Moving to Saudi Arabia from Canada, Door to Door from Toronto

How a move from Toronto to Saudi Arabia works

It starts with a survey, in person for a house or by video for a condo, so the quote is based on your actual volume rather than a guess. On packing day our crew wraps and packs everything for ocean transit with export-grade materials, builds custom crates where glass, art or a TV needs one, and creates the line-by-line inventory that customs and your insurer will rely on. The shipment then comes to our Toronto warehouse, where it is loaded into a dedicated 20′ or 40′ container, or consolidated with other shipments on the lane if you are moving a smaller volume.

From there the move runs on the same commercial infrastructure we use every day: our own truck drays the container to the terminal, the ocean leg is booked with the steamship lines, and at destination our IAM partner agent clears customs, collects the container and delivers to your door with unpacking and debris removal included.

1. Free survey (home or video) and a fixed door-to-door quote
2. Packing, crating and inventory at your home in the GTA
3. Loading into a dedicated container or consolidation at our Toronto warehouse
4. Ocean leg booked with the steamship line; we send the tracking details
5. Customs clearance at destination handled by our IAM partner agent
6. Delivery to your door with unpacking and packing-material removal

Customs: how Saudi Arabia treats household goods

Saudi Arabia clears household shipments against your iqama (residence permit) and a detailed inventory, and inspects arriving containers more thoroughly than almost any other destination we serve. Used household goods for new residents can attract duty and VAT on assessed value; the exact treatment depends on your status and the shipment, and your move coordinator confirms it for your case before anything is packed.

The prohibited list is long and strictly enforced: alcohol in any form, pork products, and items considered contrary to Saudi law. Books, media and artwork are reviewed at customs. Medications need prescriptions, and personal documents should travel with you. None of this is a problem when the shipment is packed with the list in mind, which is exactly what the pre-move survey is for.

What it costs to ship household goods to Saudi Arabia

Cost is driven by volume, which is why the survey comes first. A one-bedroom apartment in the GTA is usually 8–20 cubic metres and ships as groupage (LCL) or a lightly loaded 20′; a three-bedroom house is 30–40 cubic metres and fills a 20′ container; larger homes ship in a 40′. Access at both ends, professional packing, crating and storage all move the price, and the quote itemizes every line: packing and materials, loading, drayage, ocean freight and port charges, destination clearance, delivery and unpacking.

Outside the quote sit only the things no honest mover can fix in advance: duty or tax on goods that do not qualify for concessions, inspection fees if customs selects the container, and storage beyond the free period at destination. Each is named in the quote so nothing arrives as a surprise.

What to leave behind, and what to think twice about

Saudi Arabia runs on 220–230 volts, so Canadian appliances need transformers and most are not worth taking. Air conditioning and furnished compounds are common, which shrinks what a shipment needs to carry.

• Prohibited: alcohol in any form, pork products, gambling items and material contrary to Saudi law
• Reviewed at customs: books, media, artwork and figurines
• Usually not worth it: 110 V appliances, bulky low-value furniture for a furnished compound
• Travel with you: medications with prescriptions, personal documents, valuables

Why families moving to Saudi Arabia choose Metropolitan Logistics

We are an IAM Core Member with IAMTrusted status, which means the partner agent unpacking your home at destination is vetted and financially accountable, not found on a forum. The shipment is packed by our own crews and loaded in our own Toronto warehouse, where you can see it before it sails. And because we run container logistics commercially every day, the drayage and ocean legs ride the same lanes and carrier relationships we book for exporters, which keeps the price honest.