Article 11 of the Saudi Municipal Licensing Law

This article deals with the relationship between the Ministry and the government authority competent for the activity, and adds a requirement for Civil Defense approval.

Paragraph (1): Subject to Article 8, the competent government authority joins the Ministry in achieving the following:

• Unifying the conditions and requirements of the municipal license for an activity under that authority's supervision.
• Unifying the periods of the municipal license so that they match the period of the activity license granted by the competent authority.
• Defining the relationship of each authority with the Ministry and setting out their roles, bearing in mind that the license application is submitted first to the authority supervising the activity.
• The Ministry's handling of cases of suspending, canceling, not renewing or amending the municipal license for an activity under that authority's supervision.

Paragraph (2): These matters are included in the Implementing Regulations, and if the authorities' views differ, the matter is referred to the Prime Minister for consideration.

Paragraph (3): The Ministry does not grant any activity a municipal license until it has obtained Civil Defense approval, and the approval request must be decided within no more than 10 working days from the date it is submitted.

Civil Defense approval is thus a requirement for every municipal license, with a guarantee that deciding on it will not be delayed. The details of coordination between the authorities belong in the Implementing Regulations. Where the requirements of two authorities conflict in a particular case, you can consult a lawyer specializing in administrative matters and commercial licensing.