Saudi Arabia has reassigned responsibility for licensing chemical consulting activities from the Ministry of Commerce to the Ministry of Energy, according to Umm Al-Qura newspaper. The change is based on Cabinet Decision No. 341 issued on Nov. 4, 2025.
Under the decision, the Minister of Energy and the Minister of Commerce will jointly determine the timetable for transferring the authority to issue and renew licenses for chemical consulting. During this transition, the Ministry of Commerce will continue to receive and process license applications.
The Ministry of Commerce must compile and hand over all records related to chemical consulting licenses, including any penalties issued against license holders. A joint team from both ministries will review licensing requests during the interim period to ensure continuity.
Existing licenses remain valid and are not affected by the Cabinet’s approval. The Ministry of Energy will also update and refine the licensing regulations, set application procedures and conditions, and report any issues that require further regulatory action.
This decision was made after reviewing submissions from the Royal Court, applicable regulations, related memoranda, a report from the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, and a recommendation from the General Committee of the Cabinet. It aims to centralize oversight of chemical consulting under the Ministry of Energy for more aligned sector governance.
