Last month, one of my clients had a container of electronics stuck at Dammam Port for 14 days. Demurrage and fines totaled $18,000. The reason? The HS code on the Certificate of Origin (CO) differed by two digits from the invoice. This is no longer an isolated case.
In May 2026, Saudi Arabia's ZATCA, the UAE Federal Customs Authority, and Egyptian Customs simultaneously updated their CO review rules. Simply put, the era when any stamped CO could pass is over. From what I've learned, all three countries now require the consignor on the CO to be the actual manufacturer registered with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) or the local commerce bureau. Trading companies acting as middlemen are no longer accepted. Moreover, each product description's HS code must be accurate to six digits. Any alteration or vague description leads to immediate invalidation.
My experience tells me many sellers treat the CO as a mere formality, asking a freight forwarder to handle it casually. However, these new rules are part of the region's push for customs data interconnection. Your submitted CO is cross-referenced against the importer's declaration—even a decimal-point discrepancy triggers a flag. For example, in May I had three shipments randomly inspected; two were rejected because the unit of measure on the CO (pieces vs. cases) didn't match.
So, what to do? Actionable tips: First, always obtain a formal CO issued by the CCPIT before shipping. It costs only 200–300 RMB per copy, but saves you thousands in fines. Second, ensure every field on the CO matches the commercial invoice and packing list exactly—especially HS codes, quantity, and weight. Third, if your shipment contains mixed product categories, file separate declarations instead of lumping them under one CO—customs may flag it as “ambiguous description.” Fourth, both the UAE and Saudi Arabia now accept electronic COs (via the ECTN system), but printed copies must bear an official wet stamp—this detail is most often overlooked.
Honestly, many peers are still using old-format blank COs from last year. The customs system now automatically identifies version numbers and rejects outdated ones. Starting June, Saudi Arabia will add random “back-to-back” verifications, sending inquiries to CCPIT to check seal authenticity. So, is your CO really valid?