Frequently Asked Questions

“Plain Packaging” refers to the technical specifications for the size, colour, outer appearance, health warning, permissible phrases and so on which is designed to reduce the attractiveness of Tobacco Products to Users and helps to increase the effectiveness of health warnings on the tobacco packages. It aims to promote public health by discouraging people from being addictive to smoking or for the abuse of Tobacco Products.

As a first step towards importation of Tobacco products, registration of the importer and the types of imported Tobacco products is mandatory and will require the filling out the tobacco registration form which can be downloaded from this Link.

SFDA also requires that Tobacco Products be imported directly from the Countries of Origin.

Tobacco Shipments must be only imported through the following approved KSA Ports:

• Jeddah Islamic Port
• King Abdullah Brabagh Port
• King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam
• King Fahd bridge Port
• Dubaa Port
• King Khaled Airport
• King Abdul Aziz Airport
• Batha Port
• Al Khafji Port
• Alwadiea or deposit Port
• Alhaditha or Modern Port

Note that it is prohibited to Import Raw Tobacco and non-smoking Tobacco Products such as Tampac, Shamma, Suweika, and others.

As per the SFDA Technical Regulation for Plain Packaging of Tobacco Products:

Trademark means the logo of the manufacture/producer of the product.

The Trademark Name is the brand name in text format of the Tobacco product.

Both the Trademark and the Trademark Name should be marked in accordance with the requirements of the Technical Regulation.

The SFDA approved health warning Message/Photo shall be used for marking of Tobacco Products packaging as applicable for that specified period of the Gregorian calendar.

The marking of the ingredients/contents of the tobacco product on its packaging is prohibited as per the requirements of the Tobacco Products Technical Regulation for Plain Packaging of Tobacco Products.

No, the Validity/Expiry Date of the tobacco product should not be marked on the packaging of the Tobacco Products.

The capacity of the unit packaging allowed shall not be less than 500g for the molasses products and not less than 20 cigarettes for Cigarette unit package.