg by ship or aircraft. The third is in India: customs clearance at the port or airport, then inland transport to the final city — which can be a long haul when the destination is an inland city such as Delhi, Hyderabad or Lucknow.

Once you see those three stages, it becomes obvious why time and cost vary from one shipment to the next. A consignment discharged at Nhava Sheva and delivered within Mumbai barely has a third stage, while one bound for a village in inland Kerala or a city in North India needs onward transport after the port, and every day of that leg counts.

Ways to ship from Saudi Arabia to India: a quick comparison

The right method comes down to three questions: how big is the shipment, is it urgent, and is it personal effects or commercial cargo? A full container suits large household moves and bulk goods; consolidated freight suits medium loads that will not fill a container; air suits anything that must arrive within days; and courier suits small parcels and documents.

In practice many customers combine two methods. A family returning to Hyderabad for good might send its furniture and appliances by consolidated sea freight, and fly two or three suitcases ahead with clothes for the first weeks, important papers and the children’s school things, so they are not waiting on the container to start their new life. Al Rahwan arranges both under one file, with a separate inventory for each.

Transit times: how many days to India by sea and by air?

The shortest sea leg is Jeddah to Mundra at about 4 days; Jeddah to Nhava Sheva in Mumbai takes about 6–7 days with 2–4 sailings a week. East-coast ports take longer: Jeddah to Chennai is about 21 days with one transhipment, and Jeddah to Ennore near Chennai about 16–17 days. By air, a direct flight from Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam to Mumbai takes about 3 hours 40–50 minutes.

Bear in mind that these are port-to-port figures, not the full door-to-door time. Before sailing you need to add booking, waiting for the vessel, loading and export clearance on Fasah; after arrival come discharge, Indian clearance and inland delivery. That is why Al Rahwan does not promise a customer a fixed arrival day before the booking is confirmed. Instead it gives an estimate based on the arrival port and the delivery city, then updates the customer with actual dates at every step.

On Dammam sailings: there is a direct liner service from Dammam to Nhava Sheva and Mundra, but each voyage follows the line’s schedule at the time of booking, so we do not quote a fixed figure for it. What can be said with confidence is that the west-coast ports are the shortest sea legs from the Kingdom, and that east-coast and Kerala ports may involve a transhipment and take longer.

Saudi to India shipping prices

What will it cost to send goods to India? A small courier parcel is from SAR 69. Furniture, containers, consolidated freight and air freight by weight are priced shipment by shipment once the volume, weight, Saudi collection city and Indian destination are known, so request an itemised quote that shows every line from packing to delivery.

So why no fixed figure for a container or an air kilo? Because container rates move with the shipping lines’ schedules and the arrival port; because a shipment to Nhava Sheva differs from one to Cochin or Chennai; and because delivery within Mumbai is a different job from delivery in Delhi after a long inland haul. Al Rahwan therefore prefers to give you an itemised quote: a line for collection and packing, a line for transport to the port, a line for the international freight, a line for clearance on both sides and a line for delivery in India — so you can see exactly where each riyal goes and are not surprised by charges on arrival.

Factors that push an India shipment’s price up or down

• Volume in cubic metres: consolidated sea freight is charged by space, so empty air inside cartons and table legs left on cost you money.
• Actual vs volumetric weight: air freight charges the higher of the two, so a large light carton can be billed as if it were heavy.
• Arrival port: west-coast ports are the shortest voyage; the east coast and Kerala may involve a transhipment.
• Final city: a destination deep inland means a longer, dearer haul from the Indian port.
• Packing level: wooden crates for glass and ornaments need treated, certified timber — an extra cost that is worth it.
• Services at either end: dismantling and reassembly, storage and insurance are each a separate line, added on request.

A worked example

A worker in Dammam wants to send three small parcels to three relatives in different Indian cities, each to its own address. By courier, each parcel starts from SAR 69, so the starting cost for the three is 3 × 69 = SAR 207, with the final amount set after each parcel is weighed and measured. If he packed everything into one large carton for a single address, consolidated or air freight by weight might work out cheaper — Al Rahwan calculates both options and lets him choose.

