Most Common Documents
Document Preparation Steps
Define the activity and site for classification
Assemble the proposed activity’s core description and site information for the classification form. The classification decision determines whether EIA evidence is needed. Official source: Regulation, Articles 4–5
File the activity-classification request
In the Permits and Licenses Platform, select the service, complete the form, attach the classification form and listed evidence, and submit. The service names applicant identity/registration evidence, the site address, and supporting technical attachments where NCEC requests them. Official source: NCEC, Activity Classification Service
Receive the classification decision and cure deficiencies
NCEC reviews the form and issues the category decision or requests correction/completion. The regulation specifies 10 working days from receipt, then 10 working days from receipt of complete information or the amended form, with a limited further extension for previously unclassified activities. Official source: Regulation, Article 5
Build category-two EIA evidence if applicable
Where the decision places the activity on the category-two route, the applicant uses an NCEC-licensed provider to prepare the EIA against the structure and information in Appendix 2. Do not label a financial model as environmental evidence unless NCEC expressly requests it. Official source: Regulation, Article 7
Complete category-three scoping before the detailed study
On the category-three route, the licensed provider prepares and submits the EIA scoping report using Appendix 3. NCEC approves it or provides observations within 15 working days and may notify the applicant of an extension of up to 10 further working days. Official source: Regulation, Article 8
Prepare the category-three EIA to the approved scope
The licensed provider then develops the category-three EIA using Appendix 4 and NCEC’s scoping observations, and submits it to NCEC. Official source: Regulation, Article 8
Submit the construction-permit file
Use the Permits and Licenses Platform to select the service, complete the form, attach the material, and submit. The current category-two and category-three services identify their respective EIA evidence and undertaking. Official source: NCEC, Category Two and Category Three Services
Respond to review observations
After fee payment, NCEC reviews a category-two EIA within 30 working days and a category-three EIA within 60 working days. Either route may lead to a request for corrected or additional information; the corresponding period applies from receipt of the completed revised study. Official source: Regulation, Articles 7–8
Undertake implementation before construction starts
When the EIA is approved and the construction permit is issued, the applicant undertakes to implement the study’s findings and recommendations. Construction must not begin without a valid construction environmental permit. Official source: Regulation, Articles 6–8
Guide Table
| Document type | Common use | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Stand-alone economic feasibility study | The verified category-two and category-three evidence does not name an economic feasibility study as a permit attachment. It must not be portrayed as mandatory. | Not established as an NCEC requirement; D |
| Environmental input into feasibility work | Persons must take EIA into account in feasibility studies and preliminary designs. | Regulatory integration point, not a stand-alone required feasibility filing |
| Activity classification | NCEC categorises activities into three environmental categories using stated environmental factors. | Technical/site screening evidence that determines the regulatory route |
| Category-two EIA | NCEC approval of the category-two EIA is required for that category’s construction permit. | Mandatory environmental technical evidence where the category applies |
| Category-three scoping | The EIA scoping report comes before the category-three EIA. | Study-boundary technical evidence; not a market study |
| Category-three detailed EIA | Prepared using Appendix 4 and NCEC scoping observations. | Mandatory environmental technical evidence where the category applies |
| Sensitive areas and receptors | An activity within, or no more than 500 metres from, sensitive areas/receptors requires a detailed EIA. | Location/environment evidence in project development |
| Qualified preparer | NCEC verifies that EIAs and their environmental analyses, tests, and measurements are submitted by an NCEC-licensed provider. The NCEC provider-licensing service describes category-two EIA work for A/B scopes and category-three EIA work for A scope. | Service-provider eligibility evidence, not commercial-project eligibility |
| Undertaking and implementation | Following approval and construction-permit issuance, the applicant undertakes to implement study findings and recommendations. | Post-approval compliance evidence; no financial assumption should be inferred |
| Submission language | Activity reports, documents, and studies are submitted in Arabic; NCEC may accept all or part in English. | Filing-format requirement |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does NCEC require a separate economic feasibility study with an EIA?
The verified category-two and category-three requirements do not establish a separate economic feasibility study as a document to be filed with NCEC. The regulation requires EIA to be considered in feasibility studies and preliminary designs. No sufficient official Saudi source was identified to establish this requirement as a financial or commercial submission to NCEC. Official source: Regulation, Article 9(1)
When does a project need Environmental Impact Assessment evidence?
