E-commerce Licence in Saudi Arabia: CR, Maroof and the Legal Checklist

To sell online legally in Saudi Arabia you need a commercial registration (CR) covering e-commerce activity, a Maroof listing, and a set of disclosures published on the store itself: seller identity, CR number, contact details, prices inclusive of VAT, and a return policy. There is no separate "e-commerce licence" — the CR is the licence.

This trips up a lot of sellers who started on Instagram and grew into a real business. Here is the whole checklist, in the order it actually gets done.

The commercial registration

The CR is issued by the Ministry of Commerce through the Saudi Business Center. For a Saudi national opening a sole establishment the process is online and usually same-day. Make sure the activity codes on your CR cover retail sale via the internet — a CR issued for a physical activity does not automatically authorise online selling, and a payment provider will notice before you do.

Foreign investors need a licence from the Ministry of Investment first. Budget more time and more capital for this route.

Maroof: the trust layer

Maroof is the Ministry of Commerce register of online sellers. It is free, it takes minutes once you have the CR, and it does three jobs:

1. Consumers verify you. A Maroof badge on your store is checkable — a shopper can look you up and see a real registration behind the brand.
2. Payment providers ask for it. Several gateways treat it as part of onboarding.
3. It is where your ratings live. Reviews on Maroof follow the business, not the platform you sell on.

If you sell on social channels as well as your own store, list the store — that is the asset you control.

What must appear on the store

The Saudi e-commerce framework is built around one idea: the buyer must know who they are dealing with and what they are agreeing to, before they pay. In practice, publish:

• Seller identity and CR number, plus a real contact method that a human answers.
• Full price including 15% VAT, plus delivery cost, shown before checkout completes.
• Delivery timeframe — an honest one.
• Return and exchange policy, including who pays return shipping.
• Terms and conditions the buyer accepts at checkout.

Put the identity block in the footer so it appears on every page, and keep the policy pages one click from the cart.

Returns: the rule that surprises people

Consumers have a statutory right to return goods within a defined window for most product categories, with the usual exceptions for made-to-order items, perishables and unsealed hygiene products. Two practical implications:

• Write the exceptions down. "No returns" is not enforceable and reads as a warning sign. "Returns within the statutory window, except personalised items and opened cosmetics" is both legal and reassuring.
• Model the cost. A 5% return rate on a 30% margin is a materially different business from a 15% one. Reducing COD returns is the highest-leverage margin work a Gulf store can do.

VAT and invoicing

Registration for VAT is mandatory above ZATCA's turnover threshold. Once registered you must issue compliant tax invoices, and e-invoicing obligations phase in by turnover — see ZATCA e-invoicing for online stores. Below the threshold you can register voluntarily; many B2B sellers do, because their business customers want a reclaimable invoice.

Data and marketing rules

Two habits that keep you out of trouble:

1. Collect only what you need. A name, a phone number and an address fulfil an order. A date of birth does not.
2. Get consent before marketing. Adding every buyer to a promotional SMS list without asking generates complaints, and complaints are what get sender IDs blocked.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a specific "online store licence" in Saudi Arabia?

No. The commercial registration with the right activity is the licence. Maroof is a separate, free verification register — not a licence, but effectively expected.

Can I sell without a CR while I test the idea?

Occasional personal sales are one thing; running a store, advertising and taking payments is commercial activity and needs registration. It is also the fastest way to lose a payment gateway.

Does Maroof cost anything?

No. Registration is free.

Do I need a Saudi bank account?

For a local payment gateway and for COD remittance, yes in practice — the account is tied to the registered entity.

Open a compliant Saudi store on Storilive: CR and VAT details in the footer, policy pages, VAT-inclusive pricing and mada checkout out of the box.