Sea freight from Saudi Arabia to India: ports and containers

Sea freight is the main way to move furniture and large goods to India. Containers leave from Jeddah on the Red Sea coast or from Dammam on the Gulf coast, and discharge at one of India’s major ports: Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mumbai) and Mundra in Gujarat, which handle the most Gulf cargo, as well as Chennai, Cochin, Kandla, Pipavav, Hazira, Tuticorin, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata and Mangalore.

Choosing the arrival port is not a minor detail. For Mumbai or Pune, Nhava Sheva is the natural choice. For Ahmedabad and Gujarat, Mundra, Pipavav or Hazira are closer. Kerala households benefit from Cochin port, and Chennai, Tamil Nadu and Bengaluru from Chennai or Ennore. Inland cities such as Delhi, Hyderabad and Lucknow are reached via a coastal port followed by rail or road to an inland container depot or straight to the address.

Full container or consolidated?

A 20 ft container usually takes the contents of a mid-sized flat; a 40 ft takes a villa, a large house or bulk goods. With a full container, the steel box stands at your own door or loading bay, holds nothing but your belongings, and once sealed is opened again only if customs asks to examine it — no sorting, no unloading on the way to the quay. If you have far less than that, consolidated (LCL) freight is cheaper: your goods go to a consolidation warehouse, are loaded with other consignments for the same Indian port, then sorted there and handed over to you.

The one real drawback of consolidation is the extra days it adds — waiting for the shared container to fill in the Kingdom, then devanning and sorting at a warehouse in India before clearance. In return you avoid paying for a whole container your goods would barely fill a quarter of. Either way the packing is just as careful, and everything is braced with straps and boards inside the container so it cannot shift as the ship rolls.

Transhipment to the east coast and Kerala

Some sailings from Jeddah to Chennai or Ennore do not go direct; the container is moved mid-route from one ship to another at a transhipment hub, which is why the voyage can reach about 16–21 days. This is normal in international shipping and puts the goods at no extra risk, as the container stays closed and sealed, but it does mean anyone shipping to Chennai should plan for longer than someone shipping to Mumbai.

Shipping to India from Saudi cities

Al Rahwan collects from any city in the Kingdom and trucks the goods to the most suitable port or air-cargo terminal. In Jeddah, shipments go straight to Jeddah Islamic Port; from Dammam, Khobar, Jubail and Dhahran they go to King Abdulaziz Port; while loads from Riyadh and Qassim travel by road to whichever of the two ports offers the better sailing for the Indian destination.

Riyadh: a large share of India bookings comes from Riyadh — from districts such as Al Batha, Al Malaz, Al Olaya, Al Sulay, Al Naseem and Al Shifa, and from the industrial cities. Collection is booked for a set time, goods are packed at home, then the lorry heads to the port. Whether it goes to Dammam or Jeddah depends on the nearest suitable sailing for the Indian arrival port; air freight from Riyadh leaves from King Khalid Airport.

Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah: Jeddah’s advantage is that the port sits inside the city, so a container loaded in Al Sharafiyah, Al Baghdadiyah, Al Safa or Al Samer usually reaches the port the same day. The published sailings to Mundra, Nhava Sheva and Chennai leave from Jeddah, and goods from Makkah, Madinah and Taif normally route through Jeddah port too.

Dammam, Khobar and Jubail: shipments from the Eastern Province leave from King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, which has a direct liner service to Nhava Sheva and Mundra — a strong option for Mumbai and Gujarat. Air freight from the Eastern Province departs from King Fahd International Airport.

Qassim, Al Ahsa and more distant cities: from Buraidah, Unaizah, Al Ahsa, Abha, Khamis Mushait and Tabuk the goods are gathered and trucked to the best port. Here we pack more robustly, because the load faces an inland road leg before the sea voyage begins, and every piece is secured in the lorry so nothing rubs against anything else.

