Glossary of Saudi legal and government terms

If a term on this page is part of your own matter, send us a short outline.

Which Saudi terms have their own page in this glossary?

Twelve terms have their own page, because foreigners meet them often and one line is not enough. Each page explains why the term matters to you and where you will meet it.

Identity and travel
The residence permit, with its own ID number, of a foreigner living in Saudi Arabia.
Iqama
Identity and travel
The Ministry of Interior’s online platform and app for ID and visa services.
Absher
Identity and travel
The Ministry of Justice’s online platform for court cases, enforcement files and powers of attorney.
Najiz
Identity and travel
An order that stops a person from leaving Saudi Arabia.
Travel ban
Documents
A signed document that lets another person, such as a lawyer, act in your name.
Power of attorney
Documents
A certificate that confirms the signature and seal on a public document.
Apostille
Money owed
The Saudi court that carries out judgments and other enforceable documents, such as a cheque.
Enforcement Court
Money owed
A signed, written promise to pay money to someone.
Promissory note
Business
A business’s entry in the Saudi commercial register, kept by the Ministry of Commerce.
Commercial registration (CR)
Business
The registration with the Ministry of Investment that replaced the foreign-investment licence in 2025.
Investment registration
Lawyers
The professional body for lawyers in Saudi Arabia, with an online directory for checking licences.
Saudi Bar Association
Property
The Real Estate General Authority’s online portal where non-Saudis apply to own property.
Saudi Properties platform

Every other term is explained in the list of all terms below. Each entry has its own link, so you can share the meaning of one term on its own.

Why do Saudi terms have more than one English spelling?

Arabic words can be written in English letters in more than one way. So the same term may appear as iqama or iqamah, or as wakala or wakalah. If you cannot find a word here, try another spelling, or search for the Arabic word.

The same is true of your own name, in the other direction: it can be spelt more than one way in Arabic. A document in another language usually needs a certified translation into Arabic. This means a translation made by an approved translation office. Ask the translator to use one Arabic spelling of your name on every document.

How should you use the meanings in this glossary?

Use them to follow what you read on Saudi official pages and documents. These meanings are general, not legal definitions. The official page linked in each entry has the current rules.

A meaning tells you what a word refers to. It does not tell you how a rule applies to your own matter. For how a process works step by step, see our guides to Saudi law and procedure. For documents from your own country, see apostille or legalisation, country by country. For dated changes in Saudi law that affect foreigners, see What’s changed.

All terms

A B C D E F G I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Z

Absent from work (formerly "huroob"): A status an employer can report when a worker is absent without a valid reason. It affects the worker's residency and the ability to change jobs. Official page
Absher: The Ministry of Interior's e-services platform for residents and citizens, used for IDs, visas and some status enquiries. Official page
Amicable settlement (labour disputes): The stage before court where a labour dispute is first referred for settlement. Official page
Anti-concealment (tasattur): Rules against a non-Saudi running a business under a Saudi national's name. Official page
Apostille: A certificate that authenticates a public document for use in other countries that are party to the Apostille Convention. Saudi Arabia joined with effect from 7 December 2022. Official page
Articles of association: A company's founding document, authenticated electronically when the company is formed. Official page
Available and restricted activities: The two registration tracks at the Ministry of Investment. Restricted activities need extra conditions or approvals, which the ministry publishes. Official page

Balady: The municipal platform for licences for business premises. Official page
Bankruptcy Commission: The body that oversees bankruptcy procedures and publishes their notices. Official page
Beneficial owner: The person who ultimately owns or controls a company. Companies have to disclose who this is. Official page
Board of Grievances: The administrative judiciary, which hears disputes with government bodies. Official page

Capital Market Authority (CMA): The regulator of the Saudi securities market. Official page
Certified translation: A translation made by an accredited translation office. Courts and many authorities usually need one.
Chamber of commerce membership: Registration with a chamber of commerce, which businesses normally complete after commercial registration. Official page
Commercial Agencies Register: The Ministry of Commerce register for commercial agency and distribution agreements. Official page
Commercial courts: Courts that hear commercial disputes between businesses. Official page
Commercial registration (CR): A business's entry in the commercial register kept by the Ministry of Commerce. It must be kept up to date. Official page

Deportation: Removal of a non-Saudi from the Kingdom by the authorities, sometimes after a court sentence or a residency violation.
Designated zones: The areas where non-Saudis may own property, set by the Council of Ministers on REGA's proposal. Some areas have special rules; REGA's official map shows them. Official page
Digital identity for non-residents: A Ministry of Interior digital ID issued through Saudi missions abroad, which non-residents use to access the Saudi Properties platform. The platform shows the current steps.

