In short: an organizer based outside Saudi Arabia should settle four things before preparing a SCEGA application: which Saudi entity will apply, which licences that entity’s account type allows, what the local partner will and will not handle, and who signs off each document. Getting these wrong usually means a new application, not a quick fix.
This guide is a qualification checklist for international organizers, including teams in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Turkey planning business events in Saudi Arabia. It does not repeat fees, timelines or visa rules; for those, see our SCEGA requirements, fees and processing times guide.
1. Which entity will apply
SCEGA licences are requested through accounts on its e-portal, and each account type is opened with Saudi documents. The account types page lists, for example, a commercial registration with the exhibition and conference organizing activity for organizing companies, and a commercial registration or licence for private companies, chambers of commerce, associations and charities.
The published account types do not describe an account for a foreign entity without a Saudi registration. If your organization has no Saudi entity, confirm the right route with SCEGA before planning the application, and do not assume a foreign company can open an account directly.
2. Which licences that account type allows
The account type decides which licences are available. From SCEGA’s account types page:
| Account type | Licences listed |
|---|---|
| Exhibition and conference organizing companies | Product showcase, trade exhibition, consumer exhibition, conference / seminar / forum, meeting / workshop / training, lecture |
| Private-sector companies | Product showcase, meeting / workshop / training, lecture |
| Chambers of commerce | Product showcase, lecture, conference / seminar / forum, meeting / workshop / training |
| Professional, scientific and health associations | Conference / seminar / forum, lecture, product showcase, meeting / workshop / training |
| Training institutes and centres | Meeting / workshop / training, product showcase, lecture |
| Charities | Conference / seminar / forum, lecture, meeting / workshop / training, charity exhibition |
In practice, a local subsidiary registered as a private company cannot request a conference or trade exhibition licence from its own account. In that case the licence has to be requested by an account type that allows it.
3. Will SCEGA treat the event as international?
SCEGA’s conference rules classify a conference, forum, seminar or gathering as international if 15% of attendees come from outside Saudi Arabia, or from three or more countries. The classification affects the fee in SCEGA’s published fee schedule. Its trade exhibition rules use their own threshold for exhibitors and visitors from abroad; check them if your event includes an exhibition.
Estimate the attendee mix early, because it decides how the event is classified and which official fee applies.
4. What the local partner covers
International organizers often work with a Saudi partner. Write the split down before the application starts. The matrix below is a working practice we recommend, not a SCEGA template:
| Task | Licence holder (applying entity) | International organizer | Local partner | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portal account and submission | Owns | Provides information | Prepares the file if agreed | — |
| Business plan, agenda and speaker details | Approves | Drafts | Checks against SCEGA’s list | — |
| Venue booking and host registration on the portal | Confirms | Contracts the venue if needed | Follows up | Registers as host |
| Replies to SCEGA notes | Submits the reply | Provides facts | Drafts the reply | Provides venue documents |
| Licence number on marketing materials | Responsible | Applies it | Reviews | — |
| Post-event report | Submits | Provides attendance data | Compiles if agreed | — |
5. Obligations that continue after approval
SCEGA’s conference rules place duties on the licence holder. Decide who handles each one:
- no advertising of the conference in any form before the licence is issued;
- the SCEGA licence number on all advertising and marketing materials;
- name badges showing name, job title and organization for staff, speakers and visitors;
- a report to SCEGA within 15 days of the conference ending, with the detailed programme and the other details the rules list.
Questions to settle with SCEGA in writing
- Which entity and which account type will request the licence?
- Does the event combine formats, such as a conference with an exhibition, and which licence or licences does it need?
- Will the expected attendance make the event international?
- Is the venue registered as a host on the portal?
SCEGA’s FAQ says organizers bringing an edition of an international event to Saudi Arabia can write to SCEGA with the details so it can consider facilitation. Its service pages give 8004290004 and info@scega.gov.sa as contact channels.
Hypothetical example
This example is invented to show the method and does not describe a real client or a SCEGA decision.
A European association plans a two-day medical forum in Riyadh. Its Saudi branch is registered as a health association, so it can request a forum licence. Around 20% of attendees will travel from abroad, so the forum is likely to be classified as international. The association agrees that the branch applies, the international secretariat drafts the agenda and speaker details, and a local partner checks the file and coordinates with the hotel.
How BiliEvent can help
We coordinate business-event licensing as part of planning and running events in Saudi Arabia for organizers based abroad: preparing the file with the applying entity, coordinating with the venue and following up on notes. BiliEvent is a private company and is not SCEGA; licensing decisions belong to SCEGA alone.
Submit a request, or see our event management service.
Sources
- SCEGA account types (page last updated 30 November 2025; checked 20 October 2026)
- SCEGA fee schedule (page last updated 30 November 2025; checked 20 October 2026)
- SCEGA rules and procedures: conferences; trade exhibitions (conference and trade-exhibition rules checked 20 October 2026)
- SCEGA FAQ (page last updated 24 November 2025; checked 20 October 2026)
Last reviewed: October 20, 2026