Air freight from Saudi Arabia to India

Air freight to India is what you pick when speed outweighs the price difference: a direct flight from Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam to Mumbai takes about 3 hours 40–50 minutes, with several departures a day, and dedicated freighters also serve Mumbai. Air is charged per chargeable kilo — the scale weight or the volumetric weight, taking the larger — so request an itemised quote for your shipment.

India’s main air-cargo gateways are Mumbai (BOM), Delhi (DEL), Chennai (MAA), Kochi (COK), Hyderabad (HYD) and Bengaluru (BLR). The arrival airport follows the final city: a shipment to Thrissur or Kozhikode normally lands at Kochi, one to Noida or Gurgaon at Delhi, and one to Secunderabad at Hyderabad. On arrival it is cleared at the airport customs warehouse and then delivered to the address.

Working out volumetric weight on an India air shipment

Carriers bill for the room a consignment occupies in the hold, not for its mass alone. Measure the box in centimetres, find the product of its three sides, and divide that by 6000: the answer is its volumetric weight in kilos. The airline then sets that figure against what the box really weighs and bills the larger number.

Example: picture a long 75 × 40 × 40 cm box of clothes and shoes that the scale reads at 14 kg. Seventy-five times forty times forty is 120,000, and 120,000 over 6000 comes to 20, so the invoice shows 20 kg instead of 14. Move the same contents into a box of 55 by 40 by 35 cm and the product drops to 77,000, which divided by 6000 is about 12.8 kg — now the real 14 kg is the higher figure and becomes the billed weight, 6 kg less than before. That is exactly what the Al Rahwan team does when preparing air shipments: it picks the smallest size that protects the contents without wasted space.

What suits air freight to India?

• Suitcases and unaccompanied baggage the owner needs as soon as he lands in India.
• Documents, official papers and certificates.
• Trade samples, urgent spare parts and small high-value devices.
• Light goods that cannot wait weeks at sea.

Furniture, large appliances and lots of cartons, on the other hand, cost far more by air for no real benefit and are better sent by sea. For unaccompanied baggage by air, Indian customs normally asks for the passport, air waybill, delivery order and a Baggage Declaration signed by the passenger or his approved agent, plus an authorisation letter if the passenger cannot attend in person.

Furniture moving from Saudi Arabia to India

Furniture goes to India by sea in a full container or as part of a consolidated load. Al Rahwan handles dismantling, export-grade packing, numbering every piece, preparing an inventory with a value for each item, then loading and bracing inside the container. Because the price depends on the surveyed volume, each move gets its own itemised quote.

The voyage to India is relatively short, but furniture passes through many hands along the way: a lorry in the Kingdom, a crane at the port, the ship, another crane and lorry in India — and possibly a spell of heavy humidity in India’s coastal cities. That is why export packing differs from a local move: more layers, moisture-resistant materials, double-wall cartons and wooden crates for fragile pieces.

How furniture is prepared for shipping to India

1. Survey and inventory: the team visits or asks for photos and measurements, and marks which pieces come apart and which go whole.
2. Dismantling: beds, cupboards and big dining tables come apart into sections, and every screw, lock and hinge goes into a small bag carrying the piece’s number, taped firmly to it.
3. Layered wrapping: moving blankets for wooden surfaces, bubble wrap for glass and appliances, stretch film outside and cardboard corners for the edges.
4. Wooden crates: for mirrors, glass, ornaments and paintings — the timber must be treated and ISPM-15 compliant to be accepted by Indian customs.
5. Numbering and inventory: every piece and every carton gets a number, and the list records its contents and approximate value.
6. Loading and bracing: heaviest items at the bottom and against the container wall, lighter ones on top, then straps and boards so nothing moves.
7. Delivery in India: after clearance the furniture is taken to the home, unloaded and checked against the list number by number.

For appliances, we recommend draining the fridge and washing machine completely two days before packing and leaving the doors open to dry, because moisture trapped in a sealed container causes smells and stains. We also put moisture-absorbing sachets inside the container, especially for shipments to Mumbai or Kerala where it is humid for most of the year.

