To print a Civil Defense licence in Saudi Arabia, you download it from the establishment’s account on Salamah, the General Directorate of Civil Defense platform, once the licence has been issued. If the licence was issued instantly with the commercial licence through the Business Platform and Balady, it sits under the same commercial registration. When a licence does not show up, the cause is usually a different account or CR, an application still in progress, or an expired licence.
This article covers how to print the Salamah licence, how to check a licence and find its number, and what to do when it is missing. For system requirements and inspection readiness, see AZEIDK’s Civil Defense approval support service.
Key takeaways
- The licence is printed from the establishment’s Salamah account after issue. When the service launched in 2018, Civil Defense said licences are printed and renewed online (as reported by Sada).
- Instant licences for more than 600 activities are issued together with the commercial licence in one request on the Business Platform, per the Saudi Business Center announcement reported by Alkhafji News (February 2024).
- The Saudi Business Center’s unified electronic code linked Civil Defense permits with the CR and municipal licence in its first phase, according to Al Eqtisadiah (January 2024).
- The most common reasons a licence is missing: a different account or CR, an application not yet finally approved, or an expired licence that needs renewal.
- Give your application’s verification code only to the safety company you have actually contracted.
In this article
- What exactly are you printing: a licence, a permit or a certificate?
- How to print a Civil Defense licence from Salamah
- If the licence was issued instantly through Balady
- Checking a Civil Defense licence and its number
- Why is my Civil Defense licence not showing?
- When do you need a safety company or maintenance contract?
- How AZEIDK helps
- Frequently asked questions
- Conclusion
What exactly are you printing: a licence, a permit or a certificate?
The official name on the platform is the Salamah licence (ترخيص سلامة). In the market people say “Civil Defense licence”, “Civil Defense permit” or “Salamah certificate”, and in most cases they mean the same document. Printing a Civil Defense permit or certificate therefore usually means printing the establishment’s Salamah licence.
Other documents sit in the file but are not the licence: the safety equipment invoice, the technical report, the installation certificate and the maintenance contract. Approved parties issue them to support the application, and none of them replaces the licence at an inspection. For the differences, see Saudi Civil Defense certificates.
How to print a Civil Defense licence from Salamah
When the Salamah service launched in January 2018, Civil Defense explained on its official account, as reported by Sada, that the licence is issued after the final inspection for activities that need one, and that it can be printed and renewed online. According to the Saudi Gazette (May 2024), the Minister of Interior launched the portal’s updated identity, and it delivers services to establishments through a system linked with several government agencies. Button labels change between updates, so the steps below are described in general terms:
- Log in to Salamah (salamah.998.gov.sa) with the same licence-applicant account that submitted the application, not the safety company’s or engineering office’s account.
- If your account holds more than one CR or branch, make sure you are in the right establishment.
- Open the establishment’s licences page, find the licence whose status shows it is valid, and check the address and activity.
- Use the view or print option shown next to the licence, and save a PDF before printing on paper.
- Print on A4 with nothing cropped: the licence number, expiry date and any printed code must be readable.
Practical tip: keep the PDF in one folder with the lease, CR, municipal licence and maintenance contract. That folder saves time at every inspection and renewal.
If the licence was issued instantly through Balady
In February 2024 the Saudi Business Center announced, as reported by Alkhafji News, that investors can obtain the municipal commercial licence and the safety licence issued by the General Directorate of Civil Defense instantly, in a single request through the commercial licence service on the Business Platform, for more than 600 activities. The conditions are a lease, title deed or investment contract; a safety equipment invoice or a Civil Defense safety report; and meeting the activity requirements on both Balady and Salamah. The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing service page states that the service includes the safety permit issued by the General Directorate of Civil Defense.
On this route you may never have filed a separate Salamah application, so do not look for it among your requests. Look in the establishment account linked to the same CR and compare its data with the municipal licence. If the area or activity differs between the two platforms, fix that before printing, because the printout will carry the same wrong data. For the municipal side, see Balady licence renewal and issue.
