In force
Saudi Commercial Register Law
نظام السجل التجاري
The Commercial Register Law of Saudi Arabia. This page presents the official Arabic text of each article with plain-English explanations for residents and businesses.
- Articles
- 29
- In force
- 29
- Amended
- 0
- Issued
- 19/3/1446 AH
Issued by: مرسوم ملكي رقم (م/83) وتاريخ 1446/3/19هـ · قرار مجلس الوزراء رقم (237) وتاريخ 1446/3/14هـ
Each article shows the official Arabic text, which is the only legally binding version, followed by our plain-English explanation.
Browse Commercial Register Law by topic
General Provisions of the Commercial Register8 articlesRegistration in the Commercial Register5 articlesRefusal of a Registration Request and Challenge1 articleUpdating Commercial Register Data4 articlesDeregistration from the Commercial Register3 articlesSuspension of the Commercial Register2 articlesAccess to Commercial Register Data3 articlesEntering Court Judgments in the Commercial Register1 articleCommercial Register Violations and Penalties3 articlesRecording Violations and Challenging Them3 articles
Articles of the Saudi Commercial Register Law
الفصل الأول: أحكام عامةArticles 1–4
- Article 1This article defines the key terms in the Commercial Register Law, such as merchant, commercial register, registrar, the Ministry, the Minister and the Regulations.
- Article 2This article states that the Commercial Register Law aims to facilitate doing business by regulating registration procedures, while ensuring transparency and reliability of the data.
- Article 3This article provides that the Ministry of Commerce establishes the commercial register and enters in it the data specified by the Law, the Regulations and related laws, and every update to it.
- Article 4This article sets out the registrar's powers and duties, including registering trade names and merchants' data, issuing registration certificates, correcting data and developing procedures.
الفصل الثاني: القيد في السجل التجاريArticles 5–12
- Article 5This article requires every merchant to register in the commercial register, and allows the Ministry to exempt some categories of merchants under rules set in the Regulations.
- Article 6This article sets out the data a registration application must contain, and allows the Ministry to set in the Regulations rules on bank account details and other data to be submitted after registration.
- Article 7This article governs submitting the registration application to the registrar, the decision within 10 days, correcting a rejected application, giving reasons for rejection, and appeal to the Ministry within 60 days.
- Article 8This article requires all commercial register applications and procedures to be electronic, and leaves it to the Regulations to set the rules and the alternative method when electronic submission is not possible.
- Article 9This article allows a merchant to register different activities in the commercial register without requiring them to be related, without prejudice to other related laws.
- Article 10This article requires the merchant to update his data registered in the commercial register within 15 days of any change or amendment to it.
- Article 11This article requires the merchant to submit to the registrar every year a confirmation of the data registered in the commercial register, as the Regulations specify.
- Article 12This article provides that the registrar is not responsible for the correctness and accuracy of the data submitted by the merchant for any of the commercial register services.
الفصل الثالث: شطب القيد في السجل التجاري وتعليقهArticles 13–15
- Article 13This article allows a merchant to apply voluntarily for deregistration from the commercial register if he stops his commercial activity, subject to the Companies Law and other related laws.
- Article 14This article requires the registrar to deregister a merchant upon a final court judgment, the end of liquidation, or the merchant's death unless his heirs request an amendment of the registration.
- Article 15This article governs suspension of registration when the annual confirmation is not submitted within 90 days after a 14-day warning, the one-year suspension period, how it is lifted, and the consequences if it is not.
الفصل الرابع: الاطلاع على بيانات شهادة القيد وحجيتهاArticles 16–20
- Article 16This article requires the merchant to display his commercial register details in a clear place in the store where he carries on his business, as the Regulations specify.
- Article 17This article makes registered data binding for or against the merchant from the date of registration, and prevents invoking against third parties any data that must be registered or updated but was not.
- Article 18This article allows any person to inspect the basic data in the commercial register, request a detailed extract, or obtain a certificate that no registration exists, as the Regulations specify.
- Article 19This article requires the registrar to correct material or procedural errors made during registration or amendment within 5 days, and to notify the merchant within 5 days if it corrects on its own.
- Article 20This article requires the competent court to notify the registrar within 30 days of specified final judgments and decisions about the merchant, so that their effect is entered in the commercial register upon notification.
الفصل الخامس: المخالفاتArticles 21–25
- Article 21This article defines the violations of the Commercial Register Law punishable by a fine of up to SAR 50,000, which may be doubled for repeat violations within 3 years.
- Article 22This article provides that violations of the Commercial Register Law are detected by employees designated by the Minister, who also issues rules for their work and for rewards for detecting violations.
- Article 23This article provides for forming one or more committees by the Minister's decision to examine violations and impose penalties, and allows the Minister to specify violations for which penalties are imposed directly.
- Article 24This article allows the committee, when a violation listed in Article 21 is established, to take, in addition to or instead of the penalty, a warning, preventive or corrective steps, or a correction of data.
- Article 25This article gives anyone against whom a decision is issued under the Commercial Register Law the right to appeal before the competent court within 30 days of being notified of it.
الفصل السادس: أحكام ختاميةArticles 26–29
- Article 26This article allows the Minister to use public or private bodies to carry out the registrar's duties and to assign some of those duties to them.
- Article 27This article provides that the Implementing Regulations set the fee for services provided by the registrar in implementing the Commercial Register Law.
- Article 28This article requires the Minister to issue the Implementing Regulations within 180 days of the Law's publication in the Official Gazette, to take effect from the date the Law takes effect.
- Article 29This article provides that the Commercial Register Law replaces the law issued by Royal Decree No. M/1 dated 21/2/1416 AH, and takes effect 180 days after its publication.
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