The Salamah platform is the General Directorate of Civil Defense e-portal where a facility’s safety licence is managed for its whole life: registration and issue, yearly renewal, amendment when facility data changes, ownership transfer when the business is sold, and cancellation when it closes. This article maps each service to the situation that calls for it. If you want someone to run the file with you, see AZEIDK’s Civil Defense approval support service.
The short answer: Salamah serves facility owners, safety companies and engineering offices. The owner issues, renews, amends, transfers or cancels the licence from their account, while approved companies and offices issue the invoices, reports and maintenance contracts behind it. Per the platform overview, the licence is valid for one year from final approval, and renewal can be requested a month before expiry.
Key takeaways
- Civil Defense launched licensing services on the Salamah portal in May 2023, including issue, ownership transfer, amendment, cancellation and facility file updates.
- You register with one of three account types: licence applicant, safety and elevator company, or engineering and technical services office.
- The activity classification (direct or indirect) sets the documents for every service, not only for the first issue.
- Per the platform guide, a licence is valid for one year from final approval. Renewal opens one month before expiry, through the renewal icon next to the licence.
- Any change of area, activity or owner goes through the amendment or ownership transfer service; do not leave it until renewal time.
In this article
- Salamah platform: who uses it, and with which account?
- Map of Civil Defense e-services for a facility
- Your activity classification sets the path for every service
- From registration to licence issue
- Renewing the Salamah licence every year
- Amendment, ownership transfer and cancellation
- The role of the safety company and the engineering office
- How Salamah links with Balady and the Saudi Business Center
- Common mistakes on the Salamah platform
- How AZEIDK helps with your Salamah file
- Frequently asked questions
- Conclusion
Salamah platform: who uses it, and with which account?
The platform overview published by Elm, the company that developed it, says users choose an account type when they register at salamah.998.gov.sa. Each type has different services:
| Account type | Who | What it does on the platform |
|---|---|---|
| Licence applicant (investor) | The facility owner or their representative | Issue, renew and cancel the Civil Defense licence, and transfer its ownership |
| Safety or elevator company | A safety company approved by Civil Defense | Get qualified on the platform, provide maintenance contracts, and issue safety equipment installation certificates and invoices |
| Engineering and technical services office | An approved consulting office | Get qualified on the platform and issue technical reports where the activity needs one |
The owner never issues the invoice or report; it comes from an approved company or office account and is linked to the request. Our Salamah certificate guide explains how to check one.
Map of Civil Defense e-services for a facility
The Saudi Press Agency reported the launch of licensing services on the Salamah portal on 18 May 2023.
| Service | When you need it | What to check first |
|---|---|---|
| Issue a Salamah licence | A new facility or a new site | Activity classification, safety systems installed on site, and the equipment invoice, technical report or maintenance contracts for your pathway |
| Renew the licence | Before the year runs out | A valid maintenance contract that covers the installed systems, and matching facility data |
| Amend the licence | Facility data on the licence has changed | Whether the change affects area, activity or classification, and whether systems must be added |
| Transfer licence ownership | The business is sold or passes to a new owner | The new owner’s details and commercial registration, and the state of systems and contracts on site |
| Cancel the licence | The business closes or leaves the site | Closing the obligations tied to the site, including the maintenance contract |
| Update the facility file | Contact or file details change | Data matching the commercial registration and the Balady licence |
Your activity classification sets the path for every service
Before any request, check your activity’s classification with the platform’s investor journey service. The platform guide splits activities into two groups:
- Direct activities: low to medium hazard. Civil Defense licenses them directly once the safety equipment invoice or technical report is entered, depending on the activity. Instant issue is available for low-hazard activities.
- Indirect activities: high hazard. They need a contract with a safety company and maintenance contracts, then a Civil Defense inspection before the licence is issued.
A change of activity or a larger area can move a facility to another path, changing the documents. We cover the paths in detail in instant licences and direct vs indirect activities.
From registration to licence issue
The issue sequence in the platform guide:
- Register as a licence applicant and enter the facility details.
- Check the activity classification with the investor journey service.
- Fit the site with the safety systems and equipment its activity needs.
- Direct activity: enter the safety equipment invoice from a qualified company, or the technical report from an approved engineering office.
- Indirect activity: after preliminary approval you receive a text message with a verification code. Give it to the safety company you chose so it can complete the requirements and start installation. The inspection follows.
- The licence appears in the facility account after final approval.
The documents list is in how to get a Salamah certificate. Give the verification code only to the company that will actually install for you.
Renewing the Salamah licence every year
Per the platform guide, the licence is valid for one year from the date of Civil Defense final approval. Renewal can be requested one month before expiry, using the renewal icon next to each licence in the account.