Checking a Civil Defense licence and its number
How you check a licence depends on who is asking. The owner checks from the establishment account. An outside party (landlord, mall management, client) checks the document shown to them.
| Who is checking? | Where | What to match |
|---|---|---|
| Owner or authorised representative | The establishment’s Salamah account | Licence status, number, expiry date, site and activity |
| Owner of an instantly licensed establishment | Salamah plus the Business Platform/Balady for the same CR | Activity and area match between the commercial and safety licences |
| Outside party (landlord, mall, client) | The establishment’s unified electronic code from the Saudi Business Center, or the printed licence | Establishment name and CR, and a valid licence for the same site |
According to Al Eqtisadiah (14 January 2024), the Saudi Business Center launched the unified electronic code with the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, ZATCA and the General Directorate of Civil Defense. The first phase links commercial registrations, municipal licences, tax certificates and Civil Defense permits, and owners obtain it from the Business Platform. A second phase added more partners, as Ajel reported in August 2024. If someone asks you to prove your licence, the unified code is an official way to show establishment data without photographing every document.
Where do I find the Civil Defense licence number?
The licence number appears on the licence itself in the establishment account and on the printout. Keep it: you may need it for renewal, ownership transfer or amendments, or when your safety company or another body asks for it to update establishment data. A number on an invoice or technical report belongs to that document, not to the licence.
Why is my Civil Defense licence not showing?
| Likely cause | How you can tell | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong account or CR | The account does not show the establishment or branch | Log in with the applicant account that filed the request and select the right CR and branch |
| Application still in progress | The request shows as under review or awaiting installation or inspection | Have your safety company finish the work, then wait for inspection and final approval; the licence does not appear before that |
| Application returned or rejected | Notes or a returned status on the request | Fix the notes and resubmit; see Salamah rejection reasons |
| Licence expired | The licence shows a past expiry date | Apply for renewal from the account; see Salamah licence renewal |
| Issued instantly via the Business Platform/Balady | No separate Salamah request in your name | Look in the establishment account linked to the same CR and match it with the municipal licence |
| Data mismatch between Balady and Salamah | Activity, area or address differ | Update both platforms together before printing or renewing |
The route also depends on the activity class. Low-risk direct activities may be licensed instantly once the invoice or technical report is entered, while indirect activities need a contract with an approved safety company and an inspection before issue. Details are in instant licences vs direct and indirect activities.
When do you need a safety company or maintenance contract?
If the licence is missing because the application is stuck at installation or inspection, the issue is on site, not in printing: a fire alarm that is not working, expired extinguishers, non-compliant exits. If the licence has expired and your activity is indirect, renewal usually needs a valid maintenance contract covering the installed systems. Here you need a safety company approved on the platform to complete the application. Keeping the systems themselves ready before renewal, instead of a last-week scramble, is the job of preventive and periodic maintenance.
For the full platform journey from registration to issue, amendment and ownership transfer, see the Salamah platform services guide. This article covers only what happens after issue.
How AZEIDK helps
AZEIDK works on the technical side of the Civil Defense file: checking fire alarm, firefighting and safety equipment readiness before inspection, issuing the safety equipment installation certificate as part of its Civil Defense approval support service, and the maintenance contracts that renewal requires. Printing and checking the licence are done from the establishment’s own account, and you should never hand your login details to anyone.
Frequently asked questions
How do I print my Civil Defense licence?
Log in to Salamah with the licence-applicant account, select the right establishment, open its licences page, then use the view or print option next to the valid licence and save a PDF.
Is printing a Civil Defense permit different from printing the licence?
Usually not. “Permit”, “licence” and “Salamah certificate” are common names for the same Salamah licence, printed from the same place in the account.
How can I check another establishment’s Civil Defense licence?
Ask the establishment to show its unified electronic code from the Saudi Business Center or a copy of the licence, and match the name, CR, site and expiry date.
Where is the Civil Defense licence number?
On the licence in the establishment’s Salamah account and on the printout. An invoice or technical report number is not the licence number.
My municipal licence was issued but I cannot find the safety licence. What now?
If it was issued instantly with the commercial licence, look in the establishment account linked to the same CR. If your activity needs an inspection, the licence is not issued before installation, inspection and final approval.
Can I print an expired licence?
An expired licence will not help at an inspection. Apply for renewal first, then print the new licence once issued.
Conclusion
Printing a Civil Defense licence is a short step when the licence is issued, valid and in the right account. Most “printing problems” are really a different account, an unfinished application, an expired licence or data that does not match Balady. Find the cause in the table above and fix it at the source.
Application stuck before inspection, or licence close to expiry? Send us the activity, site and installed systems, and we will review technical readiness, the safety equipment installation certificate and the maintenance contract you need. Talk to the AZEIDK team
