New Commercial Registration Law Saudi Arabia: 2026 Guide

The Saudi commercial registration (CR) is no longer a certificate you renew each year against an expiry date. Since 3 April 2025, the new commercial registration law in Saudi Arabia, the Commercial Register Law, has been in force together with the new Trade Names Law and both Implementing Regulations. For foreign-owned companies, HR and compliance teams, the changes are practical: one CR per entity, an annual confirmation instead of renewal, and a fixed deadline to clean up branch (sub) registrations. This guide reflects the texts in force as of August 2026.

Key takeaways

• The Commercial Register Law, issued by Royal Decree No. (M/83) dated 19/3/1446H, has applied since 3 April 2025 and replaced the 1416H Commercial Register Law.
• A trader is registered once, however many activities and branches it has; the Ministry of Commerce no longer issues sub-registrations for establishments or companies.
• CR renewal and expiry dates are gone. An annual confirmation of the registered data falls due one year after registration, and the CR is suspended if it is not filed within 90 days of the due date.
• Existing registrants have 5 years from the law's entry into force to regularise their sub-registrations; all sub-registrations are struck off when that period ends.
• Breaching the registration, update, annual confirmation or display duties carries a fine of up to SAR 50,000, which may be doubled for a repeat offence within 3 years.

What is the new Commercial Register Law and when did it take effect?

The new law was issued by Royal Decree No. (M/83) dated 19/3/1446H and Council of Ministers Resolution No. (237) dated 14/3/1446H, published in the Official Gazette on 1/4/1446H (4 October 2024), and applies 180 days after publication. The Ministry of Commerce announced that it and the Trade Names Law, with their Implementing Regulations, took effect on 3 April 2025.

The law has 29 articles and defines the commercial register as a central electronic database of traders' data, managed by the Ministry of Commerce as registrar. All applications and procedures are electronic, and the registrar must decide a complete application within 10 days.

The same decree approved a new Trade Names Law (23 articles), replacing the 1420H law. Both work alongside the new Saudi Companies Law, which governs how the company itself is formed.

What changed from the old CR regime?

The biggest change is that an entity now holds a single CR for the whole Kingdom, covering all its activities and branches. The second is that the CR no longer expires and is confirmed annually instead of renewed.

The practical differences:

• No sub-registrations: sub-registrations for establishments and companies are no longer issued, and a single Kingdom-wide CR covers all of the entity's activities, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
• Unrelated activities allowed: different activities may be recorded in one CR without any requirement that they be related (Article 9).
• Annual confirmation instead of renewal: the trader confirms the registered data every year (Article 11 of the law).
• 15-day update rule: any change to registered data must be updated within 15 days of occurring (Article 10).
• Evidential effect: registered data binds the trader from the date of registration, and an unregistered item cannot be relied on against third parties (Article 17).

What happens to existing branch (sub) CRs?

Registrants have 5 years from the law's entry into force (3 April 2025) to regularise their sub-registrations; at the end of that period all sub-registrations are struck off under a mechanism set by the Ministry of Commerce. This is item (Third) of the Royal Decree and the Council of Ministers Resolution.

According to the Ministry's announcement when the law was approved, regularisation follows one of three routes:

1. Assign a sole establishment's sub-CR to another party, so it becomes that party's main CR.
2. Convert the sub-CR of a company or establishment into a new company.
3. Strike off the sub-CR and move its assets and activities into the main CR.

Converting or closing a branch affects contracts, licences, employees and bank accounts, so groups with several branch CRs should start early.

How do you file the annual CR confirmation?

The annual confirmation is an electronic filing confirming that the registered data is correct. It falls due exactly one year after the registration date, with the details set by the Implementing Regulations (Article 11 of the law). The Ministry has stated that it is done through the Saudi Business Center platform, business.sa.

In practice:

1. Log in to business.sa with the owner's or an authorised representative's account.
2. Open the commercial register services and choose the annual confirmation service.
3. Review the registered data: activities, licences, national address, contact details, managers and capital.
4. Update anything that has changed before confirming; confirming incorrect data is a separate violation.
5. Pay the fee set in the schedule to the Implementing Regulations, submit, and keep proof of filing.

When is a CR suspended or struck off?

The CR is suspended if the annual confirmation is not filed within 90 days of the due date, after a warning that suspension will follow in 14 days. Suspension lasts one year; if the trader does not apply to lift it within that year, with the confirmation, the fee and the fine, the registration is struck off (Article 15).

Suspension also suspends every licence issued against the CR, and other government bodies stop providing CR-linked services.

Companies and branches of foreign companies are treated differently: they are not struck off automatically at the end of the year, but they lose the right to have the suspension lifted, and the Ministry may require the partners or shareholders to dissolve the company or ask the competent court to do so. A company's CR is only struck off after liquidation under the Companies Law or the Bankruptcy Law.

Mandatory strike-off follows a final court judgment, completion of liquidation, or the death of an individual trader unless the heirs apply to amend the registration. Heirs may apply to continue the business within 60 days of death and must complete the steps within 180 days. A trader that stops trading may request voluntary strike-off, decided within 10 days.

