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When I ship an order from Riyadh to a customer in Dubai, who is the shipper and who is the consignee?

The shipper is your business in Riyadh, because it sends the goods; the consignee is the customer in Dubai, because they receive them. The courier is neither; it only carries. Give each party a name, an address and a phone number someone actually answers, because whoever delivers needs to reach the receiver.

Published · 2 min read

The tool's example is exactly your case

Open the Packing-list generator and press 'Load example', and you get a shipment from a fashion store on King Fahd Road in Riyadh to a boutique on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai. The first sits under Shipper with a +966 Saudi number, the second under Consignee with a +971 UAE number. Swap in your own details and keep that arrangement.

What goes in each field

  • Name: required for both parties, up to 80 characters. Use your store's trading name, and the person or company receiving as it will appear on the door.
  • Address: up to 240 characters, over several lines if you like. For the receiver, include city, area, street and building or office number.
  • Phone: optional in the tool, but in practice the most important line for the consignee. Write it with the international code.
  • Email: optional, and the tool checks its format.
  • Tax or registration number: optional, and printed only if you fill it in.

Cases that confuse people

  1. The customer wants delivery to a relative's office: the consignee is whoever will receive at that address; add the customer's name in the notes if you like.
  2. The goods leave a fulfilment warehouse rather than your shop: the shipper is still your business as owner and sender, and the warehouse address can go in your address.
  3. A consolidator collects parcels in Riyadh and forwards them: the consolidator is a carrier, not shipper or consignee, unless its own paperwork asks otherwise.
  4. It is a return from the customer to you: the two blocks swap, so the customer is the shipper and your store the consignee.

Document language for a cross-border shipment

If whoever reads the list in Dubai does not read Arabic, choose English as the document language, or Bilingual so both sides can read it. Only the field labels change; the names and addresses you type are printed exactly as written, so write them in a language the receiver understands.

Remember that a packing list states no prices or value. If the customer or carrier needs a document with the amount, that is a separate invoice, and you can make a basic one with the Basic invoice generator using the same two parties.

Common questions

Can I leave the consignee empty?

No, the consignee's name is required and the tool will not create the file without it.

Is the tax number required?

It is optional in the tool. If a shipment needs it, check with your carrier or customer.