How to obtain a VAT Certificate in Saudi Arabia?

Value Added Tax (VAT) law in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) mandates businesses to obtain VAT registration if the annual taxable turnover exceeds a specified threshold limit. Obtaining a VAT certificate in Saudi is not a stand-alone process but a part of VAT registration.

VAT registration is mandatory to comply with KSA VAT law as they need it for invoicing and at different stages of business till timely reporting to Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA).

This article explains the step-by-step process to get, the importance, how to reprint and how to verify the VAT certificate in Saudi Arabia.

Step-by-step process to get a VAT certificate in Saudi Arabia

Obtaining the VAT certificate is a part of the VAT registration process. Businesses must follow the below steps to obtain a VAT certificate in Saudi Arabia:

Step 1: Log in to the ZATCA portal.

Step 2: Navigate to the ‘General Services’ tab.

Step 3: Go to the ‘Registration for VAT’ tab.

Step 4: Fill required details in the registration form and submit it.

Step 5: ZATCA will send a notification and the VAT certificate once your application is processed.

The VAT certificate in KSA contains the taxable person’s name, the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the effective date of registration. Also, each certificate bares a unique VAT certificate number.

Importance of VAT certificate in Saudi Arabia

VAT-registered businesses must display the VAT certificate in a visible place to the public at the main place of business and all branches. The VAT certificate is displayed to show that the businesses have been registered under VAT in KSA. Non-displaying VAT certificates at business places would attract penalties of up to 40,000 SAR.

How to reprint the VAT certificate in Saudi?

If you misplaced your VAT certificate, you can reprint it from the ZATCA portal by following the below steps:

Step 1: Log in to the ZATCA portal.

Step 2: Click on the ‘E-Services’ tab and select ‘Value Added Tax’.

Step 3: Select ‘Request to reprint of VAT Certification’.

Step 4: Then click on ‘Reprint of VAT Certification’

Step 5: Once the VAT certificate is downloaded, open the soft copy and print it.

How to verify the VAT certificate in Saudi Arabia?

ZATCA keeps a central register of all VAT-registered businesses. Customers or any other persons can check the validity of VAT registration using the VAT lookup tool, available on the “E-Services” section of the ZATCA website. 

Click here to know the step-by-step process to verify the VAT number in KSA.