Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The General Commission for Audiovisual Media (GCAM) revealed 11 categories of individual advertisers who do not require the Mawthooq license.

Elaborating on the 11 cases, the Authority indicated that individuals do not need to issue the Mawthooq license if they were practitioners of certain professions, nor do people who work in handicrafts and want to advertise their products through their personal accounts.

Other instances include people who hold workshops and advertise them through their own accounts, and individuals who publish other people's accounts through their personal accounts for free.

Other exemptions are: A person works as a designer and advertises his designs through his personal accounts; an individual who works personally in wrapping gifts and selling them through his personal account; individuals taking pictures of products in their personal account to show the public for a non-advertising purpose; individuals who work as productive families and sell their products through their accounts on social media platforms; individuals who conduct competitions through their personal accounts on social media platforms, provided that it is not for advertising purpose.

Individuals who document and take pictures of their diaries in public places such as restaurants, cafes and similar places, and individuals who announce discount codes without promoting any products or goods, provided they are not for advertising purposes, are also exempted.

If a person works as a real estate broker with permission from the General Real Estate Authority and advertises real estate on licensed real estate platforms does not require the Mawthooq license.

The Mawthooq license is a service launched by the GCAM, which allows advertisers to issue a license that allows them to advertise on social media platforms. The license is mandatory for individuals to practice advertising.

The Authority urged all practitioners of this activity to understand the importance of obtaining the Mawthooq license in order to avoid legal measures, which include penalties and fines on the erring entity or individual.

The financial value of issuing the Mawthooq license is SR15,000 for a three-year period.

Advertisers can issue the license even if they are outside Saudi Arabia, the Authority said, warning that if advertisers do not comply with licensing regulations, it will impose penalties on companies that advertise with them.

A non-Saudi advertiser can also issue the Mawthooq license after owning a commercial register, and a license from audio-visual media advertising offices, marketing offices and advertising agencies.

Conditions for obtaining Mawthooq license include:

The advertiser must abide by the terms and conditions for individual submission of advertising content through social media platforms issued by the Authority.

The advertiser must comply with the controls of the content, ads and ratings (including age rating) and the instructions issued by the authority, in addition to undertaking to provide any data, information or reports requested by the Authority from them.

Advertisers must pledge to stop advertising any media content immediately and without objection when the authority asks them to do so, in addition to undertaking not to display any ad except through an account registered with the Authority and linked to the license granted to the licensee.

Non-Saudi advertisers must pledge not to engage in the activity until after obtaining the necessary licenses and approvals from the Authority other relevant agencies.