Maroof Registration in Saudi Arabia in 2026: Why the Ministry Now Points to the Business Platform

For Saudi online stores, Maroof is no longer the registration route the Ministry of Commerce points to. The ministry asked e-store owners to register their stores on the Business Platform, operated by the Saudi Business Center, rather than the Maroof platform, and says the Business Platform is "the one and only place for verifying and registering electronic stores in the Kingdom". Many guides still say "Maroof registration", because that was the name for years. This page explains what changed, as of October 2026, and what a UAE seller should check.

What is Maroof, and why do people still search for it?

Maroof began as a free ministry e-service. In 2017 the ministry urged owners of electronic shops and social-media marketers to sign up for it, said it kept their data with the ministry, and said it offered an evaluation service showing dealers' and clients' opinions of stores. In November 2019 the E-Commerce Council launched an E-Commerce Register and a Store Documentation Platform, described in English as "Ma'arouf", which let consumers report and lodge complaints about registered e-stores. That history is why older articles, and some current ones, still tell sellers to register on Maroof.

What replaced Maroof?

The Business Platform at business.sa. The ministry's announcement says the move aims to boost the credibility of e-commerce practices and strengthen the security of transactions through bank accounts linked to stores, and that it streamlines registration and verification. The announcement page was last modified on 7 May 2023, and we could not open business.sa itself from our tools, so check the live site for the current screens and any fees. We found no fee stated in the ministry announcement.

What do you need to register an e-store?

The ministry's stated requirements are a commercial registration certificate or a valid professional certificate, plus a commercial bank account. It explains that a business bank account boosts a store's credibility on financial transactions and helps prevent fraud.

What does the E-Commerce Law require?

The ministry called on e-stores to comply with the E-Commerce Law and its Executive Regulations from 20 October 2019, after the 90 days following publication in the Official Gazette. A summary by law firm Clyde & Co says the Executive Regulations specify how businesses register the e-store on the ministry's commercial register, that businesses have 30 days from creation to enter their main e-store, and that fines for breach can reach SAR 1 million. That is a law-firm summary from May 2020, so confirm the current text with the ministry. The summary also lists duties on terms and conditions, privacy, advertising with an unsubscribe option, and complaint handling.

Does a UAE company selling to Saudi customers need to register?

We could not find an official page that answers this. The ministry's announcement speaks of store owners with a commercial registration or professional certificate. The Clyde & Co summary says the E-Commerce Law applies to service providers selling to consumers in the Kingdom whether or not they are established there, but that the duty to enter an e-store on the register applies only to businesses with a Saudi trade license; businesses outside the Kingdom may register but do not have to. That is a 2020 law-firm reading, not a ministry statement, so treat it as a lead and confirm it.

The question depends on your route:

• Selling through noon's UAE to KSA lane: noon says an active UAE seller can expand into Saudi Arabia without a KSA trade license or KSA VAT registration. You are not running your own store. The routes are compared in selling in Saudi Arabia from the UAE.
• Your own website shipping into Saudi Arabia: this is where the E-Commerce Law and store registration become relevant. Pair it with Saudi VAT for UAE companies and SABER certificate cost.
• Amazon.sa: the marketplace handles the storefront. See Amazon.sa seller guide.

What are the steps if you do run a Saudi-facing store?

Based only on what the ministry and the law-firm summary state, a sensible order is:

1. Confirm with a Saudi lawyer whether your UAE company is in scope at all, and in what form it can hold a registration.
2. Gather the stated prerequisites: a commercial registration certificate or valid professional certificate, and a commercial bank account.
3. Register and verify the store on the Business Platform at business.sa, and read the current screens and any fee notice there, since the ministry's announcement lists none.
4. Publish the information the law requires on the store. The Clyde & Co summary lists terms and conditions, a privacy policy, a described complaints procedure, and an unsubscribe option in e-advertisements.
5. Separately sort out Saudi VAT, product conformity and customs.

What is not published, or not confirmed?

• The Business Platform fee: not stated in the ministry announcement.
• Whether a company without a Saudi commercial registration must or can register: not stated by the ministry. Only the 2020 law-firm summary addresses it (no duty, optional registration).
• The current penalty schedule in English: not found on a ministry page. The SAR 1 million figure comes from a 2020 law-firm summary.
• Whether Maroof still accepts new registrations: not stated. The ministry says the Business Platform is the one and only place for verifying and registering e-stores, so we do not recommend using Maroof.

Ministry pages, not blogs, are the final word here. If a consultant quotes a Maroof fee or timeline, ask for the ministry page it comes from.

How is this different from a UAE e-trader license?

A UAE reader may assume Saudi e-store registration works like the UAE e-trader license. It does not follow that it does. The Saudi route is a ministry register tied to a commercial registration or professional certificate and a bank account, while the UAE e-trader license is issued by a UAE economic department. See e-trader license for the UAE side. Holding one does not give you the other, and neither one replaces VAT registration in the country you sell into.

What does registration not do?

It does not replace tax or product compliance. Registering an e-store with the ministry does not register you for Saudi VAT, does not give you a product conformity certificate, and does not clear goods at customs. Those are separate processes with separate authorities. For the broader licensing picture, see Saudi business license for sellers. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm with the Ministry of Commerce or a Saudi lawyer.

FAQ

Is Maroof registration still required in Saudi Arabia? The Ministry of Commerce asked store owners to register on the Business Platform instead of Maroof and says that platform is the only place to verify and register e-stores. Some third-party guides still say Maroof, so check the ministry.

What do I need to register my online store in Saudi Arabia? The ministry says an e-store needs a registration certificate or a valid professional certificate and a commercial bank account to register on the Business Platform.

What is the E-Commerce Law start date? The ministry said the law and its Executive Regulations were enforced from Sunday 20 October 2019, after 90 days from publication in the Official Gazette.

How long do I have to register an e-store? A Clyde & Co summary of the Executive Regulations says businesses have 30 days to enter their main e-store on the ministry register from its creation. It is a secondary source from 2020, so verify.

What are the penalties? The same law-firm summary says fines for breaching the law can reach SAR 1 million. We found no official page listing the penalty schedule in English, so confirm with the ministry.

Do I need Maroof to sell on noon KSA? noon says UAE sellers can use its UAE to KSA lane without a KSA trade license, so the marketplace route does not involve registering your own store.

Next step: pick the route before the paperwork

Decide first whether you will sell through a marketplace or your own store, because only the second makes e-store registration your problem. For marketplace help, see noon account management from Blooprint, which manages Amazon.ae and noon seller accounts for brands.