A Salamah certificate for hotels is the Civil Defense licence issued through the Salamah platform, and the Ministry of Tourism needs it valid before it licenses or renews a hotel or a serviced apartment building. Installed systems are not enough. They must work, match the approved drawings and have a clear maintenance record.
This article covers the systems an inspector reviews in hospitality buildings, the steps to prepare before inspection and the documents you need. If you want one team to run the file from site survey to issue, that is the scope of AZEIDK’s Civil Defense approval support service.
Short answer: A hotel or serviced apartment building needs a valid Civil Defense licence from the Salamah platform, valid for one year from final approval. Before applying, bring the alarm, firefighting, emergency lighting and exit systems in line with the approved drawings, test them, sign a maintenance contract with an approved safety company and keep the records ready for the inspector.
Key takeaways
- The Ministry of Tourism requires a valid Civil Defense permit for a hospitality facility licence application, with at least 30 days of validity remaining.
- The Ministry’s list of hospitality facilities includes hotels, hotel apartments and serviced apartments, so the same requirement applies to serviced apartments.
- A Civil Defense licence from Salamah is valid for one full year, and renewal can be requested one month before expiry.
- High-risk (indirect) activities need a safety company contract, maintenance contracts and a Civil Defense inspection before the licence is issued.
- The required systems follow the building’s approved drawings and its occupancy classification under the Saudi Building Code, not one generic list.
In this article
- Why is a Salamah certificate for hotels a condition of the Ministry of Tourism licence?
- How does the application work on the Salamah platform?
- Which systems does Civil Defense inspect in hotels and serviced apartments?
- Do serviced apartments need an addressable fire alarm system?
- Steps to prepare the Salamah certificate for hotels before inspection
- Documents for issue and renewal
- Common mistakes in hotel files
- How AZEIDK supports a hotel file
- Frequently asked questions
- Conclusion
Why is a Salamah certificate for hotels a condition of the Ministry of Tourism licence?
The Ministry of Tourism’s service directory for the Hospitality Facilities Regulations lists “a valid Civil Defense permit” among the security and safety requirements, next to the municipal licence and connection to the Shomoos platform. It also requires the Civil Defense permit and the municipal licence to have no less than 30 days of validity when the application is filed.
The Regulations themselves list a valid licence or permit from the General Directorate of Civil Defense among the licensing requirements. After an application is approved, the Ministry schedules a site visit within no more than 3 working days, and the facility gets 20 working days to close any observations.
In practice, a late or nearly expired Salamah licence stalls the whole hotel file at the Ministry. Operators should open the Civil Defense file early, not in the final week.
How does the application work on the Salamah platform?
Salamah (salamah.998.gov.sa) is the General Directorate of Civil Defense portal for issuing and renewing facility licences online without visiting Civil Defense offices. It also offers licence cancellation and ownership transfer services. It splits activities into two tracks:
- Direct activities: low to medium risk, licensed after entering a safety tools invoice or a technical report from an approved engineering office, depending on the activity.
- Indirect activities: high risk, requiring a contract with a safety company and maintenance contracts, followed by a Civil Defense inspection before the licence is issued.
Do not assume the track. Check your activity classification through the platform’s Investor Journey service, because the classification decides whether an invoice or report is enough or whether the application goes through a site inspection. On the indirect track, the owner receives an SMS verification code after initial approval and passes it to the chosen safety company, which completes installation and contracts. For the general background, see our Salamah certificate guide.
Which systems does Civil Defense inspect in hotels and serviced apartments?
The reference is the building’s approved drawings, its occupancy classification under SBC 201 and the requirements of the Saudi Fire Code SBC 801. In the International Fire Code (IFC), whose section titles SBC 801 shares, Section 903.2.8 requires an automatic sprinkler system throughout any building with a Group R fire area, and hotels are classified in Group R (R-1), as the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) explains. Confirm the same requirement in the current Saudi edition before using it in a design.
The table below lists what is usually reviewed in hospitality buildings and what to confirm before the visit:
| System | Where in the hotel | What to confirm before inspection |
|---|---|---|
| Fire alarm | Guest rooms, corridors, kitchen and service rooms, with the panel at reception or the control room | Panel free of faults and disabled points, clean uncovered detectors, sounders audible inside rooms |
| Sprinklers | Rooms, corridors and public areas as per drawings | Control valves open and supervised, heads not painted or blocked by decor |
| Fire pumps and tank | Pump room | Pumps in automatic mode, periodic run log, tank level |
| Fire hose cabinets and extinguishers | Corridors, stairs and kitchen | Hose in good condition, extinguisher gauge in the green, service tag current |
| Emergency lighting and exit signs | Corridors, stairs and exits | Work on mains failure, signs clear and pointing to the exit |
| Fire doors and stairs | Stair cores and corridors | Doors self-close, no obstructions or storage in stairs |
| Kitchen suppression | Restaurant hoods | Last semi-annual service documented, nozzle caps in place, gas shut-off working |
| Smoke extraction (if provided) | Corridors, stairs and car parks as designed | Fans start on alarm according to the cause and effect matrix |
Design detail for each system in hospitality buildings is in our hotel fire and life safety engineering guide. Here the focus is licence readiness.
Do serviced apartments need an addressable fire alarm system?