NCEC approval of an EIA becomes part of the construction-permit route when NCEC applies category-two or category-three requirements. A detailed EIA is also required for an activity in, or within 500 metres of, an environmentally sensitive area or receptor. NCEC may make a reasoned request for an EIA in other cases. Official source: Regulation, Article 6 and Table 1
How does NCEC assign an environmental category?
NCEC considers the activity’s type and scale, energy use, resource depletion, land use, sensitive receptors, and the character, extent, duration, likelihood, reversibility, and level of effects. The application begins with the environmental classification form. Official source: Regulation, Articles 4–5
What technical evidence is required for category two?
The applicable evidence is a category-two EIA prepared by an NCEC-licensed service provider and submitted to NCEC. Once the study is approved and the permit is issued, the applicant undertakes to carry out its findings and recommendations. Official source: Regulation, Article 7; NCEC, Category Two Construction Permit Service
What is different about a category-three submission?
The category-three EIA consists of a scoping report and the EIA itself. The detailed study is prepared in accordance with NCEC’s observations on the scoping report, or with the approved scope. Official source: Regulation, Article 8
May a project owner prepare the EIA without a licensed provider?
The regulation states that category-two and category-three EIAs are prepared through an NCEC-licensed service provider. NCEC also verifies that EIAs and their environmental analyses, tests, and measurements are submitted by a licensed provider. Official source: Regulation, Article 3(13) and Articles 7–8
Is there an official study structure?
Yes. The regulation refers to the study structure and information in Appendix 2 for category two, the scoping-report structure in Appendix 3 for category three, and the category-three study structure in Appendix 4. NCEC may amend a template without impairing its core elements. Official source: Regulation, Articles 7–8
Which items are named for the activity-classification request?
NCEC names a completed classification form, investor ID or commercial registration or a unified number for a government establishment without commercial registration, an activity-site address or National Address, and supporting technical attachments if NCEC requests them. Official source: NCEC, Activity Classification Service
Where are classification and construction-permit requests filed?
The current service pages direct users to the Permits and Licenses Platform: choose the service, complete the form, attach the documents, and submit. NCEC publishes the platform entry point for these services. Official source: NCEC, Activity Classification and Construction Permit Services
What are the currently published construction-permit fees for categories two and three?
NCEC’s current category-two service page shows SAR 10,000. Its category-three page shows SAR 13,000–275,000 according to capital. These are published service fees, not a quotation for preparing an EIA or implementing its recommendations. Official source: NCEC, Category Two Service Official source: NCEC, Category Three Service
What review period does NCEC state for EIA submissions?
The regulation provides 30 working days for a category-two EIA and 60 working days for a category-three EIA after fee payment and receipt. Those periods do not include applicant time to complete deficiencies; the current NCEC service-level agreement lists the same review periods. Official source: Regulation, Articles 7–8 Official source: NCEC, Service Level Agreement
Does permit issuance end the project owner’s responsibility?
No. The applicant undertakes to implement the study’s findings and recommendations when the construction permit is issued. Failure to comply with EIA obligations is listed as a serious violation in the published violations schedule. Official source: Regulation, Articles 7–8 Official source: Umm Al-Qura, updated regulation and violations schedule
Does NCEC prescribe NPV, IRR, revenue projections, or a financial model inside the EIA?
No sufficient official Saudi source was identified to establish this requirement. The verified materials do not list those calculations as category-two or category-three EIA content. The instruction to consider EIA in feasibility studies and preliminary designs does not change that evidentiary boundary. Official source: Regulation, Articles 7–9
Which language is used for the study and filing documents?
The regulation provides that activity-related reports, documents, and studies are submitted in Arabic, while allowing NCEC to accept all or part of them in English. Official source: Regulation, Article 9(8)
Can an applicant challenge an NCEC environmental-permit decision?
An applicant may lodge a written objection with NCEC within 15 working days of notification. The regulation states that late objections are not accepted and that NCEC decides the objection within 30 working days after receipt. Official source: Regulation, Article 10
This guide is for general information and is not legal or consular advice. Always verify current requirements with the receiving authority.