The “Red Line” of Saudi Customs: A Detailed Explanation of the Import Ban on Adult Products

In Saudi Arabia’s comprehensive ban system on adult products, customs, as the “guardian of the national border,” has built the strictest first line of defense. Its import control over adult products is not only a mechanical implementation of legal provisions but also a systematic governance project integrating religious doctrine, cultural ethics, and national security considerations. From the clear definition of prohibited lists to the precise application of inspection technologies, from the deterrence of hierarchical punishment to the closed loop of cross-border cooperation, Saudi Customs has completely blocked the legal import channels of adult products through a series of “red line” rules. This article, spanning 3,000 words, comprehensively analyzes Saudi Customs’ import ban on adult products from four core dimensions—legal basis, inspection mechanism, punishment standards, and implementation challenges—combining customs practical cases and policy details to reveal the implementation logic and governance wisdom behind its “zero-tolerance” attitude.

I. Legal Cornerstone: Institutional Basis and List Definition of the Import Ban

Saudi Customs’ import control over adult products is not an abuse of administrative power but is established on a clear legal system. Through a three-tier structure of “higher-level law guidance + lower-level law refinement + special list clarification,” it provides solid institutional support for the implementation of the ban, ensuring that every control measure is law-based and rule-based.

(1) Synergistic Constraints of the Three-Tier Legal System

Saudi Customs’ import ban is mainly based on three major legal documents: first, the Saudi Customs Law (Royal Decree No. 32 of 1969), whose Article 17 explicitly grants customs the statutory power to “prohibit the import of items harmful to public morality and violating Islamic law,” classifying adult products as “harmful items”; second, Article 29 of the Commercial Activities Law, which prohibits the “production and sale of goods violating Shariah and public order and good morals” from the source of commodity circulation, reversely supporting customs’ import interception; third, the Anti-Unfair Trade Practices Law, which formulates special punishment clauses for smuggling acts such as “disguising or falsely reporting commodity attributes.” These three laws form a closed loop of “import interception – circulation prohibition – smuggling punishment,” providing a complete legal chain for customs law enforcement.

In addition, rulings from religious authorities provide cultural legitimacy for law enforcement. The special fatwa issued by the Council of Senior Scholars, Saudi Arabia’s highest religious authority, in 2010 explicitly classified adult products as “Haram (forbidden items).” This religious identification is incorporated into customs’ law enforcement reference standards, enabling customs’ determination of “suspected adult products” to have not only legal basis but also cultural and faith-based support, further strengthening the rigidity of the ban.

(2) Dynamically Updated Prohibited List and Definition Standards

Instead of using the vague term “adult products,” Saudi Customs has made precise definitions through the Prohibited Import Commodities List (Customs Tariff Schedule 9801), clearly defining the scope of the ban as “any instruments, devices, or materials used to stimulate sexual desire or assist sexual behavior,” and listing three categories of key controlled items:

1. Direct sexual aids: Including vibrators, simulated sexual organs, and other instruments explicitly used for sexual behavior;
2. Functional enhancement products: Such as aphrodisiac sprays, sexual stimulation ointments, and other products claiming to have sexual desire enhancement functions;
3. Suggestive items: Such as clothing, toys with explicit sexual suggestive patterns or texts, which, although not direct sexual aids, are deemed “violating public order and good morals.”

Notably, this list has a dynamic update mechanism. In 2021, Saudi Customs added the category of “smart adult devices,” incorporating internet-connected sexual aids into the prohibited scope on the grounds that “such devices may involve privacy leaks and dissemination of inappropriate content”; in 2023, it further listed “adult products disguised as health equipment or beauty tools” as key controlled objects, providing precise responses to the evasion methods of unscrupulous merchants. This dynamic adjustment ensures that the ban always covers new types of illegal commodities, avoiding regulatory loopholes.

(3) Customs’ Discretion and Identification Principles

To cope with complex commodity forms, Saudi Customs is granted appropriate discretionary power, and its identification principle can be summarized as “substance over form”: regardless of how the commodity is labeled or packaged, it can be identified as a prohibited item if its core function or main purpose meets the characteristics of “stimulating sexual desire or assisting sexual behavior.” For example, an international brand labeled a sexual vibrator as a “muscle relaxation massager” and provided medical device certification, but Saudi Customs ultimately determined it as “essentially an adult product” through testing its vibration frequency, design form, and market sales records, and confiscated it.

