Article 3 of the Saudi Shomoos Security Law
المادة 3 من نظام نقل معلومات المتعاملين مع المنشآت الخاصة إلكترونياً إلى مركز المعلومات الوطني في وزارة الداخلية نظام شموس الأمني
This article sets out the activities the Shomoos system applies to, including tourist accommodation, rest house, car and property rental, gold buying, passenger and vehicle transport, sports centers and scrapyards.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يسري هذا النظام على المنشآت الخاصة التي تمارس الأنشطة الآتية:
1 - مرافق الإيواء السياحي، وتأجير الاستراحات.
2 - تأجير السيارات.
3 - شراء الذهب والمجوهرات من المتعامل.
4 - نقل الركاب بين المدن داخل المملكة، أو إلى خارجها.
5 - نقل المركبات.
6 - تأجير العقار.
7 - المراكز الرياضية.
8 - بيع المركبات الملغى تسجيلها (محلات التشليح).
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 3 explained in plain English
This article sets out the scope of the law. It applies to private establishments that carry out any of the following eight activities:
- Tourist accommodation facilities and the rental of rest houses.
- Car rental.
- Buying gold and jewelry from the customer; the text refers specifically to buying from the customer.
- Passenger transport between cities within the Kingdom or to outside it.
- Vehicle transport.
- Property rental.
- Sports centers.
- Selling vehicles whose registration has been cancelled, that is, scrapyards.
Under Article 1, private establishments are the companies, institutions, offices and shops in the private sector that are required to join Shomoos. An establishment that carries out one of these activities falls within the scope of the law. Note in item 4 that the passenger transport meant is transport between cities or to outside the Kingdom; the text does not mention transport within a single city.
The article is linked to Article 2, which sets the purpose of the law as transferring customers' information electronically to the National Information Center, and to Article 4, which makes the Ministry of Interior responsible for operating Shomoos and for supervising and developing its application. Anyone who doubts whether their activity falls within this list can consult a lawyer who specializes in administrative cases and commercial regulations.
Practical example
Saad owns an establishment in Abha that rents chalets and rest houses to families. His activity falls under the first item of the article (renting rest houses), so the Shomoos Security Law applies to him.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 3 of the Saudi Shomoos Security Law
Which activities must register with the Shomoos system?
Tourist accommodation and the rental of rest houses, car rental, buying gold and jewelry from the customer, passenger transport between cities or to outside the Kingdom, vehicle transport, property rental, sports centers, and scrapyards.
Do gold shops have to use Shomoos?
The text refers to the activity of buying gold and jewelry from the customer, so the law applies to an establishment that carries out this kind of buying.
Do private sports clubs have to use Shomoos?
Yes. Sports centers are among the activities the law applies to.
Are scrapyards covered?
Yes. Selling vehicles whose registration has been cancelled (scrapyards) is one of the activities listed in the article.
More articles on Establishments Required to Use the Shomoos System
- Article 1
This article defines the key terms of the Shomoos Security Law: the Shomoos system, the Ministry, government entities, information, private establishments and the customer.
يقصد بالألفاظ والعبارات الآتية - أينما وردت في هذا النظام - المعاني المبينة أمام كل منها، ما لم يقتض السياق خلاف ذلك : 1- نظام شموس: نظام آلي مركزي لشبكة المعلو
- Article 2
This article states the purpose of the law: setting general rules for electronically transferring private establishments' customer information to the National Information Center via Shomoos, and setting how violations are detected and penalized.
يهدف هذا النظام إلى وضع القواعد العامة لنقل معلومات المتعاملين مع المنشآت الخاصة إلى مركز المعلومات الوطني في وزارة الداخلية إلكترونيًّا عبر نظام شموس، وتحديد آ
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.