How to become a supplier to companies in Saudi Arabia: steps and documents

Every buyer starts with your CR. Since the new Commercial Register Law took effect on 3 April 2025, an establishment has one CR for the whole Kingdom, and the old renewal became an annual confirmation of the register data every 12 months. A CR that is not confirmed in time can be suspended, and a buyer who checks it will see that.

Before you approach any company, open the Saudi Business Center and check three things. First, the status is active. Second, the registered activities include the goods or services you plan to quote, because a buyer can reject an offer outside your activity. Third, the national address and contact details are current. Write down the confirmation date and put a reminder well before it. Our guide to the CR annual confirmation covers the steps and the official fees in detail. With the CR in order, the other papers follow more easily.

Most corporate buyers ask for a VAT certificate and a Zakat certificate. Aramco, for example, lists a valid Zakat certificate and a valid VAT certificate among the government documents a Saudi supplier needs. The VAT certificate also matters for your quotations and invoices, because a VAT-registered buyer expects your VAT number on them.

On its VAT registration service page, ZATCA states that registration is mandatory when annual revenue exceeds SAR 375,000, and optional when revenue is above SAR 187,500 and below SAR 375,000. If you are below the mandatory line, voluntary registration may still help you sell to companies that expect a VAT number, but the decision depends on your numbers, so check with ZATCA or your accountant. The Zakat certificate comes from ZATCA after you file your Zakat return. Keep both certificates current, and note their dates in the same calendar as your CR confirmation.

Buyers want to see that you employ people properly. The GOSI establishment certificate is issued by the employer through the GOSI electronic services: choose the establishment, open the certificate icon, pick the compliance certificate and issue it. The Unified National Platform lists the service as free. The Saudization certificate is issued on Qiwa, also free, and from 15 April 2026 only Saudi contracts documented on Qiwa count in Nitaqat.

If you are a small or medium business, add the Monsha'at Enterprise Size Certificate. Monsha'at issues it free for enterprises with 1 to 249 employees and annual revenue up to SAR 200 million, and it is valid for one year. In government tenders it can give exemption from the initial guarantee and priority in limited tenders and direct purchases, subject to each entity's terms. Aramco also asks SMEs for a Monsha'at Jadeer certificate where applicable. Issue fresh copies of these papers when a buyer asks, rather than sending old files.

The new Commercial Register Law requires an establishment to open bank accounts linked to it, and buyers pay suppliers by bank transfer, so the bank letter is part of almost every registration form. The account name must match the name on your CR. A mismatch is a common reason for a buyer to hold a registration or a payment.

Next, build a supplier profile that a procurement team can read in two minutes. Put your legal name, CR and VAT numbers, address, contact person with a company email, and the categories you supply. Add your product list with units and the brands you carry, your certifications, two or three references from past customers, and your official stamp. Save every document as a clear PDF with a file name that says what it is and its date. Large buyers like Aramco also ask for an acknowledgement of their supplier code of conduct and a company ownership profile, so keep your ownership papers ready.

With the papers ready, choose where to sell. Large companies run their own vendor portals. Aramco, for example, asks Saudi companies to register as suppliers through its e-Marketplace platform. Government entities buy through Etimad, which has its own registration. Many private companies send RFQs directly or through B2B platforms. Our guides to vendor registration with large companies, Etimad and private-sector RFQs cover each route.

Be realistic about what registration does. Aramco states that registering and then qualifying as a supplier does not guarantee future business. Orders come from answering requests well. When the first RFQ arrives, answer every line, state the unit, price, VAT, delivery time and validity of your offer, attach the papers the buyer asked for, and send it before the deadline. Then follow up politely. A clear first quotation, sent on time, is often what turns a registered supplier into an active one.

ENTEK does not register you with Aramco, Etimad or any other buyer portal, and it does not issue or check any certificate. What it gives a supplier is a place to sell to corporate buyers once your papers are ready. Suppliers can open an account themselves, with email verification and two-factor authentication (authenticator app or email code).

You then build a verified company profile with CR and VAT numbers, certifications, key personnel and official stamp, so the papers from steps 1 to 4 sit in one place. On ENTEK you can receive orders from corporate buyers on ENTEK automatically. You can also receive RFQs, submit bids and negotiate in rounds, with delivery options per line, and get purchase orders when you win. ENTEK does not promise orders or RFQs: what you receive depends on buyers on ENTEK and on your offers. You can start on the Free plan, with 1 store, 10 RFQs and 10 users, and move to the Basic, Advanced or Premium plan later.