The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP) said it registered 12,176 industrial licences in 2020. MoCIIP also stated that it issued 465 exemption decisions along with 17 decisions to grant tax exemption.

A total of 5,775 Type B permits were issued for exemptions on imported materials for industrial establishments. 

MoCIIP received 119 applications for land to be utilised under  the usufruct system in industrial projects.

Ibtisam bint Mohammad al Alawiya, secretary of the Industrial Registry at the ministry, said, “Based on Ministerial Decisions No 65 and 66/2009 issued by the Ministry of Finance regarding the controls of customs exemption for industrial establishments, these will adhere to all provisions of the decisions regulating customs exemptions and ensure that the exempted materials are used for the purpose for which they were exempted.”

She added that in order to implement the customs exemption controls properly and to avoid any problems the companies may face in obtaining customs exemption incentives in future,industrial establishments should submit their requests for exemption for each industrial licence separately, and should use the exemption decision for each branch separately.