Customs’ identification process usually includes three steps: first, preliminary screening through commodity descriptions, pictures, and specifications; second, entrusting professional institutions to conduct functional testing for suspected items; third, retrieving auxiliary evidence such as international sales data and brand official website introductions when necessary to form a complete identification chain. This rigorous identification mechanism not only avoids “misjudgment and wrongful punishment” but also prevents merchants from evading the ban through “word games.”

II. Inspection Mechanism: A Interception System Empowered by Technology and Full-Chain Monitoring

Saudi Customs has built a four-dimensional inspection system of “manual screening + technical testing + intelligent early warning + cross-border cooperation.” Through full-process, seamless monitoring, it ensures that adult products “cannot enter, cannot be hidden, and cannot be taken away,” with inspection intensity leading the world’s customs.

(1) Three-Tier Inspection Process at Port Sites

At major international airports and seaports such as Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam, Saudi Customs implements a “three-tier inspection” system for hierarchical screening of all incoming goods and luggage:

1. Level 1 Screening (General Inspection): Conduct preliminary testing of all incoming luggage and containers through X-ray machines and luggage scanners, focusing on identifying items with shapes similar to adult products, such as cylindrical and spherical instruments, with a screening pass rate of approximately 85%;
2. Level 2 Screening (Detailed Inspection): For suspected items identified in Level 1 Screening, customs officers conduct manual unpacking inspections to verify the consistency between commodity names, specifications, and physical objects, and simultaneously test commodity functions through portable testing equipment. This link intercepts approximately 90% of illegal items;
3. Level 3 Screening (Specialized Inspection): Highly suspected items that are difficult to determine are transferred to the customs professional testing center for final identification through disassembly analysis, functional testing, market research, etc., to ensure no fish slip through the net.

Taking Jeddah International Airport as an example, the airport customs is equipped with an advanced “intelligent dangerous goods detection system,” which can not only identify materials such as metals and plastics but also accurately identify adult products disguised as power banks or flashlights through parameters such as vibration frequency and battery capacity. In 2023, the airport intercepted 127 cases of illegal carrying through this system, of which 83% of the items were “disguised adult products.”

(2) Special Control over Mailing and Cross-Border E-Commerce

For import channels with strong concealment such as mailing and cross-border e-commerce, Saudi Customs has adopted dual measures of “source control + terminal verification.” In terms of source control, customs has signed Compliance Agreements with international courier companies (such as DHL and FedEx), requiring them to verify commodity lists when collecting and sending packages to Saudi Arabia, conduct pre-screening of packages suspected of containing adult products, and courier companies that fail to fulfill their screening obligations will face heavy fines.

In terms of terminal verification, Saudi Post and Customs have established a data sharing platform. All incoming mail must submit detailed commodity information before customs clearance. Customs conducts risk rating through big data analysis, and high-risk packages will undergo 100% unpacking inspection. In 2022, Saudi Customs intercepted a batch of “healthcare kits” mailed from Europe through this platform, which actually contained 23 adult products disguised as beauty instruments with a value exceeding 500,000 Saudi Riyals. The importer was held criminally responsible in accordance with the law.

In addition, customs has implemented a “filing system” for cross-border e-commerce platforms, requiring cross-border e-commerce platforms entering the Saudi market (such as Amazon Saudi Arabia and noon.com) to list adult products as prohibited goods, submit sales lists to customs regularly, and accept compliance inspections. Violating platforms will face penalties such as suspension of services, fines, or even revocation of operating licenses.

(3) Key Monitoring and Declaration Requirements for Passenger Carrying

For items carried by individual passengers entering the country, Saudi Customs also implements strict control, clearly stipulating that “adult products in any form are not allowed to be carried into the country, regardless of the quantity or whether they are for personal use.” Customs has set up prominent warning signs at passenger entry channels, marked with “Prohibition of carrying items violating Islamic law and public order and good morals” in multiple languages such as Arabic, English, and Chinese.

In view of the fact that foreign passengers may not be familiar with local regulations, customs adopts the principle of “notification + punishment”: for first-time violations with minor circumstances (such as carrying 1 adult product for personal use), the item will be confiscated and a fine of 5,000-10,000 Saudi Riyals will be imposed; for second violations or serious circumstances (such as carrying a large quantity or for sales purposes), the offender will be sentenced to 1-3 years in prison and deported. In 2023, an American tourist was fined 8,000 Saudi Riyals by Jeddah Customs for carrying 2 adult products in his luggage and was banned from entering Saudi Arabia for 5 years.