Shipping personal effects when moving back to India for good

A permanent move from the Kingdom to India is treated by Indian customs as a Transfer of Residence and needs more paperwork than an ordinary shipment: the original passport, an authority letter, the Baggage Declaration, the Indian customs declaration form, a valued inventory, the bill of lading, purchase invoices for new items and electronics, a copy of the PAN card and proof of address in India.

One point returnees should know: the original passport usually stays with the agent in India until clearance is complete, so plan for that and do not book a trip abroad for the same days. If the owner of the shipment is not an Indian national — a foreigner relocating to work in India, for instance — customs also wants the employment or transfer letter, FRRO registration and a valid resident, employment or business visa, or a PIO or OCI card.

The thing that protects a shipment from delay more than anything is the inventory. Indian customs wants a detailed list with an approximate value for each item, not a general phrase. Write “used 55-inch television” rather than “electronics”, and “12 cartons of clothes and shoes” rather than “personal items”. Hold on to receipts for anything bought new — customs can ask to see them as proof of value. Al Rahwan prepares this list with the customer during packing, so every carton is recorded the moment it is sealed.

What is allowed free and what duty falls due on personal effects is decided by Indian customs under the rules applying when the goods ship, and depends partly on how long the owner has lived abroad. We do not quote figures for them here because they change; the agent in India reviews them with the customer before the shipment arrives.

Is car shipping to India possible from the Kingdom?

Shipping cars to India is tightly restricted, and the typical Saudi car usually does not qualify: India does not allow left-hand-drive cars and requires right-hand drive, a speedometer in kilometres and headlamps suited to driving on the left. Saudi-market cars are left-hand drive, so Al Rahwan does not promise to ship a car to India before its eligibility has been checked.

Beyond the steering position, India’s vehicle import rules are detailed, conditional and complicated. Transfer-of-residence cars must have been registered in the owner’s name for a set period, must come with the manufacturer’s original invoice, are subject to age limits and must meet Indian emission standards. Some customs locations do not accept vehicle imports at all — including Bengaluru and Hyderabad — so a car cannot be routed to either.

In the rare case where a car qualifies, its road journey to the quay is made aboard a long multi-deck car transporter, wrapped in a fitted cover and secured with ratchet straps, then goes into a container with its wheels locked against chocks and lashed down, travelling with its full paperwork: the registration card (istimara), plates and export certificate, a bank letter if it is financed, the original factory invoice and insurance. If it is not eligible — which is the more common case — the practical alternative the Al Rahwan team recommends is to sell the car in the Kingdom before leaving, and send any spare parts, tyres or accessories with the shipment where they are permitted.

Sending boxes, suitcases and parcels to India

A small parcel to India by courier is from SAR 69 and is usually delivered door to door within a few working days. Larger numbers of cartons and big suitcases are cheaper gathered into a consolidated sea shipment, or sent by air on chargeable weight if they are urgent — both on an itemised quote.

This is the shipment most requested by Indian residents of the Kingdom: a box of clothes and presents before the festivals, two suitcases over the airline allowance, or personal belongings built up over years of work. The common mistake is to send each carton on its own at different times, paying a minimum charge every time; it is cheaper to collect the cartons and send them in one go.

Packing tips for cartons to India

• Use new double-wall cartons; second-hand ones weaken in humidity.
• Fill each carton so there is no empty space, without letting the top bulge.
• Stop at roughly 25–30 kg per box; heavier ones are awkward to carry and tend to burst.
• Mark two sides of each box with its serial number, the recipient’s name and his Indian phone number.
• Wrap suitcases in film and lock them; do not put original documents, cash or gold inside.
• Ask about perfumes, aerosols and batteries before packing, as some are restricted on air shipments.

When the Al Rahwan crew picks up your boxes in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam or any other city, they put each on the scale and tape-measure it while you watch, then point you to the cheapest route: courier for a parcel or two, air by weight for anything urgent, and a shared sea container for a larger pile with time to spare.

