Saudi sales season calendar
Countdowns to White Friday, Ramadan, Founding Day and National Day for stores selling in Saudi Arabia, and when to start preparing your offers.
Saudi discount permits: steps, limits and a sale-day planner
Enter a start and end date for at least one offer and your plan shows up here.
Total sale days
Partial permits
Full permits
Seasonal permitsDon't count against your yearly allowance
| Offer | Type | Period | Days | Apply for the permit |
|---|
Before every offer
Based on the rules the Ministry of Commerce published for shops and online stores. Your ticks stay on this page only.
Link the permit number to your discount schedule
In PopAutomate you save your discount permit number and dates with the discount schedule, and we remind you if a discount schedule has no permit covering its dates. The discount starts on time and the original price comes back afterwards.
What is a Saudi discount permit?
This guide is for stores that sell in Saudi Arabia. A discount permit (also called a sales license) is issued by the Ministry of Commerce and lets your business or online store lower the prices of specific products for a specific period. The ministry's merchant guide says a business may not discount prices or advertise discounts by any means without a permit. The permit carries a barcode that customers can scan with their phone to see the business details and the type, size and length of the discount.
Permit types in the merchant guide
- Partial discounts: at least 50% of the products on sale, 3 times a year.
- Full discounts: all products, 3 times a year.
- Seasonal discounts: during seasons the ministry sets, and they don't take any days from your discount allowance. You apply two weeks before the season starts.
- General discounts: for a final clearance when you close the business, change activity, renovate or move. Not for seasonal offers.
Seasons the ministry has announced seasonal permits for, for shops and online stores, include Founding Day, Ramadan through Eid al-Fitr, and National Day, and the ministry announces each season's period nearer the time. Follow the dates in the Saudi sales season calendar.
How to get the permit
These are the steps of the ministry's Sales Licensing service, as listed on its service page:
- Open the discount licensing system (sales.mc.gov.sa) and log in with your account or with Nafath (National Access).
- Choose "Discounts and Promotions Service", then "Discounts Service", then "Request a Discount".
- Fill in the request: the period, the list of discounted products, and their prices before and after the discount, then submit it.
- Pay the SADAD bill and print the permit. It is issued immediately, with no branch visit.
Conditions and fees
| Item | What the ministry says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | SAR 300 per shop | Service page |
| Who can apply | A merchant with a commercial registration, a commercial agency, or a trademark registered with the ministry | Service page |
| Attachments | The list of discounted products, and their prices before and after the discount | Service page |
| Share of products | Discounted products must be at least 50% | Service page |
| How often | Partial 3 times and full 3 times a year; seasonal permits don't count | Merchant guide (in Arabic) |
| Discount size | The overall average discount must be at least 10% of the price in the month before the sale starts | Merchant guide (in Arabic) |
| Penalty | A fine of up to SAR 50,000, up to six months in prison, or both, for discounting without a permit | Merchant guide (in Arabic) |
We found no published limit on the number of discount days per year or per permit on the ministry pages we reviewed, so we don't give one. Check the current rules on the Ministry of Commerce website before each application.
How to show the permit in your online store
Among the nine rules the ministry published for shops and online stores: get the permit before announcing the offer, show it somewhere prominent where customers can scan its barcode, state "from – to" discount ranges clearly, show the price before and after on every discounted product, and make the exchange and return policy for the offer period clear. In an online store this usually means the permit image in the offer banner or on the offers page, with the original price crossed out next to the sale price. And don't discount any product that isn't on the list approved in the permit.
How PopAutomate links the permit number to your discount schedule
PopAutomate doesn't apply for the permit for you. But you can save each permit's number and start and end dates in it and link them to a discount schedule. If a discount schedule has no permit covering its dates, or a permit's period doesn't cover the schedule, PopAutomate warns you. The discount itself starts on time and the original price comes back after the last day, so no discount keeps running after the permit ends. For the before-and-after price list the permit asks for, use the bulk sale price file generator or the discount calculator.
Sources
We last checked these sources on .
- Ministry of Commerce: "Sales Licensing" service page
- Discount licensing platform: sales.mc.gov.sa (in Arabic)
- Ministry of Commerce merchant guide (PDF, in Arabic)
- Ministry of Commerce: 9 rules for discounts in shops and online stores (in Arabic)
- Ministry of Commerce: licenses for 95th National Day discounts
- Ministry of Commerce: Ramadan 1447 sale season (in Arabic)
How to use it in 3 steps
-
Add your offers
For each offer you plan: the permit type (seasonal, partial or full), the start and end dates, and the discount if you know it.
-
Check the days and deadlines
The planner counts the days of each offer and your total for the year, compares your partial and full permits with the limits in the merchant guide, and shows when to apply for each seasonal permit.
-
Copy the plan and apply
Copy the plan or add it to your calendar, then apply for each permit on the ministry's platform before you announce the offer, and keep the permit number with your discount schedule.
Worked examples
95th National Day sales
The ministry announced a sale period from 16 to 30 September 2025: 15 days on a seasonal permit that doesn't count against your allowance. Under the two-week rule in the merchant guide, you would apply by 2 September.
Ramadan 1447 sale season
From 1 February to 26 March 2026 (13 Shaban to 7 Shawwal 1447): 54 days, the same number the ministry announced.
A partial offer over a weekend
A discount on 60% of your products from Thursday to Saturday: 3 days on a partial permit, which counts as one of your 3 partial permits for the year under the merchant guide.
An offer across two years
From 28 December 2026 to 3 January 2027: 7 days, 4 in 2026 and 3 in 2027. The planner counts the permit in the year it starts.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit for every discount in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. The Ministry of Commerce merchant guide says a business may not discount prices or advertise discounts by any means without a permit from the ministry, and the published rules require the permit before the offer is announced. The permit covers an approved list of products with their prices before and after, so do not discount a product that is not on the list. Check the current rules on the Ministry of Commerce website.
How long does a discount permit last, and how often can I get one?
You choose the period in your application and it is printed on the permit. According to the merchant guide, a partial permit (50% of your products or more) is allowed 3 times a year, a full permit (all products) 3 times a year, and a seasonal permit is requested two weeks before the season starts and does not count against your yearly allowance. We found no published limit on the number of days on the ministry's pages, so check the current rules on the Ministry of Commerce website before each application.
How much does a discount permit cost?
The ministry's Sales Licensing service page lists a fee of SAR 300 per shop, paid with a SADAD bill after you submit the request, and the permit is issued immediately. Fees can change, so check the current terms on the Ministry of Commerce website.
Do National Day sales need a permit?
Yes. Each year the ministry announces a National Day sale period and lets shops and online stores request a seasonal permit on sales.mc.gov.sa, which does not count against the yearly allowance. For the 95th National Day the period ran from 16 to 30 September 2025. The ministry has done the same for seasons such as Founding Day and Ramadan.
Where do I show the permit in my online store?
The rules require the permit to be shown somewhere prominent, where customers can scan its barcode to check it. In an online store that usually means an announcement bar, the offer banner or the offers page, with every discounted product showing its price before and after. In PopAutomate you save the permit number and dates with your discount schedule, and we remind you if a discount schedule has no permit covering its dates.
More free tools
Discount calculator
Find the sale price, the percentage off or the original price, with VAT and price rounding.
Bulk sale price file
Paste your product IDs or SKUs and prices, pick a discount, and download a CSV ready to schedule in PopAutomate.
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