Summary
A shop sign is not licensed on its own: its fee is computed within the activity's commercial licence on Balady, in the sign details block of the fee calculator, by sign type (instructional or advertising) and area in square metres, together with the activity, region, municipality and licence period.
The licence is issued in the business owner's name. What we prepare is the sign file: the dimensioned drawing, the specification and the render on the facade, so it meets the ministry requirements at the first submission.
What the ministry requires of the sign itself
The commercial-signage requirements issued by the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, in substance:
- The exterior sign is raised letters only, on the shop facade within the band between the ground and first floor, 80 cm high, with 25 cm clear on each side of the frontage.
- Content is limited to the trade name, the CR number and the logo if any, as registered; the logo about 50 cm and the CR line about 15 cm in the same colour as the letters.
- Letter lighting is concealed behind hollow letters; floodlights are prohibited.
- No added backgrounds behind the letters other than the building's own finish materials.
- No signs or letters on upper floors, and the letters must not obstruct windows or openings.
- Upper-floor businesses inside the building share one sign inside the building.
- Any different design is submitted to the Amanah as a proposed design for review and approval.
How the fee is computed
The official fee calculator on Balady asks for the activity (per the national activity classification), the region and municipality, the licence dates, then the sign details: sign type and area in square metres. Fees differ between an instructional sign and an advertising sign, so the sign's classification and actual area matter.
We do not publish unofficial amounts here. Run the calculator with your activity's details, or send us the trade name, activity and size and we work out with you the area you will enter.
Where to find your activity's requirements
The Commercial Activities and Municipal Requirements service on Balady lists the municipal requirements per activity code, free of charge. Check it before designing the sign, especially if your activity falls under categories subject to unified designs.
In Jeddah the ministry requirements apply together with the Amanah's urban design guides; the commercial buildings guide requires shop signs to be designed within the building's elements and prohibits box signs for complex names.
What we prepare in your sign file
- A dimensioned facade drawing showing the letter height and the 25 cm side clearance.
- Material, concealed lighting and driver specification.
- A day and night render on a photo of your actual facade.
- The sign's actual area in square metres to enter in the calculator.
Timing and documents
Issuance time and the required documents vary by activity and municipality and appear inside Balady when the request is started. We will expand this section after running the calculator on a real Jeddah case and documenting the steps.