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Saudi Arabia will no longer allow immediate test for driving license applicants without attending training sessions, announced Brig. Gen. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Bassami, director general of Traffic Department. Anyone wishing to obtain a new driving license should attend a 30-hour, 90-hour or 120-hour training course depending on their level of proficiency. Applicants with a good driving […]

With the end of an eight-month long amnesty in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Interior launched a massive anti-illegal residency campaign starting from November 15, 2017. About 7,500 illegal residents and violators of labor laws were arrested by the Saudi security forces on the first day of the operation. Earlier this year, as part of […]

The General Directorate of Passports (GDP) clarified through its official twitter account that it would offer a grace period of 60-days for residents to leave the country after the issuance of their Final Exit Visas. Moreover, despite the end of the “Nation without a Violator” campaign, this grace period can be utilized by residents with […]

The change of job-titles in Iqama (resident permit) has been halted by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MLSD). The ministry also informed that those who are restricted from changing the profession in their iqamas can challenge this decision online. Earlier a four-week grace period was given to companies and businesses involved in […]

The General Authority of Zakat and Tax (GAZT) has published the implementing regulations of Value Added Tax (VAT) through their website, vat.gov.sa which defines various exempted activities in the financial sector. Loans, credit cards, finance leases, mortgages, security transactions or bank notes, current accounts, deposits and savings account fall in the category of exempted activities. […]

Thales Group, a French multinational company focusing in aerospace, space, defense, ground transportation and security sectors, expressed its keen interest in the Kingdom’s military productions. The group will focus on assisting Saudis in localizing activities in the defense industry, security and civil businesses through training and knowledge-transfer programs, noted Patrice Caine, chairman and CEO of Thales Group. Thales Group, […]

Saudi Arabia is one among the top 20 countries in the world that is actively working towards improving the business sector, and is ranked second in the world’s high-income countries for business reforms, as per World Bank Group report. Several of the business reforms adopted by the Kingdom recently played a huge role in boosting […]

The Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MLSD) and the General Authority for Zakat and Income Tax (GAZT) signed a deal on information sharing between the two entities. The agreement was signed in the presence of Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Development Ahmed Al Humaidan, and governor of GAZT, Suhail Abanmi. The agreement aims […]

With only 52 days to go before the implementation of Value Added Tax (VAT) in Saudi Arabia, the General Authority of Zakat and Tax (GAZT) reminded businesses and companies to ensure that they are well-versed with the rules and regulations of VAT. VAT will be implemented in the Kingdom on January 1, 2018. Rules and […]