At the same time, customs has strengthened monitoring of “high-risk groups,” such as single female passengers and passengers from Western developed countries, whose luggage inspection rate is significantly higher than that of ordinary passengers. However, customs clearly states that this monitoring is not discrimination but a risk prevention and control measure based on historical violation data, and all inspection processes follow the principles of openness and fairness.

III. Punishment Mechanism: Legal Consequences of Hierarchical Punishment and Multiple Deterrence

Saudi Customs’ punishment for illegal import of adult products is not a “one-size-fits-all” approach but has established a “hierarchical punishment system” according to the severity of the violation. From economic penalties to criminal liability, and from personal liability to corporate liability, it forms a comprehensive and multi-level deterrence to ensure the rigid implementation of the ban.

(1) Punishment Gradient for Personal Carrying

For individuals carrying adult products into the country, customs has set three levels of punishment standards:

1. Minor Violation: Carrying 1 adult product for personal use without deliberate disguise, first-time violation. Punishment: Confiscation of the item + a fine of 5,000-10,000 Saudi Riyals (approximately 10,000-20,000 RMB);
2. General Violation: Carrying 2 or more items, or deliberate disguise (such as hiding in food or clothing), or second violation. Punishment: Confiscation of the item + a fine of 10,000-50,000 Saudi Riyals + ordered to leave the country within a time limit;
3. Serious Violation: Carrying a large quantity (usually 5 or more items), or evidence indicating intended sales, or forging declaration documents. Punishment: Confiscation of the item + a fine of 50,000-200,000 Saudi Riyals + 1-3 years in prison + permanent deportation.

In addition, violation records will be included in Saudi Arabia’s “personal credit system,” affecting the applicant’s future visa applications and entry permits. For example, in 2021, a British businessman’s application for a Saudi business visa was rejected after being punished for carrying adult products into the country, forcing his company to terminate its business in Saudi Arabia.

(2) Criminal and Civil Liability for Corporate Imports

For enterprises importing adult products for commercial purposes, Saudi Customs imposes more severe penalties, pursuing not only economic liability but also criminal liability:

1. Economic Punishment: Confiscation of all illegal goods, and a fine of 3-5 times the value of the goods (minimum not less than 100,000 Saudi Riyals); at the same time, revocation of the enterprise’s import license and prohibition from engaging in import and export business for 1-5 years;
2. Criminal Liability: The legal representative and directly responsible persons of the enterprise will be sentenced to 3-10 years in prison; if smuggling, tax evasion, or other circumstances are involved, the prison term can be extended to 15 years;
3. Joint and Several Liability: Third-party institutions providing transportation, warehousing, or agency services for violating enterprises will also be fined, and those with serious circumstances will have their business licenses revoked.

In 2019, Riyadh Customs cracked a major cross-border smuggling case. A foreign enterprise imported a batch of adult products worth 2 million Saudi Riyals from China by forging “medical equipment” declarations, planning to sell them on the Saudi black market. In the end, customs confiscated all the goods, imposed a fine of 10 million Saudi Riyals on the enterprise, sentenced its legal representative to 5 years in prison and permanent deportation; the local agency company providing customs declaration services for it was also fined 2 million Saudi Riyals and had its customs declaration qualifications revoked.

(3) Pursuit of Joint and Several Liability for Cross-Border Transportation

Saudi Customs also clarifies the joint and several liability of cross-border transportation enterprises. Airlines, courier companies, and freight forwarders that provide transportation services knowing or should have known that the goods are adult products will be severely punished:

1. Fine: A fine of 100,000-500,000 Saudi Riyals per illegal shipment;
2. Business Restriction: Suspension of their transportation business in Saudi Arabia for 1-6 months, and permanent ban from entering the Saudi market for serious circumstances;
3. Assistance in Investigation: Requiring enterprises to provide relevant transportation records, customer information, etc., to cooperate with customs in tracing the source of goods and sales channels.

In 2022, an international courier company was fined 3 million Saudi Riyals by Saudi Customs and had its courier business in Saudi Arabia suspended for 3 months for failing to fulfill its screening obligations, leading to a batch of adult products disguised as “electronic accessories” flowing into Saudi Arabia. Since then, major international courier companies have strengthened the screening of packages sent to Saudi Arabia, effectively curbing imports through courier channels.

