Article 2 of the Saudi Tourism Law

This article is the basis of the tourism licensing system, and it contains three rules:

1. License before practice: no tourism activity may be practiced until the necessary license or permit has been obtained from the Ministry, as specified by the Regulations. Under Article 1, tourism activities include tour guiding, travel and tourism services, managing or operating hospitality facilities, providing tourism consulting, and related activities.
2. The Regulations set the details: the rules for obtaining licenses and permits, the criteria and requirements for practicing the activities within the Ministry's jurisdiction, and the classification of activities. The Law does not state the requirements itself but refers them to the Regulations.
3. Complementary and specialized activities: the Minister, by decision and after coordinating with the relevant bodies, sets additional criteria and requirements for issuing the licenses, permits and approvals needed for them and for their oversight by the competent bodies in tourism destinations.

After obtaining the license, other obligations begin, mentioned in Article 3, including continuing to meet the license requirements and classification while they are in force. Anyone who wants to start a tourism activity and does not know whether it needs a license or a permit can consult a lawyer who specializes in commercial cases.