1. The objectives and publications of the press institution must comply with the following:
A. The provisions of the media policy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
B. The provisions of the Press and Publication Law and its executive regulation.
C. The provisions of the Press Institutions Law and this regulation.
2. Its publications must have a journalistic character and adhere to credibility, objectivity, and respect for the audience through its practice of journalism.
3. Support development issues and work to achieve the principle of cooperation between citizens and governmental and non-governmental institutions in the Kingdom.
4. The journalistic competition among institutions should be based on providing better service while respecting the rights of others.
5. Work to discover, nurture, and encourage creativity in the field of journalism and provide opportunities for young talents while removing obstacles that hinder their path.

Anyone wishing to establish a press institution for the issuance of press publications must complete the following procedures:

• 1. Submit a license application to the Ministry signed by no less than thirty citizens to establish the press institution, specifying a representative among the founders to follow up on the application procedures. The application must be accompanied by a file containing the following data and documents:

  • A. A statement of the names of the founders, their qualifications, professions, and ages.

  • B. A statement of the institution's objectives, its name, the periodic publications it will issue, and the languages in which they will be published.

  • C. A statement of the institution's capital sufficient to achieve its objectives, the number of shares contributed by each member, and the value of each share.

  • D. A feasibility study for the establishment of the institution, both economically and in terms of media.

  • E. Identification of the institution's headquarters and the name of the primary periodic publication.

  • F. Identification of the printing house that the institution will deal with and its address if it will print its publications outside the institution.

• 2. The founding or new members must meet the conditions stipulated in Article Six of the Law.

• 3. The Ministry may request any information or data to complete the study of the application before submitting it for the approval of the President of the Council of Ministers.

• 4. The institution may establish branches in various cities of the Kingdom after obtaining a license for each branch from the Ministry.

• 5. The institution is obliged to open press offices abroad or appoint correspondents in major capitals and participate in at least one global news agency.

• 6. The license issued by the Ministry is the basis for the institution and its branches to practice their media activity, and this license does not exempt them from obtaining the necessary licenses from other government entities required by applicable laws and regulations.

1. After the issuance of the License from the Ministry to the institution, the founders meet as a Founding Committee, and they select a committee to prepare a draft of the internal basic regulation of the institution, which includes (its objectives, membership, general assembly and its competencies and meetings, board of directors and its composition, number of its members, its competencies and meetings, duration of membership, capital of the institution, shares, the General Manager of the institution and the Editor-in-Chief and their respective competencies, the main publications issued by the institution) and other matters that organize the work of the institution.
2. The draft regulation is presented to the founding members for their feedback, and the committee revisits the regulation in light of that.
3. The draft regulation is submitted to the Ministry for its comments and to ensure that there are no provisions that conflict with the applicable laws and regulations.
4. Subsequently, the members of the institution meet as a General Assembly to study and approve the regulation, taking into account the Ministry's comments, and then the regulation is submitted in its final form to the Ministry for approval.

• 1. The institution is not entitled to issue periodical publications except after obtaining the Ministry's approval for each publication according to the following procedures:

  • A. The institution must have commenced its actual activity after obtaining the license granted to it.

  • B. The institution has the right to request the issuance of additional periodical publications if it has issued the publications for which it was previously licensed.

  • C. Appoint an editor-in-chief for the new publication in accordance with the law and these regulations. D. If the institution wishes to issue a substitute publication for one of its editions, it must submit a study to the Ministry justifying that.

  • E. The institution is not entitled to cease issuing any of its licensed publications except after providing justifications and reasons to the Ministry for its consideration, while ensuring the institution fulfills all obligations that have arisen for others.

• 2. The institution may market its journalistic publications by storing them in preservation mediums such as microfilm or compact discs, or by compiling them in volumes or preparing analytical indexes of the topics published in each periodical or other publishing methods, without the need for licensing from the Ministry, while ensuring the rights of their owners are respected.

• 3. The institution may issue some of its publications from branches after obtaining the Ministry's approval for that, provided that the main publication is issued from its headquarters.

• 4. The institution may issue duplicate copies of its periodical publications from the branches after obtaining the Ministry's approval.

• 5. The journalistic institution must issue its periodical publication within a period not exceeding one year from the date of obtaining the Ministry's approval or provide justifications for the reasons for the delay and obtain the Ministry's approval to grant the institution an additional extension.

• 6. If the institution or the editor-in-chief wishes to make amendments to any of the approved data for the publication, a request must be submitted to the Ministry along with a statement of justifications to obtain its approval.

• 7. The price of the periodical publication and the subscription value or their modification shall be determined after the Ministry's approval.