DDP
Delivered Duty Paid — the seller delivers goods cleared for import and pays all duties and taxes up to the destination.
Trade termTL;DR: This term is one of 28 definitions in the China–GCC freight glossary, so the signal is the number it changes — not the acronym. It sits in the Trade term category and links to 3 related terms for adjacent freight math. Use the example below to turn the definition into a before/after calculation before you quote or clear cargo.
What it means
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) is the Incoterm where the seller takes maximum responsibility: they arrange and pay for freight, insurance, import clearance, duties and taxes, and hand over goods at the buyer’s named place. For the buyer, DDP is the simplest option — one landed price, no customs work — but it is also the most expensive because the seller builds every cost plus a margin into the price. On the China-to-GCC corridor, DDP is popular with first-time importers and smaller buyers who do not want to handle Saudi SABER, UAE VAT or Kuwait clearance themselves. Note that DDP in Saudi Arabia means the seller must have local clearance capability, and VAT/duty are calculated on the CIF value, so a DDP quote from a Chinese supplier is only as good as their local GCC clearance setup.
Why it matters on the China–GCC route
DDP turns a complex multi-party process into a single landed price, but it concentrates all cost and compliance risk on the seller — which the buyer ultimately pays for in the margin.
Example
A Bahraini retailer orders machinery DDP to their warehouse door, so the Chinese seller handles ocean freight, Saudi-side clearance if routed via causeway, and all duties in one price.
Related terms
DAP
Delivered At Place — the seller delivers goods ready for unloading at the destination, but the buyer handles import clearance.
Learn more →Incoterms
International Commercial Terms — a standardized set of trade terms defining buyer and seller responsibilities, published by the ICC.
Learn more →HS Code
Harmonized System Code — an internationally standardized numeric code used to classify traded products for customs and duties.
Learn more →