Packing List for Bahrain

Packing Lists for Cargo Arriving in Bahrain

Most sea cargo for Bahrain arrives at Khalifa Bin Salman Port, and air cargo at Bahrain International Airport, with a large share of goods also moving overland from Saudi Arabia across the King Fahd Causeway. Wherever it enters, Bahrain Customs and the importer’s clearing agent rely on the packing list to know exactly what each package holds, so that a container or truck can be checked, counted and released quickly.

When a packing list needs certification

Plenty of consignments reach Bahrain with an ordinary, unstamped packing list printed on the exporter’s stationery. Certification is needed when the Bahraini buyer asks for it, when the bank’s letter of credit lists an authenticated packing list among the required documents, or when a government entity or tender requires a fully certified set of shipping documents. Then our team reviews and stamps it the day it arrives, at $35 per document, and if the buyer or authority requires Bahrain Embassy legalization, we arrange that next. Like the invoice and certificate of origin, a packing list is a customs document, so it is never apostilled.

Cargo through Saudi Arabia

Goods sometimes reach Bahrain by truck through Saudi Arabia, either landed at a Saudi port first or shipped in transit. In that case, the documents may be checked at more than one border, and the packing list must make each package easy to identify for every customs post along the way. Confirm with your freight forwarder which documents and copies are needed for transit, and keep descriptions identical across the set.

Details that speed up clearance

Number each package and show its marks exactly as printed on the cartons or pallets. Give the contents, net and gross weights and dimensions for each package, with totals. Reference the commercial invoice number and show the same consignee and descriptions. The total package count and gross weight must match the bill of lading or air waybill. For mixed shipments, list items by HS code or product line so that inspectors can find them without unpacking the whole container.

Letters of credit

Bahraini banks examine documents strictly against the credit. Prepare the number of originals the credit requires and use its wording exactly. Send us the credit terms with your documents and we will check the packing list before certifying it, leaving the bank nothing to query.