沙特法律和政府常用术语词汇表

A

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

B

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

C

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

D

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

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

F

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

G

GOSI

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

I

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

J

Judicial aid (volunteer legal aid)

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

K

KSA Visa platform

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

L

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

M

"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

N

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

O

Off-plan sales (Wafi)

REGA's programme and licensing for selling or leasing property before it is completed. Official page

P

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

Q

Qiwa

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

R

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

S

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

T

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

U

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

V

VAT

Value added tax, administered by ZATCA. Official page

W

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

Z

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