E-invoicing (Fatoora): ZATCA's electronic invoicing regime for businesses. Official page
Ejar: REGA's platform for registering leases. Official page
End-of-service award: A payment due to a worker when employment ends, worked out under the Labour Law. Official page
Enforcement Court: The court that enforces judgments and other enforceable documents. Official page
Enforcement instrument: A document that can be enforced without a new judgment, such as a court judgment, an arbitral award or a cheque. Official page
Enjaz: The payment and processing system used at Saudi missions abroad for services such as document ratification. Official page
Etimad: The government's platform for public procurement and payments to suppliers. Official page
Exit and re-entry visa: Permission a resident needs to leave Saudi Arabia and come back while the iqama remains valid. Official page

FAL licence: REGA's licence for real-estate brokers. Check a broker's licence before you pay anything. Official page
Final exit visa: Permission a resident needs to leave Saudi Arabia for good. It is usually issued through the employer. Official page
Foreign law firm licence: A Ministry of Justice licence for foreign law firms. A foreign firm's branch gives advice on Saudi law only through a Saudi-licensed lawyer. Official page

GOSI: The General Organization for Social Insurance, which collects social-insurance contributions for employees. Official page

Invest Saudi portal: The Ministry of Investment's online platform where foreign investors apply for investment registration. Official page
Investment registration: The registration that replaced the foreign-investment licence in 2025. The registration certificate is issued in Arabic. Official page
Iqama: The residence permit, and its ID number, held by a non-Saudi living in the Kingdom. Most government e-services ask for it. Official page

Judicial aid (volunteer legal aid): The Saudi Bar Association's list of lawyers who volunteer legal help for people who cannot pay. Official page

KSA Visa platform: The unified official platform for Saudi visas, alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa platform. Official page

Labour court: A specialised court that hears employment disputes. Official page
LCGPA: The Local Content and Government Procurement Authority. Official page
Legal establishment: The licensed entity through which lawyers practise, either a sole office or a professional company. The Saudi Bar Association offers a public check. Official page
Legalisation (ratification): The chain of stamps a document needs when the country concerned is outside the Apostille Convention. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls its service "document ratification". Official page

"MISA licence": The common name for the foreign-investment licence used before 2025. Foreign investors now register their investment instead. Official page
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD): The ministry that regulates private-sector employment in Saudi Arabia. Official page
Ministry of Investment (MISA): The ministry that registers foreign investment in Saudi Arabia and supports investors. Official page
Ministry of Justice (MOJ): The ministry that runs the administration of the courts, notaries and enforcement services. Official page
MOJ legal portal: The Ministry of Justice portal that publishes Saudi laws and regulations. Official page
Mudad: The wage-payment platform employers use to show they pay wages as the wage-protection rules require. Official page
Muqeem: The Ministry of Interior platform that employers use to manage the residency and visas of their expatriate staff. Official page
Musaned: The platform for recruiting and contracting domestic workers. Official page

Nafith: The national electronic platform for promissory notes. Official page
Najiz: The Ministry of Justice's e-platform for cases, enforcement, powers of attorney, notarial services and verification services. Official page
Najm: The company that handles traffic-accident reports for insured vehicles. Official page
National Address: The official address record run by Saudi Post. Companies and residents register one. Official page
National Single Sign-On (Nafath): The national digital login. The Nafath app approves sign-ins to Najiz and most other government portals. Official page
New York Convention: The international treaty on recognising and enforcing foreign arbitral awards. Saudi Arabia is a party.
Nitaqat (Saudization): The programme that rates companies by their share of Saudi employees. The rating affects access to visas and government services. Official page
Non-Saudi legal consultant: A foreign-qualified lawyer registered with the Ministry of Justice who may advise within a licensed firm but cannot appear in court. Official page
Notary: An official who authenticates documents and powers of attorney in Saudi Arabia. There are Ministry of Justice notaries and licensed private notaries. Official page

