Saudi Influencer Advertising Rules: What Brands and Creators Need to Verify
The rules that apply to influencer advertising in Saudi Arabia, separated by who they apply to: the Mawthooq licence for individual creators, licensing for advertising agencies and offices, disclosure under the E-Commerce Law, Ministry of Commerce licences for discounts and contests, and SFDA rules for regulated products.
Saudi Arabia regulates influencer advertising through several authorities at once. The media regulator licenses the people and companies doing the advertising, the Ministry of Commerce polices how online ads and promotions are presented, and sector regulators control what can be said about certain products. A brand that checks only one of these can still get a campaign wrong.
Reviewed 9 October 2026. This page summarizes publicly reported requirements for planning purposes. It is not legal advice. The official service pages on the Saudi national portal and GAMR's e-services could not be loaded from our location when we reviewed this, so the details below are corroborated from reports of those pages; confirm current requirements with the relevant authority or a Saudi-licensed adviser before a campaign.
Quick answer
Brands running influencer campaigns in Saudi Arabia should verify five things: that each creator holds a Mawthooq licence from the General Authority for Media Regulation (GAMR) and posts from the account registered to it; that any agency or advertising office involved holds the relevant GAMR licence; that every post clearly states it's an advertisement, as the E-Commerce Law requires for online commercial ads; that any discount, contest or giveaway has a Ministry of Commerce licence; and that products regulated by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) have any required advertising approval. Non-Saudi creators face additional conditions.
Who each rule applies to
| Rule | Applies to | Authority | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mawthooq licence | Individuals who publish advertising content on social media | GAMR | Licence is current; the account is the one registered and linked to the licence |
| Advertising office, marketing office or agency licence | Companies that create or run advertising and marketing campaigns | GAMR | The agency's licence and commercial registration cover the activity |
| Advertisement disclosure | Online commercial advertisements, including by promoters on social media | Ministry of Commerce (E-Commerce Law) | Each post clearly states that it's promotional |
| Discount and contest licences | Stores and online stores running discounts, competitions or prize promotions | Ministry of Commerce | Licence obtained before the promotion; terms match the licence |
| Product advertising approval | Advertisers of SFDA-regulated products | SFDA | Whether the product category needs approval before advertising |
The Mawthooq licence for individual creators
The national portal lists the service as a licence for individuals publishing advertising content through social media, issued by GAMR. The conditions, as mirrored from the service page by a Saudi consultancy and consistent with Saudipedia and reporting at the scheme's launch, are:
- Applicants are Saudi nationals or residents aged 18 or over, with no criminal record for offences involving dishonesty or breach of trust
- Content published in the six months before applying must comply with the authority's regulations
- Applicants prove ownership of the social media accounts they'll advertise through; advertising may only run on accounts registered with the authority and linked to the licence
- Licensees undertake to follow GAMR's content, advertising and age-classification controls, supply information on request, and stop advertising any content immediately if the authority asks
- Resident or foreign investors are listed as needing a licence for an audiovisual advertising office, marketing office or advertising agency, with an ownership share of at least 50%
- The government fee is reported as SAR 15,000, with a three-year term reported at the scheme's launch
Arab News reported at launch in 2022 that non-Saudi residents would need representation by licensed agencies, and secondary sources since then describe the non-Saudi route differently. Treat the non-Saudi conditions as the area most likely to have changed, and confirm with GAMR before contracting a non-Saudi creator for Saudi advertising.
What the licence doesn't settle
- A UAE advertiser permit, or a licence in any other country, doesn't authorize advertising under Saudi rules
- A licensed creator still has to meet disclosure rules and product-specific requirements
- The brand remains responsible for the accuracy of what it asks creators to say
- Penalty amounts are reported differently across sources, so we haven't stated a figure; they include suspension of advertising as well as fines
Licences for agencies and advertising offices
Separately from the individual licence, GAMR licenses advertising offices, marketing offices and advertising agencies: companies and institutions that design and run advertising and marketing campaigns. The service is listed on the national portal and on GAMR's e-services. If you hire an agency to run Saudi creator campaigns, ask which licences it holds, which entity will contract the creators, and how it handles non-Saudi creators. Our guide to choosing an influencer marketing agency in Saudi Arabia covers the other questions to ask.
Disclosure under the E-Commerce Law
In September 2022 the Ministry of Commerce announced penalties against 24 promoters for violations on Snapchat, Twitter (now X), Instagram and TikTok, including failure to disclose that content was advertising, misleading advertisements and promoting unlicensed activity, as reported by Asharq Al-Awsat. The ministry said penalties under the E-Commerce Law can reach SAR 1 million, with blocking of websites and bans on the activity. In practice:
- Every sponsored post, Story or video should state clearly, in the language of the content, that it's an advertisement
- Gifts, free stays and products in exchange for content are commercial relationships too; treat them the same way
- Don't promote businesses or products that aren't licensed to operate
- Keep claims accurate: prices, availability, results and comparisons
Discounts, contests and giveaways
Discounts and competitions need a licence from the Ministry of Commerce before they run, for physical and online stores alike. Arab News reported the ministry referring 44 businesses for prosecution over unlicensed competitions and discounts, under the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law. If a creator announces your discount code or runs a giveaway for you, the licence is the business's responsibility, and the advertised terms should match the licensed terms. Check the current process with the Ministry of Commerce.
Products regulated by the SFDA
In July 2024 the SFDA said the following product groups need its approval before they're advertised: medical equipment and supplies, crop-protection chemicals, animal feed, foodstuffs and over-the-counter medicines. Cosmetics weren't on that list, but cosmetic products must be listed with the SFDA and their claims must stay within cosmetic use. For pharmaceutical and herbal products, a summary of the SFDA's advertising guideline (version 7.0) reports that influencer advertising requires notifying the SFDA before publication, a contract with the influencer and a valid Mawthooq licence. Confirm what applies to your product directly with the SFDA.
Other sectors, such as financial services, have their own regulators and promotion rules; check them for your category before briefing creators. How these rules play out for two common categories is covered in influencer marketing for beauty brands in Saudi Arabia and influencer marketing for e-commerce brands in Saudi Arabia.
A verification checklist for brands
- Creator: Mawthooq licence confirmed, account registered and matching the one in the contract
- Non-Saudi creator: route confirmed with GAMR or a Saudi-licensed adviser before contracting
- Agency: GAMR licence and commercial registration for advertising and marketing activity
- Disclosure: wording and placement agreed in Arabic and any other language used
- Promotions: Ministry of Commerce licence for any discount, contest or giveaway, with matching terms
- Product: SFDA listing or advertising approval where the category requires it
- Claims: approved claims list reviewed; no therapeutic or misleading claims
- Records: licences, approvals, briefs and final posts kept on file
Conclusion
Saudi influencer advertising is workable once you separate the questions: is this person licensed, is the agency licensed, is the ad disclosed, is the promotion licensed, and is the product allowed to be advertised this way? Answer each with evidence before content goes live, and recheck with the authorities, because these rules are still evolving. The wider planning context is in our guide to influencer marketing in Saudi Arabia.