Saudi Arabia New Law: Big decision of Saudi Arabia, these businesses will no longer have to pay permit fees for 24 hours

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipality and Housing has given big relief to many businessmen. Now certain types of businesses will not have to pay permit fees to remain open 24 hours. With this decision, now institutions like hotels, pharmacies and petrol pumps will be able to provide their services without any extra charges.

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The ministry has released the list of businesses which have been exempted from this fee. This includes refueling services at petrol pumps, service centers located outside cities, hotels, hotel apartments and resorts. Apart from this, pharmacies, health services, educational institutions, wedding halls and rest houses will also get the benefit of this exemption.

According to the rules, this 24-hour permit is for work from midnight to 5 am. However, this restriction is not in force during the holy month of Ramadan and Eid holidays. The ministry will make separate rules for the shift of employees and the municipality will decide on which roads or areas these shops can open so that people living in residential areas do not face problems.

What needs to be done to get a permit

Businesses that are not exempted from fees will need to obtain approval from municipal and security officials. Application for this can be made through Balady platform. This electronic service was started on 16 November 2022.

There are also some necessary conditions for the permit. The license of the shop must be valid and in some cases it is also necessary to obtain CCTV certificate from the Interior Ministry. This entire system is being run in coordination with the Municipality and the Interior Ministry.

When did this decision come into effect?

This decision was taken by the Saudi Council of Ministers on 29 December 2019. According to the recent update, this relaxation continues till July 2026. The government has made it clear that it is important to follow the rules and there will be provisions for fines for those who violate them.