Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1

What are the most important regions for mineral expeditions in Saudi Arabia?

Accepted Answer

"Not every mineral region has been discovered yet, and there are many resources that have not been used; the Dur’a (Arabian Shield), with an area of 60000 km, is considered a key source for minerals. There have been over forty-eight types of minerals discovered in Saudi Arabia, with at least fifteen commercial types.

In 2016, the Kingdom collaborated with Watts, Griffis, and McOuat Limited to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the kingdom’s mineral potential; one of the reports found that the kingdom’s ability to produce minerals is thanks to the mineral deposit size, which is considered a source for gold, brass, zinc, lead, and silver. The report also showed other resources for different types of minerals. This production will be a link to discovering plenty of other resources.

In addition, the Ministry has identified 60 investment opportunities. It is also projected that more opportunities will arise in the next few years. The investor can check licensing opportunities through the mining platform, as well as contact the ministry (Link) for more information."

Question 2

What is the kingdom’s total resource for mineral deposits?

Accepted Answer

"There are plenty of resources that have not been utilized, as the report by Watts, Griffis, and McOuat Limited shows; the Kingdom has a plethora of reserves for minerals, such as gold, zinc, silver, etc. Here are some examples of the reserves:

EMINERS form for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s gold:

A 50% trust rate
Resources’ total: 56,263,984 oz
Mineral resources are worth a total of seventeen billion US dollars.
EMINERS form for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s zinc:

A 50% trust rate
Resources’ total: 4,383,900 tons
Total value of mineral resources: nine billion US dollars
EMINERS form for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s lead:

A 50% trust rate
Resources’ total: 448,900 tons
Total mineral resource value: 0.8 billion US dollars
EMINERS form for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s silver:

A 50% trust rate
Resources’ total: 95,938,000 oz
Total value of mineral resources: two billion US dollars
EMINERS form for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s nickel:

A 50% trust rate
Resources’ total: 108,000 tons
Total mineral resource value: 1.6 billion US dollars"

Question 3

What is the procedure for submitting an application for an industrial license document?

Accepted Answer

"Logging in through an industrial platform.
Creating a new user account.
Activating the account through the link sent to the email. 
Submitting a new industrial license application."

Question 4

How can I renew an Expired industrial license ?

Accepted Answer

Document renewal is provided through an industrial platform.

Question 5

How long is an industrial license document valid for?

Accepted Answer

MIM issues the factory's industrial license, which is valid for five years and can be renewed for a similar term or period. But If the license is renewed under the terms of a responsibility agreement, the renewal will be for one year.

Question 6

How can the industrial license certificate be printed once its issue has been approved?

Accepted Answer

Through the industrial platform's list of industrial licenses.

Question 7

Is there a fee associated with the issuance of an industrial license document?

Accepted Answer

There are no costs associated with providing the service or issuing a license.

Question 8

What incentives and benefits are available to investors who hold an industrial license?

Accepted Answer

"Exemption from financial compensation for labor.
Exemptions from customs duties for raw materials and machinery.
Employment support service.
Chemical clearance service.
Priority is given to local factories when contracting with government and private entities, by using the industrial license as an official document."

Question 9

Who is permitted to issue a document for an industrial license?

Accepted Answer

MIM, through the Industrial Services Agency - Department of Industrial Licensing, is the approved entity.

Question 10

What are the approved districts for an industrial license?

Accepted Answer

"The approved districts for obtaining an industrial licenses are the industrial cities, The Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, and the Economic Cities and Industrial Zones Authority approved by the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing.

An industrial license can also be issued for industrial activities that have contracts with government entities such as ports, universities, Saudi Aramco, and etc. As for the food industry activities located within the agricultural scope, the approval of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture must be obtained before the approval of the municipality."

Question 11

What are the circumstances that require amending the customs exemption decision after its issuance?

Accepted Answer

"The factory can apply for an amendment to the issued customs exemption decisions in the following cases:

Discrepancy in the exempted item name: When there is a discrepancy between the name of the exempted item in the exemption decision and the imported item's name in the purchase invoice.

Mismatch in unit of measurement: If the unit of measurement for the exempted item in the exemption decision does not match the unit of measurement for the imported item in the purchase invoice.

Change in the company's name: When the name of the facility in the commercial registry of the factory changes after the issuance of the exemption decision, and it differs from the name of the facility in the industrial license.

Difference in exemption period: If there is a difference between the exemption period specified in the issued decision for the factory and the customs declaration date for the imported item."

Question 12

What is an industrial exemption?

Accepted Answer

It is granted by the government to factories that have the industrial license under the Common Industrial Regulatory Law (Regulation) of GCC for exempting them from tax (customs duties) on their imports of machines, equipment, spare parts, raw materials, semi-finished and finished materials, and necessary packaging and wrapping materials directly for production throughout the period of the industrial facility.

Question 13

What is the customs exemption service?

Accepted Answer

The industrial investor is eligible to obtain customs exemption for the industrial facility since the issuance of the industrial license under the Unified Industrial Regulation (System) Law of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. This is achieved by exempting the facility from customs tax (fees) on its imports of machinery, equipment, spare parts, raw materials, semi-finished materials, finished goods, and packaging materials directly used for production.

Question 14

What are the conditions for obtaining the industrial exemption?

Accepted Answer

"The factory has a valid industrial license.
The factory has a valid commercial register that matches the name of the facility of the industrial license.
The imported item has not a local similar item in the local factories.
Machines and spare parts have to be of the factory supplies.
The quantity of the required materials shall not exceed the licensed production capacity of the factory."

Question 15

How to get the industrial exemption?

Accepted Answer

"You can apply for the exemption through senaei platform of the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources by logging into in the investor’s account on the platform, and then you find all the services provided by the industrial services agency. One of those services is customs exemption, and then you find three icons, which you can choose any of them according to what you wish as follows:

A basic exemption of materials request.
An append exemption of materials request (this icon works in case you have a valid basic exemption of materials request).
Machines or spare parts request.
The factory can also apply for exemption of materials, machines or spare parts at the same time in the section dedicated to it."