Documented: every field is from the agency official page. Partly documented: some fields were not published. [withdrawn]: we could not prove the step details from an official source, so check with the agency.
Commercial registration (CR) for a sole proprietorship Documented
- Agency
- Ministry of Commerce, Saudi Business Center
- Fee
- 500, with the currency not stated on the Ministry page. Conflict: a source attributed to the business.sa FAQ says 200 SAR [withdrawn] because the FAQ page is unreachable (404); the figure used here is the Ministry page.
- Time
- Instant
- Documents
- Sign in through Nafath
- An approved activity address
- Choose your activities
- Owner details: aged 18 or over, not a government employee, and no other active sole-proprietorship CR
- Approval from the licensing authority, if required
- Payment through SADAD or by card
- Note
- After issuance the business is registered automatically with HR, ZATCA, GOSI, the National Address and the Chamber of Commerce, per the page. The company route and the minimum capital (5000) are [withdrawn]: not confirmed by an official source; for help call 1900 or email cs@mc.gov.sa.
Source: Ministry of Commerce service page (CR registration) · Business platform · Checked: 26 October 2026
Issue a commercial licence Documented
- Agency
- Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, Balady
- Fee
- No fixed figure is published; the fee is worked out with the Balady fees calculator.
- Time
- 1 to 10 days
- Documents
- Commercial registration
- An outside photo of the shop showing the sign
- Lease, title deed or investment contract
- Cleaning contract (optional)
- Safety equipment invoice or a Civil Defense report for instant-approval activities
- Copy of the building permit
- Note
- Enter the CR number, pick the activity and area, then set the location. Instant activities are paid right away; others go to the municipality; customer service is 199040 or infocs@momah.gov.sa.
Source: Municipality ministry service page · Balady commercial licence service · Fees calculator · Requirements lookup tool · Checked: 26 October 2026
Salamah portal (issue a safety licence) Documented
- Agency
- General Directorate of Civil Defense
- Fee
- 0 per the Civil Defense page, with the currency not stated.
- Time
- 1 day
- Documents
- National ID
- Commercial registration
- An official letter from the relevant government body, when requested
- Building permit
- Site sketch
- Proof of lease or ownership
- A valid maintenance contract for safety systems
- Elevator maintenance contract, if any
- Insurance document for the premises
- Previous Civil Defense licence, if any
- Note
- Register as an applicant, choose the activity, attach the documents, pay the SADAD bill, then print the licence once it is accepted. The requirements say Civil Defense consent comes before the municipal licence; phone 920000356.
Source: Civil Defense services page · Salamah portal · Checked: 26 October 2026
Requirements for groceries, supply stores and central markets 1446H-2025 Documented
- Agency
- Ministry of Municipalities and Housing
- Fee
- Not published
- Time
- Not published
- Documents
- A valid CR (2.1)
- Civil Defense consent before the licence (2.1)
- A unified QR code (5.2)
- Electronic payment methods (5.6)
- Health certificates for food handlers
- Note
- The minimum area for the main activity in the 1446H text is 24 m2, 100 m2 and 500 m2; matching them to grocery, supermarket and hypermarket is [withdrawn] because it comes from a research source, not from readable text. Conflict: the old 1441 version was said to require 42 m2 for a grocery, not verified.
Source: Groceries, supply stores and central markets requirements (PDF) · Checked: 26 October 2026
Requirements for non-food retail outlets 1446H-2025 Documented
- Agency
- Ministry of Municipalities and Housing
- Fee
- Not published
- Time
- Not published
- Documents
- Item 2.1, licensing requirements
- Location, technical and operational requirements, and activity cards on Balady
- Note
- For clothing, perfumes, shoes, stationery and similar goods, announced by Balady on 3 August 2025. The details of its items were not fully read [withdrawn].
Source: Non-food retail outlet requirements (PDF) · Checked: 26 October 2026
Issue a health certificate Documented
- Agency
- Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (Balady) and Ministry of Health (medical check)
- Fee
- Not published; the page says to pay the service fee without stating an amount, and there are no penalties on the service.
- Time
- 10 days per the service page; another source says 4 to 10 days (conflict not resolved).
- Documents
- Apply through Balady, by the worker or a representative
- Checks of the shop licence and the worker's profession
- Medical check at the Ministry of Health
- Pass the health education programme where it applies
- Pay the fee and print the certificate
- Note
- In groceries it is required for food handlers; for non-food shops it is [withdrawn]: not confirmed as required. Validity of one year with renewal 60 days ahead is [withdrawn]: from a research source only, not confirmed by an official page.
