E-Commerce Company Setup in Saudi Arabia
Selling your own goods online in Saudi Arabia is a trading activity, so a foreign-owned online store needs a MISA trading license and meets MISA's capital conditions for trading. It then needs a Commercial Registration, a commercial bank account and verification on the Saudi Business Center's Business Platform. The company itself is typically set up in 4–12 weeks.
إعداد شاز ونظام، مستشاري ألفا للاستشارات · آخر تحديث أكتوبر ٢٠٢٦
نظرة سريعة
- License type
- MISA trading license and a CR with e-commerce
- 100% foreign-owned
- SAR 30m capital and presence in 3+ markets
- Store verification
- Business Platform (business.sa), replacing Maroof
- Customer cancellation
- 7 days after receipt, if unused
- Late delivery
- Customer may cancel after a 15-day delay
- Full setup timeline
- 4–12 weeks for the company
في هذه الصفحة
- ٠١How to set up an e-commerce company in Saudi Arabia
- ٠٢Ownership and capital: why e-commerce is treated as trading
- ٠٣What the E-Commerce Law requires of your store
- ٠٤Store verification, payments and tax
- ٠٥Delivery, warehousing and imports
- ٠٦Mistakes that stall online stores
- ٠٧E-commerce and fulfilment on the Saudi commercial register
- ٠٨الأسئلة الشائعة
How to set up an e-commerce company in Saudi Arabia
The sequence below is for a foreign-owned company selling to Saudi consumers. The decision that shapes everything else comes first: whether the company sells its own stock or runs a service.
- ٠١
Decide whether you sell goods or run a service
A store that buys and sells its own stock is trading. A business that sells software, digital services or marketing to merchants may be classified as a service activity, which carries lighter MISA conditions. The activity codes decide it, so map the real business model before filing.
Check your activity with the free MISA assessment - ٠٢
Settle ownership and capital
For a wholly foreign-owned trading company, MISA's investor guide sets minimum capital of SAR 30 million, presence in at least three regional or global markets, and investment obligations over five years. A Saudi partner holding at least 25% changes those terms. Decide this before documents are filed.
Foreign ownership and the trading conditions - ٠٣
Attest documents and obtain the MISA license
The foreign shareholder's commercial registration and latest financial statements are attested and translated into Arabic. A complete MISA application is typically approved in 2–6 weeks.
MISA license: requirements and timeline - ٠٤
Register the company and the store
The Articles of Association are notarized and the Commercial Registration issued, typically 1–2 weeks after the MISA license. The E-Commerce Law requires a merchant to register its e-shop in the Commercial Register, so the store is part of this step, not an afterthought.
- ٠٥
Open a commercial bank account and verify the store
Verification on the Business Platform needs an active CR and a commercial bank account linked to the store. Personal accounts are not accepted. The bank account typically takes 2–4 weeks, so start it as soon as the CR is out.
Opening a corporate bank account - ٠٦
Set up payments, VAT and invoicing
Take payments through a bank or a payment company licensed by SAMA. Register for VAT when taxable sales pass SAR 375,000 a year, and issue invoices that meet ZATCA's e-invoicing rules once registered.
VAT registration in Saudi Arabia - ٠٧
Arrange fulfilment and product compliance
Import in the company's name through ZATCA's Fasah platform, register regulated products on SABER or with the SFDA, and use licensed delivery partners. Parcel delivery is licensed by the Transport General Authority.
Logistics and delivery licensing
Ownership and capital: why e-commerce is treated as trading
The Ministry of Commerce trade license covers wholesale, retail, import and export, and e-commerce. For a foreign investor, that places an online store in MISA's commercial category, which carries the highest entry conditions of any mainstream activity. MISA's investor guide (12th edition, April 2025) sets them out as follows.
These conditions are MISA's and are updated from time to time, so we confirm the current figures for your structure before anything is filed. If your volumes do not yet justify that commitment, compare it with selling through a Saudi distributor or marketplace while you test demand.
| Route | Minimum capital | Saudi participation | Other conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100% foreign-owned commercial company | SAR 30,000,000 | None | Presence in 3+ regional or global markets; five-year investment obligations of SAR 300m, or SAR 200m plus localization commitments |
| Commercial company with a Saudi partner | SAR 26,666,667 | At least 25% | Shared ownership and governance |
| Service company (no goods sold) | No special minimum listed | None | Cannot buy or sell goods |
What the E-Commerce Law requires of your store
The E-Commerce Law (Royal Decree M/126, 2019) applies to service providers in the Kingdom and to sellers outside it who offer products or services to consumers in Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Commerce supervises it.
Penalties include a warning, a fine of up to SAR 1 million, suspension of the activity, and partial or full blocking of the store. In urgent cases the Ministry can block a store while a violation is decided.
- Show your name, address, contact details, and Commercial Registration name and number on the store.
- Give the customer the contract terms, product details and the total price, including taxes and delivery fees, before the order.
- Issue an itemized invoice showing the total price, delivery date and place.
- Treat ads as binding. They must not mislead or use a trademark you have no right to.
- Keep customer data only as long as the transaction needs, and do not use or share it without consent.
- Accept cancellation within 7 days of receipt if the product is unused, except for listed cases such as customized products, publications and opened software.
- Refund on request if delivery is more than 15 days late, unless the delay is force majeure.