For indirect activities, renewal in practice depends on a valid maintenance contract with an approved safety company that covers the systems on site. On 16 August 2026 the Insurance Authority, with Civil Defense, announced third-party liability insurance for crowded places and high-risk activities as a basic licence requirement for covered activities, applied in phases. More detail is in Salamah licence renewal and the maintenance contract. The contract itself sits under our preventive maintenance contracts.
Amendment, ownership transfer and cancellation
These services exist since launch but are rarely explained. The guidance below is practical, not an official text; the platform’s request screen is the final reference.
Amending a Salamah licence
Needed when licence data changes: added area, a new activity or new registration details. First ask whether the change raises the hazard or classification, and whether current systems cover the new area. More area can mean extra detectors, extinguishers or an exit, and the old invoice does not cover what was never installed.
Transferring Salamah licence ownership
When a shop or warehouse is sold, the licence moves to the new owner through the ownership transfer service instead of a new issue. Before signing, check the licence expiry and whether the maintenance contract transfers or must be renewed. A near-expiry licence and a lapsed contract mean the buyer starts with an incomplete file.
Cancelling the licence
When the business closes or leaves the site, cancel the licence from the account so it does not stay registered to a site you no longer run. Coordinate the cancellation with ending the maintenance contract and handing the site back.
The role of the safety company and the engineering office
Civil Defense approves companies and offices on the platform before they work through it, and the platform lists approved companies:
- Safety company: issues the safety equipment invoice for direct activities and equipment installation certificates, and provides maintenance contracts for indirect activities.
- Engineering office: issues the technical report for direct activities that need one.
- Facility owner: owns the account and the request, chooses the company, gives it the verification code and follows up on observations.
The alarm and suppression systems are designed and installed to the Saudi Fire Protection Code SBC 801 and Civil Defense requirements, and the platform does not replace correct work on site. For how the code and the requirements relate, see SBC 801, SBC 201 and Civil Defense requirements.
How Salamah links with Balady and the Saudi Business Center
In February 2024 the Saudi Business Center announced the instant, single-step issue of two licences for more than 600 commercial activities: the municipal commercial licence and the Civil Defense safety licence. Stated conditions include a lease, title deed or site investment contract, a safety equipment invoice or safety report, and meeting the activity requirements on both Balady and Salamah. Balady says the safety permit can be obtained without visiting the authority. Any mismatch between the two platforms shows up when they connect, so update both together.
Common mistakes on the Salamah platform
- Expanding or adding an activity without an amendment request.
- Buying a running business without checking the licence expiry and the maintenance contract.
- Giving the verification code to a company that has not agreed to do the work.
- Working with a firm that does not appear among the approved companies on the platform.
- Leaving renewal to the last week, although the request opens a month before expiry.
- Keeping a licence active on a site that has closed instead of cancelling it.
- Different data in the commercial registration, the Balady licence and the Salamah facility file.
How AZEIDK helps with your Salamah file
Under our Civil Defense approval support service, we confirm the classification, prepare a requirements checklist per request type, produce a gap report on alarm, suppression and safety equipment, and follow observations to closure within the agreed scope. Supply, installation or repair work is quoted separately. AZEIDK holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certificates covering its fire and low current work. The licence decision and its duration rest with the authority, and no party can guarantee them in advance.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Salamah platform?
The Civil Defense e-portal where facility safety licences are issued, renewed, amended, transferred and cancelled, and where safety companies and engineering offices are approved.
Can I register on Salamah without visiting Civil Defense?
Yes. Registration and requests are online. High-hazard indirect activities still get a Civil Defense site inspection before the licence is issued.
How long is a Salamah certificate valid, and when do I renew?
Per the platform guide, one year from final approval. Renewal is requested one month before expiry through the renewal icon in the account.
How do I transfer a Salamah licence when I sell the shop?
Use the platform’s ownership transfer service rather than a new issue. Check the licence and maintenance contract are valid before the sale.
How do I amend a Salamah licence after a change of area or activity?
Through the amendment service. If the change raises the hazard or adds area, you may need extra systems and a new invoice or report before the amendment is approved.
Is a maintenance contract with an approved company required for every facility?
The platform guide requires maintenance contracts with a safety company for indirect activities. Direct activities rely on the safety equipment invoice or technical report, and the systems must still work.
What are the Salamah certificate fees?
Fees are shown on the platform when you apply and vary by case. System, invoice and contract costs are separate.
Conclusion
Salamah is not a one-off step. The licence is renewed every year, amended with each expansion or new activity, transferred on a sale and cancelled on closure. Know your classification, keep the maintenance contract valid, keep your data consistent across Salamah, Balady and the commercial registration, and file the right request on time.
Planning an expansion, a sale or a renewal soon? Send us the activity, the area and the current licence status, and we will tell you which Salamah service you need and what the site needs before you apply. Talk to the AZEIDK team
