If you wish to develop your revenues through a transport or freight business in Saudi Arabia, it is an excellent opportunity. But before your trucks hit the road, you have to comply with government rules. All commercial transit in the Kingdom is overseen by the Transport General Authority (TGA). The most critical legal step every foreign investor as well as local business handling goods or supply chains should undertake is to obtain a TGA License.
Your company must have this official permit in order to be able to issue digital waybills, register commercial trucks, and process customs clearance. Foreigners are allowed up to 100% ownership in most transport and warehousing sectors. In any case, there are a few straightforward guidelines about your truck age, office size, and vehicle tracking systems before you get the KSA endorsement.
In this guide, we provide clear details of the key TGA license categories, how to complete TGA portal steps, fleet rules for any setup, and costs required so that you can quickly set up your logistics company.
The Transport General Authority oversees all land, sea, and train transport within Saudi Arabia. A TGA license is an authorization that shows your company complies with the national laws involving safety, tracking, and drivers.
This permit is needed if you operate one of the following:
Â
Heavy penalties await any use of a commercial fleet without the appropriate TGA license. Road-check police and transport officers can stop unpermitted trucks on the spot to impound them.
The TGA provides varied permits depending on the nature of what your business really does. When registering your business, pick the code of activity correctly to keep the process of application completion fast.
License Category | What It Covers | Basic Fleet & Capital Rules |
Heavy Road Freight | Transporting large payloads and industrial goods around cities. | Need a minimum of 10 owned trucks; non-owned must be under five years old. |
Freight Forwarding | Air, sea, and land cargo booking also customs handling. | Connect with the Fasah customs portal; requires a bank guarantee. |
Light Goods Transport | City deliveries by small vans (less than 3.5 tonnes). | Requires accurate business activity codes; no minimum fleet size requirements. |
Express Courier | E-commerce package and expedited city deliveries. | May require postal clearance (SPL) and formal national address. |
Passenger Bus Transit | Corporate buses as well as city shuttles, intercity travel. | Subject to requirements ranging from extensive passenger safety checks to insurance and an approved bus yard. |
If you do not select the correct activity code upfront, vehicle operation cards will be difficult to get later on government portals.
Foreign investors should finish a few preliminary tasks before applying for a TGA license. Getting these out of the way first helps prevent rejected applications:
Â
Get all necessary documents written in English or other languages translated into Arabic by a certified translator before uploading them.
In Saudi Arabia, three main digital portals are used for online management to run compliant transport businesses. You will be required to maintain an active account on each system if you wish to conduct a compliant logistics company:
To acquire a license in KSA, follow this straightforward digital process:
Â
After this process is completed, your fleet can legally transport goods all over Saudi Arabia.
Plan to budget basic government fees in addition to your normal vehicle setup costs:
Fee Type | Government Agency | Estimated Cost (SAR) |
Commercial Registration (CR) | Ministry of Commerce | SAR 1,200 – SAR 2,500 |
Main TGA Permit | Transport General Authority | SAR 2,000 – SAR 10,000 (Depending on Activity) |
Vehicle Operation Card | Transport General Authority | Paid yearly per vehicle |
WASL GPS Tracker Link | Approved GPS Vendors | Price of device plus annual licensed software fee |
Bank Guarantee | Local Commercial Banks | Set amount for freight forwarders |
Your main company license normally lasts for 3 years. However, you have to reissue the individual Operation Cards for each truck on an annual basis following a basic vehicle safety inspection.
Follow these key rules for day-to-day operations to avoid fines and keep your TGA license in good standing:
Â
By following these steps, you keep your logistics business completely compliant, avoid roadside fines, and ensure smooth operations in the Saudi market.
Your trusted partner for Saudi business setup, MISA licensing, software development, real estate investment, visa services, and international company formation. We help investors and businesses grow with end-to-end professional solutions.
â“’ 2023-2026 Trek Consultancy. All Rights Reserved.