Store verification, payments and tax
Since 2023 the Ministry of Commerce has verified online stores on the Business Platform run by the Saudi Business Center, which replaced Maroof for this purpose. It is the only authorized platform for e-commerce verification. Eligibility needs an active Commercial Registration, or a valid professional document for individuals, and a commercial bank account linked to the store. Consumers can check verified stores through the platform's inquiry service.
For payments, Saudi banks may deal only with licensed payment companies, and SAMA publishes a public registry of licensed providers. Check your gateway against it, and note that providers offering only technical linkage are treated differently from those that handle funds.
VAT is 15%, with mandatory registration above SAR 375,000 in annual taxable supplies and VAT collected on imports at clearance. Corporate income tax is 20% on the foreign-held share of profit, with Zakat on Saudi and GCC shareholdings.
Delivery, warehousing and imports
Parcel and express delivery are postal services under the Law of Postal Services, and licensing moved to the Transport General Authority (TGA) in 2022. Delivery apps are also licensed by the TGA, which has suspended apps operating without a license. If you deliver your own orders at scale, that is a licensed activity in its own right.
Stock you import needs the company registered as an importer on Fasah, SABER certificates for products under SASO technical regulations, and SFDA registration for food or medical devices. A company that wants to own its own warehouse needs MISA approval, and the property must sit outside Makkah and Madinah.
Mistakes that stall online stores
Most of these are licensing questions that look like operational ones.
- Licensing as a service or software company and then selling goods, which the license does not cover.
- Planning the business around 100% foreign ownership without budgeting MISA's trading capital and investment conditions.
- Collecting payments into a personal account, which blocks verification on the Business Platform.
- Leaving the store's legal details, terms and cancellation policy off the site, when the E-Commerce Law requires them.
- Promising delivery dates you cannot meet. A delay of more than 15 days lets the customer cancel and claim a refund.
- Shipping stock before Fasah registration and product certificates are in place.
E-commerce and fulfilment on the Saudi commercial register
Active registrations in e-commerce and the delivery and storage activities it depends on, from the Ministry of Commerce register. Categories with too few registrations to report are left out.
| النشاط | السجلات النشطة | الجديد في العام الماضي مقارنة بالعام السابق | أبرز المدن |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery & courier services | 11,706 | +17.9% | Riyadh (5,524), Jeddah (1,920), Makkah (797) |
| Warehousing & storage | 52,536 | +11.4% | Riyadh (25,085), Jeddah (7,953), Dammam (2,930) |
المصدر: السجل التجاري لوزارة التجارة، السجلات النشطة حتى 16 September 2026.
الأسئلة الشائعة
- Do I need a license to sell online in Saudi Arabia?
- Yes. A company selling goods online needs a Commercial Registration that covers e-commerce, and a foreign-owned company also needs a MISA license. The E-Commerce Law requires merchants to register their e-shop in the Commercial Register, and the store is verified on the Business Platform.
- Can a foreigner own an e-commerce company in Saudi Arabia?
- Yes, but selling goods is a trading activity, so MISA's commercial conditions apply. A wholly foreign-owned commercial company needs minimum capital of SAR 30 million, presence in at least three regional or global markets, and five-year investment obligations. A Saudi partner holding at least 25% changes those terms.
- Is Maroof still required for online stores in Saudi Arabia?
- No. Since 2023 the Ministry of Commerce verifies online stores on the Business Platform run by the Saudi Business Center instead of Maroof. Verification needs an active Commercial Registration or valid professional document and a commercial bank account linked to the store.
- What must an online store display under the Saudi E-Commerce Law?
- Your name, address and contact details, your Commercial Registration name and number, the contract terms, and the total price including taxes and delivery fees. Sellers in licensed professions must also show their license details. Ads must name the seller and must not mislead.
- What is the return period for online purchases in Saudi Arabia?
- Under the E-Commerce Law a consumer may cancel within 7 days of receiving the product, provided it has not been used, and bears the cost of cancelling unless agreed otherwise. Exceptions include customized products, publications, opened software and some services. A delivery delay of more than 15 days also allows cancellation with a refund.
- Do I need VAT registration for an online store in Saudi Arabia?
- Registration is mandatory once annual taxable supplies exceed SAR 375,000, and VAT is 15%. Once registered, invoices must meet ZATCA's e-invoicing rules. VAT is also collected on imported stock at customs.
- Can a foreign company sell online to Saudi customers without a Saudi entity?
- The E-Commerce Law applies to sellers outside the Kingdom that offer products to consumers in Saudi Arabia, so its disclosure and cancellation rules apply either way. Store verification on the Business Platform needs a Saudi Commercial Registration and a commercial bank account, which a seller without a Saudi entity does not have.
- Which payment gateways can an online store use in Saudi Arabia?
- Use a bank or a payment company licensed by SAMA. SAMA keeps a public registry of licensed payment providers, and banks may deal only with licensed companies, so check any gateway against the registry before you integrate it.
- How long does it take to set up an e-commerce company in Saudi Arabia?
- The MISA license takes 2–6 weeks for a complete application, and the full company setup is typically 4–12 weeks end to end, including a bank account of 2–4 weeks. Store verification follows once the CR and commercial bank account are in place.
لنرسم معاً خطّة دخولك إلى السعودية.
ثلاثون دقيقة مع مختصّ تراخيص. نختبر هيكلك وجدولك الزمني وتكاليفك، دون أي التزام.
نتحدث لغتك
- العربية
- English
- हिन्दी
- اردو
- Français
راسلنا بالبريد أو عبر واتساب، أو اتصل بنا مباشرة، بلغتك.