Cairo: Saudi Arabia has banned non-Saudis from posting advertisements on social media without a prior licence, local media reported.
The Saudi General Commission for Audio-Visual Media has issued a circular banning non-Saudis who have no advertising licence and violated rules of dealing with expatriates from posting adverts on social media.
The commission said it had monitored violations by a number of foreigners , including expatriates and visitors, on social media and after examining their data they were found to have committed breaches including having no trade registries or licences and are not being part of a commercial entity or a licenced foreign investment institution.
“In coordination with the Ministry of Commerce, a circular will be generalised to commercial establishments requesting them not to deal with violating non-Saudi advertisers or invite them to events marketing products, services and commodities,” the commission added in a statement.
According to Saudi regulations including audio-visual media, e-commerce and anti-commercial cover-up systems, non-Saudis are not allowed to do unlicensed business for their own account.
Violating these rules is considered a crime punishable by up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of SR5 million. Earlier this month, Saudi authorities banned a celebrated Arab Snapchat influencer from advertising for publishing videos promoting tobacco through her social media accounts. A fine of SR400,000 was levied on the celebrity for advertising without a licence.