Off-plan sales (Wafi): REGA's programme and licensing for selling or leasing property before it is completed. Official page

Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) and SDAIA: Saudi Arabia's personal data protection law and its regulator, the Saudi Data and AI Authority. Official page
Power of attorney (wakala): A document that authorises someone, such as a lawyer, to act for you. One given abroad usually has to be certified before Saudi bodies accept it. Official page
Premium Residency: Residency products that are not tied to an employer, managed by the Premium Residency Center. The official site sets out the current products and conditions. Official page
Promissory note: A signed, written promise to pay. The new Enforcement Law changes how promissory notes are enforced, including the role of the Nafith platform; the official text has the current rules. Official page
Public Prosecution: The authority that investigates and prosecutes crimes. Official page

Qiwa: The labour ministry's platform for employment contracts, work permits, job transfers and Saudization. Official page

Real Estate General Authority (REGA): The authority that regulates the real-estate sector in Saudi Arabia. Official page
Real Estate Registry: The national register of property rights. Official page
Real Estate Transaction Tax (RETT): A tax on property transfers, administered by ZATCA. Official page
Regional headquarters (RHQ): The Ministry of Investment's programme for companies' regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia. RHQ status matters for many government contracts. Official page

Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP): The authority responsible for trademarks, patents and copyright in Saudi Arabia. Official page
Saudi Bar Association (SBA): The professional body for lawyers in Saudi Arabia. Official page
Saudi Business Center: The government platform where applications for company formation and commercial registration are filed. Official page
Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA): The centre that administers commercial arbitration and mediation in Saudi Arabia. Official page
Saudi Properties platform: REGA's platform for non-Saudi property ownership: applications, payments and deeds. Official page
SBA lawyers directory (Sharik): The Saudi Bar Association's public directory, which shows each lawyer's licence number, licence status and expiry date. No login is needed. Official page
Special economic zones: Zones with their own legal frameworks and incentives, overseen by the Economic Cities and Special Zones Authority (ECZA). Official page

Taradhi: The Ministry of Justice's electronic reconciliation (mediation) platform. Official page
Tawakkalna: The government's all-in-one services app, run by the Saudi Data and AI Authority. It gives access to many services, including the Ministry of Justice directory of practising lawyers. Official page
Trade name: A business's registered name. The Ministry of Commerce publishes the current naming rules. Official page
Transfer of services: Moving a worker's employment to a new employer through the labour platform. Expats often call it "naql kafala". Official page
Travel ban (exit ban): An order that prevents a person from leaving Saudi Arabia. It is usually linked to an enforcement file, an open case or an investigation. Official page

Umm Al-Qura: The Official Gazette, where Saudi laws are published. Official page
Unified number: The unified national identifier for an establishment, often called the "700 number". Official page

VAT: Value added tax, administered by ZATCA. Official page

Wathq: The Ministry of Commerce platform for verified commercial data about registered businesses. Official page
Work-permit skill levels: The classification of expatriate work permits by skill level. Qiwa and the labour ministry publish the current categories. Official page

Zakat: A levy administered by ZATCA on the Saudi- and GCC-owned share of a business. Foreign-owned shares are generally subject to income tax instead. Official page
ZATCA: The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority. Official page

Frequently asked questions

Are these the legal definitions of the terms?

No. They are short, general meanings in plain English, to help you follow what you read. The exact meaning of a term comes from the Saudi law or the official body that uses it. Where an entry links an official page, that page has the current rules.

What if a term I need is not in the glossary?

The glossary covers the terms that foreign companies and individuals meet most often, so some words are not here. Try another English spelling, or the Arabic word, first. If the term comes up in your own matter, send us a short outline that names it. Please don’t send documents yet.

Do these meanings change when Saudi law changes?

Sometimes. A new law can change what a term covers, or replace an old term with a new one. For example, investment registration replaced the foreign-investment licence in 2025, as our guide to what “MISA licence” means now explains. Dated changes that affect foreigners are listed on What’s changed.