🇸🇦 Registry3 Apr 2025
Saudi Arabia's new commercial register replaces renewals with annual confirmation
Saudi Arabia's new Commercial Register Law and Trade Names Law came into force on 3 April 2025. Each business now has one national commercial registration with a unified national number instead of separate branch registrations, and registrations no longer expire. Instead, businesses must confirm their data every year. Changes must be registered within 15 days, and fines reach SAR 500,000.
The Commercial Register Law (Royal Decree M/83) and the Trade Names Law, with their implementing regulations, came into force on 3 April 2025, the Ministry of Commerce announced.
What changed
- One registration: a business is registered once, at national level, under a unified national number, even with several activities or branches. Branch registrations are abolished.
- No expiry: registrations no longer expire. Instead, the business confirms its data electronically every year from the date of issue.
- Missed confirmation: a registration not confirmed in time is suspended, and cancelled if the suspension lasts a year. A cancelled registration can be reinstated within five years by paying outstanding fees and fines.
- Updates: changes must be registered within 15 days (previously 30).
- Penalties: fines up to SAR 500,000 for inaccurate information, late updates or missing registration details on business documents.
- Trade names: new rules for reserving, registering and protecting trade names.
- Existing businesses have a transition period to adjust their registrations.
What to do
Diarise each Saudi entity's annual confirmation date and set up a process to register changes within 15 days.