Source: Health certificate service page · Checked: 26 October 2026
VAT registration for businesses Documented
- Agency
- Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA)
- Fee
- Not published (the field is empty on the page).
- Time
- Not published (the field is empty on the page).
- Documents
- No documents required, per the page
- Note
- Registration is mandatory once your taxable supplies pass 375,000 SAR in 12 months, and optional once supplies or expenses pass 187,500 SAR. Returns are quarterly (monthly if annual supplies exceed 40 million SAR), and a late return is fined 5% to 25% of the tax due.
Source: VAT registration service page · ZATCA portal login · VAT registration guide · Tax invoicing and records guideline · Checked: 26 October 2026
Zakat registration for businesses Documented
- Agency
- Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA)
- Fee
- No fees.
- Time
- 5 minutes
- Documents
- Registration with the Ministry of Commerce
- ID copy
- ID type (passport or national ID)
- Articles of association (companies only)
- Note
- The tax number is created after Ministry of Commerce registration; then sign in to the ZATCA portal, open e-services, then registration, and fill in the zakat and income tax form. For help call 19993 or email info@zatca.gov.sa.
Source: Zakat registration service page · Checked: 26 October 2026
E-invoicing (Fatoorah) Documented
- Agency
- Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA)
- Fee
- Not published.
- Time
- Depends on the wave; ZATCA notifies the businesses concerned, and later waves are notified at least 6 months ahead.
- Documents
- Meet the Phase 1 and Phase 2 requirements
- You may use any compatible solution provider from the list on the e-invoicing page
- Note
- Phase 1 (issuing) started on 4 December 2021: invoices by hand or in spreadsheet or word-processing programs are not allowed, and a QR code and the required fields are mandatory. Phase 2 (integration) began on 1 January 2023 in waves; Wave 25 (news of 24 July 2026) covers anyone whose taxable revenue passed 187,500 SAR in any of 2022, 2023, 2024 or 2025, with integration to the Fatoorah platform by 1 February 2027 at the latest.
Source: E-invoicing page · Roll-out phases · Wave 25 news · Checked: 26 October 2026
No separate official service for a cashier system Partly documented
- Agency
- ZATCA (closest reference) and the Ministry of Municipalities
- Fee
- [withdrawn] no documented figure
- Time
- [withdrawn] no documented duration
- Note
- [withdrawn] There is no official registration or licence for a cashier system itself; the point-of-sale system must issue invoices that meet the Phase 1 and Phase 2 requirements (step 9), and ready electronic payment that is never refused, with a sticker showing it, is required (groceries 5.6). An electronic payment item for non-food outlets is [withdrawn]: it did not appear in the check.
Source: E-invoicing page · Checked: 26 October 2026
Open an establishment file, document employment contracts, register GOSI subscribers Documented
- Agency
- Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (Qiwa) and GOSI
- Fee
- Opening the establishment file is free. GOSI is a monthly contribution: for a Saudi employee, 18% for the pension branch (9% paid by the employer and 9% by the employee), plus 2% occupational hazards paid by the employer for all workers.
- Time
- Opening the file is instant (phone 1991), and registering a subscriber with GOSI is instant.
- Documents
- Establishment details, type, labour office and sub-economic activity
- An employment contract for each worker
- Register the establishment with GOSI before its subscribers, which requires the establishment data to be registered with the Ministry of Labour first
- Note
- Documenting employment contracts in Qiwa is required, per the Ministry page, and registering a new establishment with GOSI is instant through GOSI Online. Saudization rates counted from Qiwa contracts starting 15 April 2026 are [withdrawn]: from a research source only.
Source: Open an establishment file (HRSD) · GOSI Online registration · Checked: 26 October 2026
Business address Documented
- Agency
- Saudi Post (SPL)
- Fee
- Yearly: sole proprietorship with a main CR 500, with a branch CR 100; company with a main CR 1000, with a branch CR 300 SAR.
- Time
- Not published on the SPL page. [withdrawn] 3 days: from another government source that is unreachable (403).
- Documents
- Commercial registration
- An SPL Online account
- Note
- On SPL: National Address, business sector registration, new registration, then accept the terms and fill in the fields. It is needed because the supplier address on a tax invoice must match the National Address or official documents and be inside the Kingdom.
Source: SPL business address service · Individual registration · Checked: 26 October 2026
Last updated: 26 October 2026 · What we don't do · Methodology · Correct us · Changelog
First published 2026-10-26 · Archived copy
First 500 restaurants, cafés, bakeries and sweet shops: a SAR 99 monthly cap.
Instead of SAR 149, per branch, for a full year. Free to join, no commitment.