Opening a restaurant in Saudi Arabia? What usually delays opening day isn’t the kitchen or the fit-out. It’s a step done out of order: the municipal licence won’t be issued before Civil Defense approval, health certificates need the shop licence first, and the menu has to show calories and caffeine from the first day.
This guide puts the steps in the order you actually go through them, from commercial registration to opening day. It’s based on the restaurant requirements issued by the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MOMAH) in 2025 and on the official service pages.
In short
- Start with your commercial registration (CR) on the Saudi Business Center, with the restaurant activity. It’s issued instantly.
- The Balady municipal licence needs Civil Defense approval (Salamah) and proof of the location: a lease or a title deed.
- Every staff member needs a health certificate, which usually takes 4–10 days.
- Menus show calories for every item and, since July 2025, caffeine, a salt icon and the activity needed to burn the calories.
- Plan at least eight weeks before opening, and decide where your screens go before the fit-out ends.
Before the licences: location and activity
The restaurant requirements say the site must be in an area zoned for commercial use, on a commercial street or inside a commercial centre, and that a proposed design is submitted to the municipality for review and approval. Before you sign a lease, check that a restaurant is allowed at the address and that the space and entrances suit your plans.
Foreign investors usually start with an investment licence from the Ministry of Investment before the steps below.
1. Commercial registration
The Ministry of Commerce issues the CR online through the Saudi Business Center, instantly after payment. Choose the restaurant activity carefully: the restaurant requirements ask for a valid CR that includes the activity being licensed. Once issued, the business is registered automatically with bodies such as the Ministry of Human Resources, ZATCA, GOSI and the Chamber of Commerce.
2. Proof of location: lease or title deed
Balady’s commercial licence service asks for proof of your right to the site: a lease, a title deed or an investment contract. Documenting leases on Ejar is mandatory, and renewing the licence later requires a valid lease registered there, so document it from the start.
3. Civil Defense approval (Salamah)
The restaurant requirements say Civil Defense approval comes before the licence is issued. You apply for the safety licence on the Salamah portal, signing in through Absher Business. The documents include:
- A copy of the commercial registration
- The building permit
- A site sketch
- The lease or proof of ownership
- A valid maintenance contract for the safety systems
- Insurance for the premises
The service page lists one day, but the safety equipment itself (extinguishers, alarms and emergency exits) must be in place on site first.
4. The municipal licence on Balady
After Civil Defense approval, apply for the commercial licence on Balady. Attachments include proof of location, the safety equipment invoice or Civil Defense safety report, and a copy of the building permit. The service page gives an expected time of 1 to 10 days.
You can’t start operating before the licence is issued. The requirements also say your shop sign must match the licence details and follow your city’s approved sign guide, and outdoor seating on the sidewalk needs a sidewalk occupancy permit.
5. Health certificates for staff
Everyone working in a food business needs a health certificate. It’s issued on Balady after the shop licence and the worker’s profession are checked, a medical exam at a centre approved by the Ministry of Health, and health education where your city requires it. It usually takes 4 to 10 days, is valid for a year and can be renewed 60 days before it expires.
6. Menus and screens: what to show from day one
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) requires calories for every item on restaurant and café menus, and since 1 July 2025 also caffeine content for drinks, a salt icon on high-salt items and the physical activity needed to burn the calories. This applies to printed and digital menus, delivery apps and QR menus.
The restaurant requirements add what goes inside the restaurant and on the shopfront:
- The unified QR code on the shopfront, linking to your licence and official documents, so you don’t need to print and hang them.
- Awareness signs required by the authorities, such as allergens and calories.
- Meat types and origin (local fresh or chilled, or imported with the country of origin and whether chilled or frozen), on a sign, tablet, screen or the menu, somewhere visible.
- Notices such as emergency numbers and opening hours, on a tablet, screen or frame.
With digital menu boards, all of this becomes part of the layout and changes with each item, so you don’t reprint signs every time the menu changes. Our page on getting a new restaurant’s screens ready before opening has a planner that works out the dates from your opening day.
7. Electronic payment and cameras
The requirements say you must offer working electronic payment, can’t refuse it, and must show a sticker with the payment options on the shopfront or inside. Security cameras must be installed under the Security Surveillance Cameras Law and its implementing regulations.
8. VAT and invoicing
VAT registration is mandatory once your taxable supplies exceed SAR 375,000 over 12 months, and voluntary above SAR 187,500. Once registered, your invoices must meet the e-invoicing rules, so choose a POS that supports them from the start.
Steps, authorities and expected times
| Step | Authority or platform | Expected time |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial registration | Ministry of Commerce · Saudi Business Center | Instant |
| Documented lease | Ejar | Before you apply for the licence |
| Civil Defense approval | Salamah (Absher Business) | One day, per the service page |
| Municipal licence | Balady | 1–10 days |
| Health certificates | Balady, after a medical exam | 4–10 days |
| VAT registration | ZATCA | Once you pass SAR 375,000 |
Times are from the official service pages as of October 2026 and vary by city and how complete the application is.
A timeline for the last weeks before opening
- As soon as the site is confirmed: add your opening date to your Google Business Profile. You can enter it up to a year ahead, and your profile appears in Search and Maps 90 days before opening (Google help).
- 8 weeks before: apply for the safety licence and then the municipal licence. Decide where the screens go before the fit-out ends: power and internet behind each screen, at a height people can read from the queue.
- 6 weeks before: lock the menu and prices, collect calories and caffeine for every item, and choose your POS.
- 4 weeks before: start staff health certificates, design the menu screens, and order outdoor displays if your shopfront faces the sun.
- 2 weeks before: install and pair the screens, set breakfast, lunch and dinner schedules, and check the prices match the till.
- 1 week before: soft opening, train staff to change the menu from a phone, and schedule the opening offer to start and end on its own.
Pre-opening checklist
Get your menu screens ready before opening
Enter your opening date in the opening planner, and we’ll help you set up your screens and menus before day one. Your first screen is free for good, and setup is free for every screen when you sign up by 31 January 2027.
Questions
What is the first step to open a restaurant in Saudi Arabia?
Your commercial registration on the Saudi Business Center, with the restaurant activity. It’s issued instantly, and you need it for every step after it: the safety licence, the municipal licence and the health certificates.
Do I need Civil Defense approval before the Balady licence?
Yes. The restaurant requirements say Civil Defense approval comes before the licence is issued. You apply through the Salamah portal.
How long do staff health certificates take?
Usually 4 to 10 days, per Balady’s service page, after a medical exam at an approved centre. They’re valid for a year and can be renewed 60 days before they expire.
Does a new restaurant’s menu need calories?
Yes. Calories are required for every item and, since 1 July 2025, also caffeine, the salt icon and the activity needed to burn the calories, on printed and digital menus and delivery apps.
Can meat types and origin be shown on a screen?
Yes. The restaurant requirements allow them on a sign, a tablet, a screen or the menu, somewhere visible.
When should I set up the menu screens?
Decide where they go before the fit-out ends so power and internet are ready, design the menus four weeks before opening, and install and pair the screens two weeks before so you can test them during the soft opening.
Sources: MOMAH restaurant requirements (Arabic, 2025), Saudi Business Center, Balady: commercial licence, Balady: health certificate, Civil Defense: Salamah, Ejar (Arabic), SFDA, ZATCA VAT guideline.
This guide is general information as of October 2026, not legal advice. Requirements and fees can change, so check the official platforms before you apply.
Read next: digital menu boards for restaurants, regular TV vs commercial display and what menu boards cost.
