Exporting to Middle East — duty, demand, documents and buyers by country

The Gulf is the fastest-moving re-export and consumption hub for Asian and African exporters: GCC states apply a 5% common external tariff on most goods and 5% VAT in most members, and India's CEPA with the UAE removes duty on a large share of tariff lines. Verified buyer records for this region are still being ingested — demand figures below are real; buyer coverage is labelled honestly per country.

Vametra AI tracks 9 Middle East markets, 64 product-market export guides backed by real tariff and demand data, and US$21.32B of measured import demand across the tracked products. Verified buyer records are available for 0 of 9 countries in this region.

What exporters need to know about Middle East

• GCC customs union applies a 5% common external tariff on most goods, with exemptions for many foodstuffs and medicines.
• VAT is 5% in the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar (0% on some goods) and 15% in Saudi Arabia.
• India–UAE CEPA removes or reduces duty on a large share of tariff lines — check the preferential rate before quoting.
• Saudi Arabia requires SABER/SASO conformity for regulated products; the UAE requires ESMA/MoIAT conformity for many categories.

Import demand by product in this region

• Pharmaceuticals (Pharma & Healthcare): US$12.86B imported by the tracked markets, 8 market guide(s) published.
• Basmati Rice (Agri & Foods): US$3.98B imported by the tracked markets, 8 market guide(s) published.
• Engineering Goods & Machinery (Industrial Machinery): US$2.92B imported by the tracked markets, 8 market guide(s) published.
• Cotton Textiles & Apparel (Textiles & Apparel): US$758.37M imported by the tracked markets, 8 market guide(s) published.
• Fresh Vegetables (Agri & Foods): US$394.60M imported by the tracked markets, 8 market guide(s) published.
• Fresh Fruits (Agri & Foods): US$264.78M imported by the tracked markets, 8 market guide(s) published.
• Indian Spices (Agri & Foods): US$88.06M imported by the tracked markets, 8 market guide(s) published.
• Agarbatti & Incense Sticks (Home & Furnishings): US$46.43M imported by the tracked markets, 8 market guide(s) published.

Middle East markets

Saudi Arabia

Imports US$3.33B of Pharmaceuticals, applied duty 0.0%–5.0%, verified buyer coverage expanding.

• Pharmaceuticals: https://vametra.com/export/pharmaceuticals/to/saudi-arabia
• Basmati Rice: https://vametra.com/export/basmati-rice/to/saudi-arabia
• Engineering Goods & Machinery: https://vametra.com/export/engineering-machinery/to/saudi-arabia
• Cotton Textiles & Apparel: https://vametra.com/export/cotton-textiles/to/saudi-arabia

United Arab Emirates

Imports US$2.13B of Pharmaceuticals, applied duty 0.0%–5.0%, verified buyer coverage expanding.

• Pharmaceuticals: https://vametra.com/export/pharmaceuticals/to/uae
• Basmati Rice: https://vametra.com/export/basmati-rice/to/uae
• Engineering Goods & Machinery: https://vametra.com/export/engineering-machinery/to/uae
• Cotton Textiles & Apparel: https://vametra.com/export/cotton-textiles/to/uae

Egypt

Imports US$1.92B of Pharmaceuticals, applied duty 0.0%–45.0%, verified buyer coverage expanding.

• Pharmaceuticals: https://vametra.com/export/pharmaceuticals/to/egypt
• Engineering Goods & Machinery: https://vametra.com/export/engineering-machinery/to/egypt
• Basmati Rice: https://vametra.com/export/basmati-rice/to/egypt
• Cotton Textiles & Apparel: https://vametra.com/export/cotton-textiles/to/egypt

Turkey

Imports US$1.91B of Pharmaceuticals, applied duty 0.0%–49.5%, verified buyer coverage expanding.

• Pharmaceuticals: https://vametra.com/export/pharmaceuticals/to/turkey
• Engineering Goods & Machinery: https://vametra.com/export/engineering-machinery/to/turkey
• Cotton Textiles & Apparel: https://vametra.com/export/cotton-textiles/to/turkey
• Basmati Rice: https://vametra.com/export/basmati-rice/to/turkey

Israel

Imports US$1.49B of Pharmaceuticals, applied duty 0.0%–12.0%, verified buyer coverage expanding.

• Pharmaceuticals: https://vametra.com/export/pharmaceuticals/to/israel
• Basmati Rice: https://vametra.com/export/basmati-rice/to/israel
• Engineering Goods & Machinery: https://vametra.com/export/engineering-machinery/to/israel
• Cotton Textiles & Apparel: https://vametra.com/export/cotton-textiles/to/israel

Kuwait

Imports US$1.12B of Pharmaceuticals, applied duty 0.0%–5.0%, verified buyer coverage expanding.

• Pharmaceuticals: https://vametra.com/export/pharmaceuticals/to/kuwait
• Basmati Rice: https://vametra.com/export/basmati-rice/to/kuwait
• Fresh Vegetables: https://vametra.com/export/fresh-vegetables/to/kuwait
• Engineering Goods & Machinery: https://vametra.com/export/engineering-machinery/to/kuwait

Qatar

Imports US$502.13M of Pharmaceuticals, applied duty 0.0%–5.0%, verified buyer coverage expanding.

• Pharmaceuticals: https://vametra.com/export/pharmaceuticals/to/qatar
• Basmati Rice: https://vametra.com/export/basmati-rice/to/qatar
• Engineering Goods & Machinery: https://vametra.com/export/engineering-machinery/to/qatar
• Fresh Vegetables: https://vametra.com/export/fresh-vegetables/to/qatar

Oman

Imports US$295.23M of Basmati Rice, applied duty 0.0%–5.0%, verified buyer coverage expanding.

• Basmati Rice: https://vametra.com/export/basmati-rice/to/oman
• Pharmaceuticals: https://vametra.com/export/pharmaceuticals/to/oman
• Engineering Goods & Machinery: https://vametra.com/export/engineering-machinery/to/oman
• Fresh Vegetables: https://vametra.com/export/fresh-vegetables/to/oman

Bahrain

Imports US$265.10M of Pharmaceuticals, verified buyer coverage expanding.

Data sources

• World Bank WITS / UNCTAD TRAINS (as of 2026-10-09) — import duty
• OEC World (CEPII BACI / UN Comtrade) (as of 2026-10-09) — import demand
• Vametra Verified Buyer Intelligence (VBIE) (as of 2026-10-09) — buyers

Disclaimer: Tariff and demand figures carry the reporting year of their source and can lag the current year. Verified buyer coverage differs by country and is stated per country below — where it reads 'coverage expanding' we hold no screened records for that market yet. Confirm duty and compliance in the destination's own tariff schedule before contracting.

Source

Vametra AI — https://vametra.com/regions/middle-east