Commercial shipping from Saudi Arabia to India

Commercial goods go to India by sea per container or per cubic metre, and by air for samples and small urgent quantities. The importer in India must hold an Import Export Code (IEC) issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), and the file travelling with the goods comprises the ocean or air transport document, a combined commercial invoice and packing list, and the Bill of Entry, plus — where applicable — a certificate of origin, insurance certificate and import licence.

What delays commercial cargo most at Indian customs is paperwork that does not match: an invoice showing one quantity, a packing list showing another, and a vague description that does not identify the product. Al Rahwan therefore checks the invoice, packing list, goods description and HS codes with the shipper before loading, so the clearing agent in India can file a clean declaration that needs no amendment. Commercial consignments typically include equipment, spare parts, consumer products, exhibition materials and factory samples.

Paperwork for an India shipment, by type

Documents depend on the type of shipment. For personal shipments in the Kingdom you need your ID or iqama, an inventory, an authorisation for clearance on Fasah and the recipient’s details; in India the passport, Baggage Declaration and PAN card are requested. Trade consignments need the shipper’s CR together with an invoice, packing list and origin certificate, and the Indian importer must hold an IEC.

A tip from experience: send photos of your papers to the Al Rahwan team two days before collection. A gap found at that stage costs nothing to fix; the same gap found at an Indian port costs storage for every day the goods sit waiting.

Customs clearance: Fasah in Saudi Arabia and ICEGATE in India

Your goods pass two customs posts. Leaving Saudi Arabia, the declaration goes in on Fasah, the platform run by ZATCA; entering India, the Bill of Entry is lodged online on ICEGATE, the gateway of India’s Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). Al Rahwan handles the Saudi side and coordinates the Indian side with a licensed clearing agent there.

Leaving the Kingdom, a customs broker enters the export declaration on Fasah using the inventory or invoice; an inspection is carried out if requested, and the container is then released for loading onto the ship or the cargo onto the aircraft. On the Indian side, the Bill of Entry is filed electronically through ICEGATE; the goods may be physically examined, especially transfer-of-residence shipments; any charges are assessed and paid; and the shipment is released.

Any duties or taxes are set by Indian customs case by case from the goods, their value and the owner’s situation, under whatever rules apply on the day. Our advice is full disclosure of contents and values and keeping your invoices — an accurate declaration clears faster than any attempt to understate.

Something many people overlook: gold and silver other than ornaments are dutiable in India, and alcohol and tobacco beyond baggage limits are restricted. If anything of this kind is in the shipment, it must be declared before packing, not afterwards.

Prohibited and restricted items for India

India prohibits firearms, weapons and ammunition, narcotics, obscene material, wildlife products such as ivory and horns, and drones. Alcohol and tobacco beyond baggage limits are restricted, and gold and silver other than ornaments are dutiable.

Alongside India’s own lists, some materials are banned from shipping generally for safety reasons, such as flammable liquids, gas cylinders and unidentified chemicals. Do not put any of them in your cartons: a single prohibited item can hold up the whole container at inspection until it is removed, with charges and delays to follow. If you are unsure about anything, ask the Al Rahwan team before you pack.

Insuring your shipment to India

Marine or air cargo insurance is optional but recommended for any furniture or valuable goods. The premium is based on the value stated on the inventory or invoice, and Al Rahwan adds it, when asked, as its own entry in your quote.

Cover only helps you under three practical conditions: honest values on the list, neither inflated nor trimmed; photos of the expensive pieces taken at home before wrapping; and a calm check of everything at the moment of delivery in India, before the recipient signs. If damage shows, note it on the receipt and photograph it straight away, because a claim made days after delivery is far harder to pursue.

Tracking your shipment from Saudi Arabia to India

Every sea shipment has a container number and bill of lading number, every air shipment an air waybill number, and courier parcels a tracking number. Al Rahwan gives the customer these numbers after loading, with updates at each stage: departure from the port or airport, arrival in India, start of clearance, release and delivery date.