The code asks for an alarm system that provides detection and notification in the required spaces. It does not name the panel type in every case, so the decision sits with the designer and the approved drawings. In a building with dozens of apartments, an addressable system identifies the room or device that triggered the alarm, while a conventional system only identifies the zone. That difference shortens the time reception staff need to reach the source, and it makes fault tracing easier during maintenance.
In small buildings a conventional system may be acceptable if the drawings approve it. When upgrading or extending, check panel capacity and loop count before adding devices. Addressable and conventional panels are available from Context Plus within our fire alarm systems.
Steps to prepare the Salamah certificate for hotels before inspection
- Confirm the classification: enter the activity on Salamah and find out whether it is direct or indirect and which documents it needs.
- Match the site to the drawings: many hotels and serviced apartments refurbish rooms after approval. A new false ceiling or partition can block a sprinkler or detector.
- Inspect and test the systems: test the alarm panel and devices, run the pumps, check emergency lighting by cutting supply and check fire doors.
- Close open faults: do not go into inspection with fault messages or disabled devices on the alarm panel.
- Sign the maintenance contract: with a safety company approved on the platform, covering every system actually installed.
- Prepare the records: periodic inspection reports, extinguisher tags and testing and commissioning reports, as explained in our article on the fire safety log book.
- Train the staff: reception staff must know how to read, silence and reset the alarm panel, and evacuation plans must be posted in corridors and behind room doors where the drawings require them.
- Submit and follow up: if observations are issued, fix them, document the fixes with photos and reports and resubmit. The most frequent ones are in our article on common Civil Defense inspection notes.
Documents for issue and renewal
The exact list appears on the platform for each activity. For hotels and serviced apartments, have the following ready:
- Commercial registration and activity details matching the municipal licence.
- Proof of site possession: lease, title deed or investment contract.
- Approved or as-built drawings for the fire systems.
- Installation certificate from the safety company, and testing and commissioning reports for alarm and suppression.
- A valid maintenance contract and reports of periodic visits.
- An insurance policy if the insurance requirement covers your activity.
On insurance: on 16 August 2026 the Insurance Authority, with the General Directorate of Civil Defense, launched cooperative third-party liability insurance for crowded places and high-risk activities, and said it will become a core requirement for the Civil Defense licence for covered activities, applied in phases. The announcement gave general examples of activities rather than a closed list, so confirm whether yours is covered when you apply. For renewal detail, see Salamah licence renewal and the maintenance contract.
Common mistakes in hotel files
- Refurbishing without a fire review: sprinklers and detectors covered by ceilings or painted during finishing works.
- Silencing the panel instead of fixing it: room detectors disabled after false alarms from steam or smoking, then left disabled.
- A paper-only maintenance contract: a contract that does not cover the kitchen suppression or smoke extraction actually installed.
- Locked exits: emergency doors locked from inside for security reasons, or stairs used to store furniture.
- Leaving renewal to the last minute: the Ministry of Tourism does not accept a permit with less than 30 days remaining.
How AZEIDK supports a hotel file
AZEIDK starts with a site survey against the drawings, defines the missing works, runs the tests and prepares the documents for submission under our Civil Defense approval support service. After issue, an annual maintenance contract covers the systems actually installed. For hotel restaurant kitchens we supply hood suppression systems including Hood Safer and ANSUL within our kitchen fire suppression systems. The rest of our sector offering is on the hotels and hospitality page.
Frequently asked questions
Which systems does Civil Defense inspect in hotels?
The inspector reviews the systems on the building’s approved drawings, usually fire alarm, sprinklers, pumps, hose cabinets, extinguishers, emergency lighting, exits, fire doors and kitchen suppression. The check is that they work and have a maintenance record.
Do serviced apartments need an addressable fire alarm system?
The designer and the approved drawings decide the system type. In buildings with many apartments an addressable system is preferred because it identifies the room or device in alarm, which speeds up response and maintenance.
How long is a hotel’s Salamah certificate valid?
A Civil Defense licence from Salamah is valid for one full year from final approval, and renewal can be requested one month before expiry using the renewal icon next to the licence.
What documents are needed to renew the licence?
The platform sets them by activity. For indirect activities renewal depends on a valid maintenance contract with an approved safety company, so keep periodic visit reports and proof of site possession ready.
What is the difference between the Civil Defense licence and the municipal licence?
The Civil Defense licence covers fire and life safety readiness and is issued on Salamah. The municipal licence covers practising the activity at the site. The Ministry of Tourism requires both to be valid for a hospitality facility licence.
What happens if the safety licence expires and is not renewed?
Any Ministry of Tourism procedure stalls, because the Ministry requires a valid Civil Defense permit with at least 30 days remaining. Start renewal well before expiry.
How much does a Salamah licence cost?
We do not quote a fixed figure, because the real cost is usually getting the systems ready, not the application. It depends on building size, room count, the condition of existing systems and the maintenance scope, and a quotation should price missing works, tests and the maintenance contract separately.
Conclusion
A Salamah certificate for hotels and serviced apartments is an ongoing condition, not a one-off step. The Civil Defense licence lasts one year, and the Ministry of Tourism wants it valid with time to spare. The shortest route to issue is a building that matches its drawings, tested systems, a real maintenance contract and organised records before the inspector arrives.
Is your hotel or serviced apartment licence due for renewal? Send us the building address, number of floors and installed systems, and we will arrange a survey and tell you what is needed before you apply. Talk to the AZEIDK team
