Influencer License in Saudi Arabia (Mawthooq): Fines and Appeals

A Snapchat influencer with 300,000 followers films a visit to a new restaurant, takes SAR 8,000, and posts it as a personal experience without saying it is an ad. She has no Mawthooq license. A few weeks later the General Authority for Media Regulation (GMedia) notifies her of a violation decision and a fine. The restaurant owner asks: am I also at risk because I paid?

The short answer: a paid ad on your personal account needs the Mawthooq (موثوق) license from the General Authority for Media Regulation. The license was created in 2022 by an amendment to the Implementing Regulation of the Audiovisual Media Law. The Authority can itself impose a fine of up to SAR 1 million for violations listed in the regulation (Article 18). The minimum fine for advertising without Mawthooq is SAR 30,000 under the violations schedule annexed to the Implementing Regulation, and fines double for repeated or continuing violations (Article 17). You can object to the Authority's decision before the Primary Committee within 60 days of being notified.

Who needs a Mawthooq license, and who is exempt?

The license is for individuals who post advertising content on social media: Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube and others. According to the Authority's service page, it lasts three years and costs SAR 15,000. You must be at least 18, you must not have a final decision against you from the Authority in the six months before applying, and your content in those six months must comply with the content rules. A resident or foreign investor qualifies only if they own at least 50% of a licensed advertising or marketing office.

Note the second condition: a final violation decision today can delay your license by six months, so a violation also blocks a quick fix.

In 2023 the Authority announced three cases that do not need the license:

• Announcing an event or activity of a government entity, following the Authority's procedures.
• A person advertising their own product or service on their personal account, such as a home business showing its products.
• Sponsoring people under 18 in educational, sports or cultural activities suitable for their age.

What else counts as an advertising violation?

Even with a license, the Authority set clear rules when it launched Mawthooq: the ad must run on the account registered with the Authority and linked to the license; you must clearly disclose, in writing or by voice, before the ad that it is an ad; you must check that the product or service is licensed by the competent authority; and you must follow the content rules and age ratings.

The Audiovisual Media Law itself (Article 5) prohibits advertising or promoting medicines, food supplements or investment products that are not licensed (paragraph 9), and broadcasting false information not based on documented facts or that invades people's privacy (paragraph 10). A clip saying "I tried this supplement and lost 10 kg" about an unregistered product is a separate violation, even if the influencer is licensed.

How much is the fine for advertising without Mawthooq?

The law sets general ceilings, and the regulation sets the violations and fines within them. Penalties are split between the Authority and the committee:

The violations schedule (Annex B to the Implementing Regulation of the Audiovisual Media Law) sets fines by activity category, and it places the license for individuals presenting advertising content on social media in Category 1. Item 1, "practising the activity without a license", carries a minimum of SAR 30,000 for Category 1, with closure of the violating establishment and referral to the competent authorities. These are minimums, as the schedule itself states; the Authority may apply a higher fine according to the size and type of the violation, within the Law (Article 23 of the Regulation). A Mawthooq holder who breaks its conditions, for example by not disclosing an ad, faces a minimum of SAR 2,000, with possible suspension or withdrawal of the license or referral to the competent authorities (Item 30). Article 17 of the Law doubles the fine if the violation is repeated, continues, or is not corrected within the period the Authority sets. In October 2024 the press reported that the Authority fined six residents a total of SAR 300,000 for posting ads without a license, SAR 50,000 each, which shows fines can exceed the minimum.

Two effects people often miss: the fine is collected with immediate enforcement (it does not wait for your objection), and the Authority may recover any money you earned from the violation (Article 17(2)). You may lose the ad fee on top of the fine.

You received a violation decision: how do you object, and by when?

The route depends on who issued the decision:

• A fine from the Authority: object before the Primary Committee within 60 days of notification (Article 18(1) and Article 19(2)(b)).
• A precautionary suspension of broadcasting or the license: object before the Appeal Committee within 15 days of notification; it must decide within 15 days (Article 18(2)).
• A decision of the Primary Committee: object before the Appeal Committee (Article 20). Under the committees' procedural rules issued by the Minister of Media in 1440H, the period is 15 days from being notified of the decision (Article 23), as reported by Okaz when the rules were issued; the Ministry announced that the rules cover the Audiovisual Media Law committees too.

The Appeal Committee's decision is final: Article 20 says it cannot be challenged before any other body. In practice, your objection before the Primary Committee is your real chance to present your full defence. Attach:

• The decision and proof of the date you were notified.
• Your Mawthooq license, or proof that your case is exempt.
• The contract or messages with the advertiser, and proof the content was unpaid if that is the case.
• Screenshots of the full clip showing any disclosure.
• Proof that you deleted the content or corrected your status after the notice.

Is the shop or brand that paid for the ad also liable?

The Authority's decision targets the account holder, but the advertiser is not free of risk. In December 2024 the Ministry of Commerce directed businesses to use only Mawthooq-licensed influencers for social media marketing, according to press reports. If the advertiser is an online store, the E-Commerce Law treats its electronic ad as part of the contract and binding on it (Article 10), bans false or misleading claims in ads (Article 11), and allows the Ministry to order the ad withdrawn within one day of notice (Article 12). Penalties reach a fine of SAR 1 million and blocking of the store (Article 18), imposed by a committee formed by the Minister of Commerce, with objection before the Administrative Court (Articles 19 and 20).

When does it become a criminal case?

If the ad or clip defames a competitor, films someone without consent, or threatens or blackmails someone, the matter goes beyond the violations committee to the Public Prosecution and the criminal court under the Anti-Cyber Crime Law (Articles 3 and 6). Article 17 of the Audiovisual Media Law applies its penalties without prejudice to any harsher penalty in another law, so both routes can run together.

An influencer promotes a specialty coffee online store for SAR 5,000 without a license and without disclosure. The Authority notifies him of a fine on 1 March.

His period to object before the Primary Committee ends 60 days after notification. Can he get a Mawthooq license right away? Not if the decision becomes final, because the license conditions exclude anyone with a final decision in the previous six months.

The sensible course is to delete the clip at once, prepare his objection with whatever defence he has, and stop any new ads until he is licensed, because repeating the violation doubles the fine.

Practical steps for both sides

If you are an influencer or content creator:

• Do not accept a paid ad before your Mawthooq license is issued and linked to your registered account.
• Disclose the word "ad" (إعلان) in writing or by voice at the start of the clip, not at the end.
• Ask the advertiser for proof the product is licensed, especially medicines, supplements and investment products.
• If you receive a decision, count 60 days from notification and present your full defence before the Primary Committee.
• Keep your contracts and messages with advertisers; they prove the nature of the content and the payment.

If you are a shop or brand working with influencers:

• Check the influencer's Mawthooq license before signing, and make it a written condition of the contract.
• Write into the contract the influencer's duty to disclose the ad and follow the content rules, and your right to end the contract if they do not.
• Review the ad text before it is posted; one false claim can put you before the e-commerce violations committee.
• Keep a copy of every ad posted in your name, with its date.

If you have received a violation decision from the Authority, or you are reviewing an ad contract with an influencer, send us the decision or the draft contract on WhatsApp and we will go through the deadline and your possible defences with you.

This is general information based on the official Arabic texts of Saudi laws, which prevail over any translation. It is not legal advice for your specific case.