Article 12 of the Saudi Municipal Licensing Law

This article regulates the order for obtaining the license to carry on an activity from the competent government authority and how it relates to the municipal license.

Stage one - Preliminary approval:

• The competent government authority issues the license applicant a preliminary approval.
• The condition is that the conditions required by law are met.
• The time limit: no more than 10 working days from the date the application is submitted.

Stage two - The final license: It is issued after obtaining a valid municipal license.

In practice, this means the applicant first obtains a preliminary approval from the authority supervising the activity, then obtains the municipal license from the Ministry, and then the competent authority issues its final license. This is consistent with Article 11, which provides that the license application is to be submitted first to the authority supervising the activity.

The rule protects the applicant from delay, since it binds the authority to a set time for the preliminary approval once the conditions are met. The article does not address the case where the conditions are not met, or the procedures for objecting to the competent authority's decision. Where an assessment of a particular case is needed, you can consult a lawyer specializing in administrative matters and commercial licensing.