Last updated: 11 November 2026
Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers approved a new Consumer Protection Law on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, at its session in Riyadh chaired by the Crown Prince. The law sets a minimum two-year warranty on new products, fines of up to SAR 8 million, and will take effect 180 days after it is published in the Official Gazette.
Commerce Minister Dr Majid Al-Qasabi called the approval “a significant legislative step toward strengthening consumer rights in the Kingdom”. It is the first single, comprehensive consumer law the Kingdom has had, with 76 articles.
What changed
The new Saudi consumer protection law brings shoppers’ rights into one law and replaces three older ones. These are the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law (2008), the E-Commerce Law (2019) and the Commercial Data Law (2002).
| Area | New rule |
|---|---|
| Warranty on new products | At least 2 years |
| Warranty on services and used products | At least 1 year |
| Buying away from the shop (door-to-door, events) | Cancel within 7 days without giving a reason, subject to conditions |
| Maximum fine | SAR 8 million |
| Maximum prison term | 2 years |
| Complaints | Unified number 935 |
Longer warranties can apply depending on the product. Service providers, such as repair shops, must show their prices up front and tell you what maintenance they will do, how long it will take and what it will cost.
The law also bans practices that shoppers in Saudi Arabia complain about every week:
- Fake reviews and edited customer comments
- Ads for products that are not in stock, or false “only 2 left” scarcity claims
- Paid promotions that are not disclosed as ads
- Extra charges for paying by a certain method
- Raising prices during a promotion, or forcing a purchase to enter a competition
Contract terms that clear a business of liability for its own negligence, or let it change or end the deal without your consent, will be void. In a crisis or pandemic, the authorities can fix prices, cap profit margins or require approval before prices go up, with Cabinet authorisation.
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Who is affected
Every buyer in the Kingdom is covered, Saudi or expat, whether you shop in a mall, online or from a seller at your door. Children, older people and people with disabilities get extra protection, including limits on adverts that could put children’s health or safety at risk.
Shops, online stores, service providers and advertisers carry the new obligations. More than 20 government bodies will enforce the law within their own sectors.
Penalties for businesses
Enforcement starts with an order to fix the violation by a deadline. Serious breaches can lead to fines of up to SAR 8 million, prison of up to two years, suspension of the business, seizure of products, blocked websites, withdrawn adverts and public warnings. A case can be closed if the business corrects the violation and settles with the affected customers.
What expats should do now
- Keep every receipt and invoice. A warranty claim starts with proof of purchase, and the two-year period runs from the sale date.
- Do not assume the new rules apply yet. Until the law takes effect, current rules still apply, including the ban on “no return, no exchange” signs.
- Screenshot online offers. If a “limited stock” or discount claim turns out to be false, a screenshot with the date is your evidence.
- Complain through official channels. Call 935 or use the Ministry of Commerce app and website.
What has not changed yet
The official start date is not known yet, because the law has not appeared in Umm Al-Qura (the Official Gazette). The Ministry has also not yet published the implementing regulations or a fine table for each violation. Existing regulators keep their powers, and rights you already have under other laws stay in place. The earlier draft of the law is on the government’s Istitlaa consultation platform.
We will update this page when the Gazette date and the regulations are out.