Ministry of Commerce Prohibits Trading and Sale of Freelance Business Licenses

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has blocked attempts to sell and trade free-zone business companies that operate without physical office premises, following the detection of growing activity and demand for buying and selling such companies. The ministry has temporarily suspended all requests for assignment, amendment, and changes in ownership structure through its electronic portal.

Official sources told Al-Jarida that the Ministry of Commerce has halted all procedures related to free-trade licenses until a comprehensive regulatory framework is issued, noting that the new regulations are still under study.

The ministry’s automated system has shown a halt in providing amendment services for data associated with these licenses, which include procedures for partners’ entry and exit, amendments to management clauses, capital, and share allocations. The system displays a notification stating that the requested service is unavailable.

This measure follows a previous step by the ministry, which involved temporarily suspending the issuance of new free-trade licenses. The current decision complements the closure of channels for assigning or amending existing licenses, aiming to prevent circumvention of regulations and the trading or use of licenses in buying and selling operations.

This step aims to regulate the free-trade sector, control its mechanisms, and review the governing controls to limit any exploitation of existing licenses in indirect sales and trading markets.