Send SMS in Saudi Arabia: Regulations & Best Practices

Saudi Arabia, officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is a country located in West Asia and the Middle East. As of early 2024, it has around 49.89 million active cellular mobile connections, which is equivalent to 134.1 percent of its total population. SMS services can be a useful tool for businesses intending to connect with more customers for promotional, transactional, and verification purposes. However, businesses must follow specific regulations and best practices to ensure effective SMS communication in Saudi Arabia.

Country code: SA

Calling code: +966

Mobile number portability (MNP) : Yes

Mobile Country Codes (MCC) : 420

The main mobile carriers in Saudi Arabia are STC (Saudi Telecom Company), Zain, and Mobily.

For companies that have registered offices in Saudi Arabia:

• Alphanumeric SenderID needs to be registered in all Saudi Arabian networks.

• Details required for registration: Company Registration Certification, Delegation Letter in Arabic, and National ID of the authorized person.

• A trademark license is required if the sender ID is different from the company name.

• All Marketing Messages must have senderID ending with -AD, for example, "Brand-AD."

• Marketing messages will not be delivered to DND numbers and are NOT allowed between 8 pm and 8 a.m. in the Saudi Arabian time zone.

• The expected time for registration is 20 business days.

For companies that do not have registered offices in Saudi Arabia:

• Alphanumeric SenderID needs to be registered in all Saudi Arabian networks.

• Details required: Sender ID, SMS Content, Website URL, Registered company name, and No Objection Certificate.

• All Marketing Messages must have senderID ending with -AD, for example, "Brand-AD"

• Marketing messages will not be delivered to DND numbers and are not allowed between 8 pm and 8 a.m. in the Saudi Arabian time zone.

• The expected time for registration is 10 business days.

• Send marketing messages only to users who have previously given their consent.

• Send transactional messages only to users with whom you have a business relationship or who have opted in to receive them.

• It is recommended to display the URL and toll-free number for opt-out, opt-out via the website, or reply to SMS free of charge.

• Political, religious, unsolicited, or gambling content is not allowed.

• The best strategy is to communicate only during the day unless it is urgent.

• SMS campaigns should include HELP/STOP messages in the user's native language.

• Generic sender IDs such as INFO, SMS, NOTICE, etc. are prohibited.

• Do not contact users on do-not-call or do-not-disturb registries.

• There is no fee for Saudi Arabia's SenderID registration.

• The charge for the service is per SMS submitted.

Visit SMS API Pricing for more details