What new obligations apply after registration?

After registration, the Implementing Regulations impose short deadlines, chiefly filing bank account details and obtaining activity licences within 90 days.

• Bank account: file the entity's bank account details with the registrar within the period set by the Implementing Regulations, and update them when they change (Article 6(2) of the law).
• Activity licences: obtain the licence for any licensed activity within 90 days of registering it, or the registrar strikes that activity off; the registrar may extend the period.
• Unified electronic code: display core CR data through the unified electronic code issued by the Saudi Business Center, clearly inside and outside the premises, and on the website for e-commerce traders.
• Foreign investors: attach evidence of registration with the Ministry of Investment or the competent authority, with certified Arabic translations of documents. See our foreign investment licence steps.
• Notices: notices sent to the mobile number or email recorded in the CR are legally effective, so keep contact details current.

What changed under the new Trade Names Law?

The new Trade Names Law requires every trader to adopt and register a trade name, and for the first time allows a name made of words, letters or numbers in a language other than Arabic, as detailed in the regulations. A name can also be reserved temporarily before registration.

Key rules:

• The registrar decides a reservation or registration application within 10 days, and priority goes to the earlier application.
• A registered trade name may be transferred separately from the business; the transfer is effective only once registered and published.
• A name is refused if it resembles a reserved or registered name in any sector, or a registered or well-known trademark not owned by the applicant.
• The owner of a registered name may claim compensation in the competent court from anyone using it.
• Trade names registered before the new law remain protected, as determined by the Ministry of Commerce.

What are the penalties under the Commercial Register Law?

The fine is up to SAR 50,000 for submitting incorrect data, failing to register, failing to update data within 15 days, failing to file the annual confirmation, failing to display CR data, or breaching the bank account data rules (Article 21). The fine may be doubled for the same violation repeated within 3 years of a final decision.

The violations committee weighs seriousness, circumstances and the size of the business, and may instead, or additionally, issue a warning, order corrective steps or correct the registered data. Any decision may be challenged before the competent court within 30 days of notification. The Trade Names Law also caps fines at SAR 50,000, with doubling for repeat offences.

What should your company do now?

If your entity existed before April 2025, the priorities are the branch CRs and the annual confirmation date. A short action plan:

1. Inventory: list every main and sub-CR with its dates, activities and licences.
2. Decide per branch: choose assignment, conversion into a company, or strike-off and merger into the main CR before the five-year deadline.
3. Reconcile data: check managers, capital, address and activities against reality and update changes within 15 days.
4. Diarise the confirmation: record the due date shown on the CR and file when it falls due rather than relying on the 90-day grace period.
5. Bank account and licences: confirm bank details are recorded and every registered activity is licensed.

Our company incorporation team restructures branch CRs, converts branches into companies in line with what the Companies Law means for founders and investors, and manages ongoing CR compliance.

Frequently asked questions

Does a Saudi CR still need to be renewed?

No. The new Commercial Register Law abolished CR renewal and the expiry date and introduced an electronic annual confirmation of the registered data instead. The confirmation falls due one year after the registration date. If it is not filed within 90 days of the due date, the CR is suspended together with its licences and linked government services.

When does the deadline to fix branch CRs end?

The period is 5 years from the law's entry into force. The Ministry of Commerce announced entry into force on 3 April 2025, so the period ends around April 2030. When it ends, all sub-registrations are struck off under a mechanism set by the Ministry. Converting a branch into a company or moving its assets takes time to handle contracts and licences, so it is better not to wait.

What happens if a CR is suspended?

Suspension lasts one year, during which the licences issued against the CR and linked government services are suspended. It can be lifted by filing the annual confirmation and paying the fee and the applicable fine. If the year passes without that, an individual trader's registration is struck off, while a company or foreign company branch loses the right to lift the suspension and the Ministry may seek its dissolution.

Can a trade name be registered in English?

Yes. The new Trade Names Law allows a trade name to consist of words, letters or numbers in a language other than Arabic, with the details and the way it is displayed in the register set by the Implementing Regulations. A name is still refused if it resembles a reserved or registered name, or a registered or well-known trademark the applicant does not own, or if it is misleading or contrary to public order.

What is the fine for not updating CR data?

Failing to update registered data within 15 days of a change is a violation punishable by a fine of up to SAR 50,000, which may be doubled for a repeat within 3 years. The committee sets the amount by seriousness and business size under the violations schedule in the regulations, may settle for a warning or a correction order, and its decision can be challenged in the competent court within 30 days.

Official sources

The information above reflects the texts in force as of August 2026.

• Commercial Register Law, Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
• Trade Names Law, Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
• Commercial Register Law and Implementing Regulations, Ministry of Commerce
• Entry into force of the Commercial Register and Trade Names Laws, Ministry of Commerce
• Council of Ministers approves the Commercial Register and Trade Names Laws, Ministry of Commerce