Selling counterfeit goods via cross-border e-commerce in Saudi Arabia will face three severe crackdowns from legal authorities, e-commerce platforms and customs, with heavy consequences far beyond minor violations. In recent years, Saudi Arabia has continuously tightened regulation on intellectual property rights infringement, so sellers must stay highly vigilant.
Legal Consequences
Pursuant to the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law and the Trademark Law of Saudi Arabia, counterfeit sellers will be subject to imprisonment from 1 month to 3 years and fines ranging from 5,000 to 1 million Saudi Riyals, and all counterfeit goods will be confiscated and destroyed.
Penalties for special categories such as counterfeit pharmaceuticals are even harsher, with a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment and fines up to 10 million Saudi Riyals. Foreign practitioners will be deported and permanently banned from entering Saudi Arabia, while enterprises will be publicly notified, causing irreversible damage to brand reputation.
Platform Penalties
Major platforms including Amazon and AliExpress implement a zero-tolerance policy for counterfeiting. Violations will directly lead to account suspension, frozen funds and destroyed inventory. Repeat offenders will be permanently banned and put on the global blacklist.
Customs Enforcement
Saudi customs will directly seize and destroy counterfeit goods with no return or re-export allowed. Multi-department joint law enforcement further intensifies inspection and crackdown efforts.
In addition, violators will be blacklisted in Saudi Arabia’s commercial credit system, which will block future business operations. Sellers may also face civil compensation claims from legitimate brand owners.
It is recommended that sellers register trademarks with the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property in advance, prepare complete authorization and compliance certification documents, establish a supply chain traceability system, and operate in full compliance to avoid ruining long-term business for short-term petty gains.