Al Mellah International Shipping (0580402747) is a shipping company from Saudi Arabia to Tunisia shipping expat belongings, furniture, cars and goods by sea from every Saudi city to Tunis, Sfax, Sousse, Monastir and Bizerte via Jeddah Islamic Port to Radès port. Transit is 3 to 5 weeks door to door, with prices starting from SAR 270 per carton, SAR 3,800 for one room on shared shipping and SAR 9,600 for a 20 ft container from Jeddah.
The Tunisian community in the Kingdom is large, and most shipments to Tunisia are expat belongings: a family returning for good, an employee sending things to family, or a student finishing studies. Because the route is by sea, your Saudi city determines the cost of reaching the port more than your Tunisian city does. This guide starts with your city, then covers expat belongings, exemptions, containers and cars.
🗺️ Which Saudi city are you shipping to Tunisia from?
| Origin city | Route to the port | 20 ft container from | Shared room from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeddah, Makkah, Taif | Jeddah port directly | 9,600 | 3,800 |
| Madinah & Yanbu | By road to Jeddah | 10,100 | 3,950 |
| Riyadh & Qassim | By road to Jeddah ≈ 950–1,100 km | 10,450 | 4,100 |
| Dammam & Al-Ahsa | By road to Jeddah, or by sea from Dammam | 11,100 | 4,300 |
| Tabuk & the south | By road to Jeddah | Request a quote | Request a quote |
🧳 Tunisian expats’ belongings and final return
The Tunisian system gives residents abroad benefits on final return, chiefly a duty exemption on used furniture and belongings under conditions on length of residence abroad and consular registration. The exemption is requested at the arrival port and needs a clear belongings list. Sending items to family without a final return may attract duties depending on value and type.
🗃️ The right container for your volume
| Volume | Option | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 5 m³ (cartons, suitcases, a few appliances) | Shared, by carton or cubic metre | Cheapest for small amounts |
| 6–15 m³ (one to two rooms) | Shared (LCL) | Consolidated in a warehouse, then loaded |
| 18–30 m³ (an apartment) | 20 ft container (FCL) | Loaded and sealed outside your home |
| 40–65 m³ (a large home) | 40 ft container (FCL) | Best value per cubic metre |
| A car with furniture | 40 ft container | Car secured with straps and chocks |
🛋️ Sea packing for furniture
| Item | Procedure |
|---|---|
| Wooden furniture | Dismantled and numbered, blankets and sealed film against sea humidity |
| Kitchens and IKEA kitchens | Orderly dismantling with each cabinet’s connectors kept |
| ACs | Gas held in the outdoor unit by a technician |
| Rugs and soft furnishings | Rolled with absorbers |
| Glass and antiques | Wooden crates fixed inside the container |
| Office furniture | Numbered, anti-static wrapping |
| Electronics | Double cartons and silica |
Inside the container we hang large moisture absorbers on the walls, because temperature changes between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean cause condensation inside.
🚗 Car shipping to Tunisia
The car is moved to Jeddah port on a carrier or hydraulic flatbed, then ships by RoRo or inside a container. Tunisians returning for good have an exemption on one car under conditions set by Tunisian law, including the car’s age. It needs export plates, an export certificate and a lien release if financed. The price varies by method and size, so request a quote with your car’s details.
📦 Goods, parcels and stores
For expats: cartons and suitcases on shared shipping from SAR 270. For traders: containers with an invoice and Arab certificate of origin for Greater Arab Free Trade Area exemptions. For online stores: regular consolidated shipping. For urgent documents: air freight to Tunis–Carthage in days.
🚛 Inland transport, equipment and reefer
💵 Comparing methods and prices
| Method | Transit | Starts from |
|---|---|---|
| 🚢 Shared sea | 4–5 weeks | SAR 3,800 for a room from Jeddah |
| 🚢 20 ft container | 3–5 weeks | SAR 9,600 from Jeddah |
| 🚢 40 ft container | 3–5 weeks | SAR 14,700 from Jeddah |
| ✈️ Air | 3–7 days | By chargeable weight |
| 🛣️ Land | Not practical | — |
Send your city, the size of your belongings and the Tunisian city, and we set the best-value option.