IV. Implementation Challenges and Response Strategies: Practical Dilemmas and Optimization Paths of Customs Control

Despite the rigorous control system built by Saudi Customs, under the background of globalization and informatization, the import control of adult products still faces many challenges. Customs continues to improve the implementation effect of the ban by optimizing control strategies and innovating law enforcement methods.

(1) Main Implementation Challenges

1. Diversification of Disguise Methods: Unscrupulous elements constantly innovate disguise methods, disguising adult products as health equipment, beauty tools, electronic devices, etc., and even evading detection through disassembly and assembly, increasing the difficulty of customs identification;
2. Concealment of Cross-Border E-Commerce: Some cross-border e-commerce platforms split adult products and send them in batches through “personal purchasing” and “group buying and mailing,” taking advantage of the low inspection rate of personal packages to evade control;
3. Lag in Technological Iteration: The technical content of new types of adult products (such as smart wearable and remote-controlled ones) is constantly improving, requiring continuous updates of customs’ testing equipment and technical standards to cope with them;
4. Complexity of International Cooperation: The production and transportation of adult products involve multiple countries and regions. Cross-border tracing of sources and cracking down on smuggling networks require close international cooperation, which faces problems such as high communication costs and inconsistent law enforcement standards.

(2) Customs’ Response Strategies

1. Technological Upgrading and Equipment Renewal: Saudi Customs invests huge sums of money every year in upgrading inspection equipment, introducing advanced equipment such as “artificial intelligence image recognition systems” and “material composition analyzers,” which can accurately identify disguised adult products; at the same time, it establishes an “illegal commodity database,” updating pictures, characteristics, and disguise methods of new adult products in real time to provide law enforcement references for customs officers;
2. Big Data and Risk Early Warning: Using big data analysis technology to conduct risk rating of incoming goods based on origin, commodity type, declaration information, etc., implementing 100% inspection for high-risk goods and simplifying the inspection process for low-risk goods, improving customs clearance efficiency while ensuring control effects;
3. International Cooperation and Information Sharing: Establishing information sharing mechanisms with customs of major trading partners such as China, the United States, and the European Union, exchanging information on production enterprises, sales channels, and disguise methods of adult products; joining the “Anti-Smuggling Alliance” of the World Customs Organization and participating in cross-border joint law enforcement operations to crack down on transnational smuggling networks;
4. Public Education and Compliance Guidance: Promoting relevant provisions of the import ban on adult products through customs official websites, social media, airport ports, etc., releasing typical cases to improve public compliance awareness; at the same time, providing compliance training for import and export enterprises, guiding them on how to identify prohibited items and avoid violations due to misjudgment.

V. Conclusion: The Governance Logic and Cultural Adherence Behind Customs’ Red Line

Saudi Customs’ import ban on adult products is essentially a concrete manifestation of its “doctrine-law-ethics” triple governance model in border control. Every control measure of customs is not only to intercept a type of commodity but also to safeguard Saudi Arabia’s religious beliefs, social ethics, and cultural identity. From the clarity of legal basis to the precision of inspection technology, from the deterrence of punishment mechanisms to the optimization of response strategies, what Saudi Customs has built is not only a physical defense line but also a cultural defense line.

Although the implementation of this ban restricts the free circulation of commodities to a certain extent, it is a necessary choice for Saudi Arabia to maintain social stability and cultural purity. In the wave of globalization, Saudi Arabia firmly resists elements in foreign cultures that are contrary to its core values through customs, the “guardian of the national border,” and safeguards the traditions and beliefs of Islamic culture.

Understanding this “red line” of Saudi Customs requires breaking away from the single perspective of “free trade” and respecting the border control policies formulated by various countries according to their own cultural traditions and social governance needs. For individuals and enterprises engaged in cross-border trade and tourism, it is crucial to fully recognize the rigidity and seriousness of this ban, strictly abide by the relevant provisions of Saudi Customs, and avoid legal risks due to violations.

In the future, with the continuous progress of technology and changes in the international situation, Saudi Customs’ control measures may be further optimized. However, as long as its religious beliefs, social ethics, and cultural identity do not undergo fundamental changes, the “zero-tolerance” attitude towards the import of adult products will not waver. This red line of customs will continue to exist and play a role as an important part of Saudi Arabia’s cultural adherence and social governance.