We want the recipient in India to know what to expect and how he may be asked to attend or send documents, so we take the Indian recipient’s phone number from the outset; he is contacted directly when the shipment arrives and a delivery time is set that suits him.

Storage before shipping or after arrival

A lease in Riyadh or Jeddah can end a fortnight before the ship sails, or a family can land in India while the new house is still being painted. Al Rahwan can store goods on request to bridge such gaps: goods are packed, numbered and held in a warehouse until the vessel’s date, with the period priced in the itemised quote. In India the shipment can also stay in a warehouse after clearance until the recipient picks a delivery date.

Booking your India shipment step by step

1. Call 0568829975 and give your Saudi city, the Indian city and state, and what you are sending.
2. Survey or photos: a survey or photos and measurements for furniture; number and rough weight for cartons.
3. Itemised quote: with the proposed method (container, consolidated, air or courier) and estimated timing.
4. Prepare documents: ID or iqama, passport and PAN for a transfer of residence, invoices for commercial goods.
5. Collection and packing: on the agreed date, with the inventory drawn up as items are packed.
6. Transport to the port or airport and export clearance on Fasah.
7. The international leg, with tracking numbers.
8. Clearance in India through ICEGATE with the licensed agent.
9. Delivery to the address and a check of every item against the list.

Phones are answered every day between 7 am and 11 pm, and collection can be set for the evening if you work daytime hours.

Delivery in Indian cities

Al Rahwan delivers in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kerala, Chennai, Bengaluru, Lucknow and other Indian cities. The route depends on the city: coastal cities are served directly from the nearest port, while inland cities are reached by onward transport after the port, or by air through the nearest airport.

Kerala: the destination our resident customers ask for most. Sea shipments arrive through Cochin port and air shipments through Kochi airport, then go by lorry to Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrissur, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. Some villages lie on narrow roads between canals and coconut palms, so for the last stretch the furniture is moved in a smaller lorry.

Hyderabad and Bengaluru: both are inland cities, reached by sea freight after clearance at a coastal port and onward transport, or directly by air to their airports. An important note: vehicle imports are not permitted through the Bengaluru and Hyderabad customs locations.

Delhi, Lucknow and North India: far from the sea, so sea freight lands on the west coast and continues by rail or road to an inland container depot or to the address, while air freight lands at Delhi. It is wise to allow more time than for Mumbai.

Mumbai and Gujarat: the closest by sea — goods are discharged at Nhava Sheva or Mundra and delivered in the city a relatively short time after clearance.

Common mistakes when shipping to India

• Writing “miscellaneous items” on the list: a vague description invites a full examination and delays release.
• Shipping a left-hand-drive car: it will not be accepted in India, so do not book before eligibility is confirmed.
• Choosing air for furniture: a big cost for no gain, since the sea leg to the west coast is short anyway.
• Untreated wooden crates: India requires ISPM-15 compliant timber.
• Forgetting the PAN card and proof of address: both are needed for a transfer of residence, and missing them halts clearance.
• An incomplete Indian address: give the state, city, PIN code and the recipient’s phone number.
• Putting gold or original documents in cartons: carry them with you, not in the shipment.
• Not declaring batteries and aerosols: they may be refused on air shipments.
• Sending cartons piecemeal: gathering them into one shipment is cheaper.

Many of these mistakes only come to light when the shipment reaches India, where putting them right is harder and dearer. So before any container door is shut, the Al Rahwan crew goes back over the list and papers, and asks the customer about any carton whose contents are unclear.

What Al Rahwan brings to the India route

Al Rahwan International Shipping collects from every city in the Kingdom, ships to all of India’s major ports and airports, delivers in coastal and inland cities alike, and gives the customer an itemised quote before booking. What sets its approach to India apart:

Shipping somewhere other than India? The same team covers every country by land, sea and air. For India, send us your list and city and call 0568829975 — an itemised quote follows.

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• Shipping Company from Saudi Arabia to China
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• Request a shipping quote: send your shipment details and receive an itemised quote

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it cost to send a shipment from Saudi Arabia to India?

