Do you know what the law expects from your online store before a customer ever complains?
The Saudi e-commerce law, issued by the Council of Ministers, sets out what an online store must publish, how it must handle customer data, what an invoice and an ad have to contain, and when a customer may return a product. Knowing it protects your store as much as it protects your buyers. In this guide, you'll learn the most prominent articles of the law, chapter by chapter.
The law defines e-commerce and the parties to it, requires stores to publish their details and contract terms, restricts how long customer data may be kept, sets the information an invoice and an advertisement must carry, provides for store authentication through services such as Maroof, and gives the consumer 7 days from receipt to return a product, with specific exceptions.
📌 Article overview
- Chapter one: definitions, objectives, and provisions
- Chapter two: store details and electronic transactions
- Chapter three: protecting consumer rights
- Frequently asked questions
Chapter one: definitions, objectives, and provisions
The law defines the terms it works with:
- E-commerce: an activity of an economic nature carried out by the service provider and the consumer — wholly or partly — by electronic means, in order to sell products, provide or advertise services, or exchange data about them.
- The contract: the agreement concluded electronically between the parties dealing in e-commerce.
- The electronic store: a platform that lets the service provider display or sell a product, provide a service, advertise it, or exchange data about it.
- Electronic store authentication bodies: the bodies licensed by the Ministry to carry out the authentication of electronic stores.
It also defines a further set of terms, including data, person, merchant, practitioner, service provider, consumer, electronic message, electronic advertisement, and electronic means.
The provisions themselves are all built to secure the consumer's rights, chiefly:
- Being given the full details of the electronic stores they deal with, along with accurate information about the goods and their features, with nothing misleading.
- The right to return products after receiving them.
- Protection of their personal data, and a ban on circulating it or using it for any other purpose.
- Handling of delays in delivering orders.
Chapter two: store details and electronic transactions
Chapter two covers the articles dealing with:
- The basic details of the electronic store.
- The details of the store's place of business.
- The details of the electronic contract.
- How consumer data is handled.
- The details of the invoice given to the consumer.
- The rules for the electronic advertising stores run.
- The rules governing the practitioner's work in e-commerce.
- The authentication of electronic stores.
What the electronic contract must state
On the electronic contract, the law requires the service provider to give the consumer a statement covering:
- The steps that have to be taken to conclude the contract.
- The merchant's own details.
- The advantages and characteristics of the products, goods, or services covered by the contract.
- A full statement of the price, including any taxes or extra fees on top of the price of the product or service.
- The payment and delivery procedures.
- The information about the product warranty.
How consumer data must be handled
Chapter two puts heavy emphasis on protecting consumer data, so that shoppers' privacy is preserved and their personal data and electronic communications are not used. The law also warns against keeping consumers' personal data longer than the nature of the e-commerce dealing requires.
What the invoice must include
On the invoice the consumer receives from the service provider, the law requires:
- The delivery date and place.
- The total price, with all extra fees.
- The cost of buying each product or providing each service.
What an advertisement must include
The law sets rules that store owners must follow when they run any advertising or promotional campaign for their products online, and requires the advertisement to carry:
- The name of the product or service being advertised.
- The name of the service provider.
- The merchant's contact channels.
Authenticating electronic stores
The law also addresses the authentication of electronic stores in the Kingdom through the bodies mandated by the Ministry of Commerce and Investment to authenticate electronic stores and outlets — foremost among them the Maroof service.
Maroof is a smart electronic service launched by the Ministry of Commerce and Investment together with Thiqah Business Services, serving consumers and merchants alike: it verifies the quality of the products, goods, and services store owners offer, which gives consumers more confidence in buying from a store that carries Maroof authentication.
Chapter three: protecting consumer rights
The consumer's right to return a product
The law confirms the consumer's full right to return a product and recover the money paid for it, within a set period of 7 days from the date the product was received.
It applies to every kind of product, good, and service sold, except:
- Products manufactured at the consumer's request or to specifications they set.
- Software downloaded over the internet.
- Discs, CDs, or information programs that have been used.
- Newspapers, magazines, publications, or books.
- Accommodation, transport, or catering services.
- Products with defects caused by the consumer's own mishandling.
In all of these cases the consumer cannot return the product or service and recover their money, except where the product itself has a manufacturing defect on the part of the service provider or the merchant.
📝 Important notes
This article summarizes the most prominent articles of the law, not its full text.
Not sure which authentication route applies to you? This tool walks you through it step by step: start here.
❓ Frequently asked questions
How long does a customer have to return a product?
7 days from the date they received it, with the money refunded.
Which products are outside the return right?
Custom-made products, downloaded software, used discs and information programs, newspapers, magazines, publications and books, accommodation, transport and catering services, and products damaged by the consumer's own mishandling. A manufacturing defect is still returnable.
What has to appear on the invoice I send a customer?
The delivery date and place, the total price including all extra fees, and the cost of each product bought or service provided.
What has to appear in my online ads?
The name of the product or service advertised, the name of the service provider, and the merchant's contact channels.
How long can I keep customer data?
No longer than the nature of the e-commerce dealing requires. The data may not be circulated or used for any other purpose.
What is Maroof?
A smart electronic service launched by the Ministry of Commerce and Investment with Thiqah Business Services to authenticate electronic stores, which gives consumers more confidence in buying from an authenticated store.