📄 Documents and duties
| Document | Returning for good | Sending to family | Goods |
|---|---|---|---|
| ID or iqama | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Fasah authorisation | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Contents list | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Tunisian passport and consular registration | ✔ | Receiver’s passport | — |
| Bill of lading | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Invoice & Arab certificate of origin | — | — | ✔ |
Prohibited: flammables, weapons, controlled medicines without a permit, and perishable food in ordinary containers. In the reverse direction into the Kingdom, goods usually need a conformity certificate through the SABER platform.
🏙️ Delivery in Tunisia
| Governorate | Note |
|---|---|
| Greater Tunis (Tunis, Ariana, Ben Arous, Manouba) | Closest to Radès |
| Nabeul & Bizerte | Short inland leg |
| Sousse, Monastir & Mahdia | Via Radès or Sousse port |
| Sfax & Gabès | Via Radès or Sfax port |
| Kairouan, Gafsa & Tozeur | Longer inland leg |
🏬 Storage, guarantees and tracking
⚖️ How to choose a shipping company to Tunisia
🗓️ Shipping steps and duration
🏙️ What differs from each Saudi region
Jeddah, Makkah and Taif: closest to the export port, with no long road leg and the lowest price. Madinah and Yanbu: a few hours to Jeddah. Riyadh and Qassim: the container is loaded at the house and trucked to Jeddah in about a day. Dammam and Al-Ahsa: we compare trucking to Jeddah with sailing from Dammam and choose whichever is faster for your vessel date. Tabuk and the south: loads are consolidated in Jeddah on shared shipping.
📚 Three common cases
A Tunisian family returning for good from Riyadh
A three-bedroom apartment and twelve years of life. We chose a 20 ft container loaded and sealed at the house, and prepared the belongings list to the final-return requirements; it reached Radès and was delivered in Ariana after about four weeks.
A nurse sending items to family from Jeddah
Six cartons and a television, shipped on shared shipping from our Jeddah warehouse and delivered to Sfax via Radès with inland transport.
Two families sharing a 40 ft container
Two families from Dammam and Khobar returning to Sousse. We divided the container with an internal partition and two separate lists, so the cost was shared and each home arrived separately.
📋 Documents by customer type
| Customer | What is needed |
|---|---|
| Tunisian returning for good | Passport, consular registration, proof of residence in the Kingdom, belongings list |
| Expat sending to family | Their passport and the receiver’s, contents list |
| Student who has finished studying | Passport, proof of study, a short list |
| Trader | Commercial registration, invoice, Arab certificate of origin, registered importer |
🧮 Price factors to Tunisia
| Factor | Effect |
|---|---|
| Origin city | Jeddah lowest, the Eastern Province highest due to transport to the port |
| Volume | Decides shared, 20 ft or 40 ft |
| Arrival port and city | Cities far from Radès add an inland leg |
| Line schedule and season | Summer is the busy return season |
| Insurance and special packing | Extras depending on value |
🛡️ Receiving after the sea voyage
🔁 From Tunisia to the Kingdom
We also ship from Tunisia to Jeddah, Riyadh and other cities. Saudi import conditions for used cars should be reviewed before buying, including the permitted age (usually 5 years for light vehicles).
❓ Frequently asked questions about shipping from Saudi Arabia to Tunisia
❓ How much does shipping from Saudi Arabia to Tunisia cost?
From SAR 270 per carton, SAR 3,800 for one room on shared shipping, and SAR 9,600 for a 20 ft container from Jeddah, slightly more from Riyadh and the Eastern Province.
❓ How long does shipping to Tunisia take?
3–5 weeks door to door.
❓ Which port does the shipment arrive at?
Usually Radès, sometimes Sfax, Sousse or Bizerte depending on the line schedule.
❓ Is a returnee’s furniture exempt?
It can be under the Tunisian final-return conditions.
❓ Can I send cartons to family in Tunisia?
Yes, on shared shipping; duties may apply depending on the contents.
❓ Do you ship from Tunisia to Saudi Arabia?
Yes, both ways.
Containers, shared shipping and experience with expat belongings.
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