SAR 69 is the lowest starting point for sending a small parcel to India by courier. Furniture, containers, consolidated freight and air freight by the kilo are priced on volume, weight, collection city and Indian destination, so phone Al Rahwan on 0568829975 to have an itemised quote prepared.

How many days does sea freight from Jeddah to India take?

About 4 days from Jeddah to Mundra, 6–7 days to Nhava Sheva in Mumbai and roughly 16–21 days to the Chennai area with a transhipment. These are port-to-port times; loading, clearance at both ends and inland delivery in India come on top.

What is the air freight transit time from Riyadh to India?

About 3 hours 40–50 minutes is the direct flying time from Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam to Mumbai, with several flights a day. Add preparation, clearance at both airports and delivery to the address in the Indian city.

Can shipments travel by land from Saudi Arabia to India?

There is no practical land route between Saudi Arabia and India. Containers sail from Jeddah or Dammam and urgent cargo flies from Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam; lorries only carry the goods to the port or airport inside the Kingdom.

Which Indian ports receive shipments from Saudi Arabia?

Nhava Sheva (Mumbai) and Mundra are the closest and handle most Gulf cargo, along with Chennai, Cochin, Kandla, Pipavav, Hazira, Tuticorin, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata and Mangalore. The port is chosen according to the state and city where the shipment will be delivered.

Is door-to-door shipping available to Kerala, Hyderabad and Mumbai?

Yes. Pick-up starts at your door in your Saudi city and ends at the address in Kerala via Cochin port or Kochi airport, in Mumbai via Nhava Sheva, and in Hyderabad after clearance at a coastal port and inland transport, or by air to Hyderabad airport.

What documents are needed to ship furniture and personal effects to India?

The original passport is the first thing Indian customs asks for in a transfer of residence, with an authority letter, Baggage Declaration, customs declaration, valued inventory, invoices for new appliances, PAN card and proof of address. Before departure from the Kingdom, an ID or iqama and an authorisation to clear on Fasah will do.

Is it possible to send my car from Saudi Arabia to India?

Left-hand-drive cars are refused entry to India, and that describes nearly every car sold in the Saudi market, so few qualify. Further conditions cover the car’s age, registration period and emissions, and some locations such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad do not accept vehicles, so check before shipping.

What items are prohibited from shipping to India?

5 core prohibited categories: firearms and ammunition, narcotics, obscene material, wildlife products such as ivory and horns, and drones. Alcohol and tobacco beyond baggage limits are restricted, and gold and silver other than ornaments are dutiable, so declare them before packing.

How do I work out the volumetric weight of an air shipment to India?

6000 is the divisor: the carton’s three sides, measured in centimetres, are multiplied and that product is split by 6000. A 75 × 40 × 40 cm box of clothes reading 14 kg comes out at 20 kg by volume, so 20 kg is billed, because air freight charges the higher of actual and volumetric weight.

Does the recipient in India need a PAN card or passport for clearance?

Yes, for a transfer of residence: a copy of the PAN card and proof of Indian address are required, and the original passport normally stays with the agent until clearance ends. For small parcels, the recipient’s name, phone number and full address with PIN code usually suffice.

How do I track an India-bound shipment sent from Saudi Arabia?

3 kinds of tracking number apply: a container number plus B/L number by sea, an air waybill (AWB) number on flights, and a tracking number for courier parcels. Al Rahwan sends them after loading, with updates on departure, arrival, clearance, release and delivery date.

Can I ship a few cartons to India without a full container?

Yes. A small courier parcel is from SAR 69, while larger numbers of cartons go in a consolidated sea shipment billed only on the cubic metres your boxes occupy, or by air on chargeable weight if urgent — both on an itemised quote.

Sea or air to India: which is cheaper and which is faster?

Around 3h45 flying time to Mumbai, against 4–7 days by sea to the west coast and 16–21 days to the east. Sea is far cheaper for furniture and volume; air suits urgent, light items because it is charged per chargeable kilo.