What this guidebook covers
Holding a commercial agency in Saudi Arabia comes with after-sales duties to every customer, and the Ministry of Commerce fines them one customer at a time. In August 2026 one car agency was fined SAR 8.12 million for 175 after-sales violations, had its imports suspended and saw its brand start moving to another distributor.
This guidebook covers the 5 agency standards with 15 checkpoints: spare parts supply times, replacement vehicles during delayed repairs, warranty terms, repair order periods and recall campaigns.
The 5 agency standards
| Code | Standard | Ideal fix time |
|---|---|---|
| SEC-025 | Spare parts availability and supply time | 7 days |
| SEC-026 | Replacement vehicle during delayed repairs | 24 hours |
| SEC-027 | Vehicle warranty terms and service | 72 hours |
| SEC-028 | Repair order completion period and documentation | 24 hours |
| SEC-029 | Vehicle recall campaign handling | Immediate |
How to run a Saudi commercial agency compliance audit, step by step
- Confirm what applies. Confirm which brands the site sells and services as an agent or authorised distributor, and which service centres sit under each agency.
- Walk the site, standard by standard. Score each of the 15 checkpoints Pass, Fail or N/A. N/A only where the standard rules it out, with the reason recorded. Pull open parts back-orders, delayed repair orders and the recall list, and check each against its time limit.
- Capture the evidence. A pass counts only with proof captured at the time of the audit: parts order dates, replacement-car records, warranty documents, dated repair orders and recall completion by VIN.
- Give every fail an owner and a fix time. Record what you saw and who owns the fix. Each standard carries an ideal fix time, from immediate to 7 days, counted from audit submission (see the table above).
- Fix it, then prove it. The site fixes the cause and uploads proof of closure; the auditor checks the proof before closing the finding.
- Re-check at the next audit. Confirm closed findings stay closed, and look for the same fail at your other sites so one gap doesn't repeat across the network.
Who this guidebook is for
- Agency principals
- After-sales directors
- Service managers
- Auditors
A reference document, not legal advice. Fines and rules change: check the current text with the regulator or your legal adviser before acting.
