Arabic-to-English Saudi Company Registration Certificate Translation

What a Saudi Company Registration Certificate (Commercial Register) Contains and Its Variants

A Saudi commercial register (السجل التجاري), issued by the Ministry of Commerce, is the primary proof that a business is legally established in Saudi Arabia. The certificate displays a unified number (الرقم الموحد), an establishment number (رقم المنشأة), the legal form (for example, a limited liability company or a joint stock company), registered capital, authorised activities, issue date, expiry date, and a commercial QR code. Variants exist for different entity types: a branch of a foreign company carries details about the parent entity, while a sole proprietorship lists the owner’s name. Beyond the core CR, businesses routinely handle a municipal licence, a Saudization certificate (linked to the Nitaqat programme), and a Zakat certificate, each attached to the same unified and establishment numbers.

Common Arabic Terms on a Saudi Commercial Register

Even a quick scan of an Arabic CR brings up terms that repeat across almost every certificate. The table below lists the most frequent field labels with their romanisation and English translation.

Arabic (Script)	Romanisation	English
السجل التجاري	As-Sijil At-Tijari	Commercial Register
الرقم الموحد	Ar-Raqm Al-Muwahhad	Unified Number
رقم المنشأة	Raqm Al-Munsha’ah	Establishment Number
الشكل القانوني	Ash-Shakl Al-Qanuni	Legal Form
رأس المال	Ra’s Al-Mal	Capital
الأنشطة	Al-Ansitah	Activities
تاريخ الإصدار	Tarikh Al-Isdar	Date of Issue
تاريخ الانتهاء	Tarikh Al-Intiha’	Expiry Date
الرمز التجاري	Ar-Ramz At-Tijari	Commercial QR Code
غرفة تجارية	Ghurfah Tijariyyah	Chamber of Commerce

Why Businesses Translate a Saudi CR into English

An English version of a Saudi commercial register is often the first document a foreign partner, bank, or authority requests. Overseas due‑diligence teams need to verify a Saudi entity’s legal standing before signing contracts or opening correspondent bank accounts. When a Saudi company bids for international tenders, procurement offices ask for an English translation along with the original. Similarly, visa processing centres and foreign investment screening bodies may require a translated CR to confirm the applicant’s business affiliation. From our experience translating similar documents, even internal cross‑border teams use the English version to align compliance and finance records without waiting for an in‑house Arabic speaker.

AI Translation vs Human‑Certified Work: When Each Approach Fits

An instant AI translation of a Saudi CR gives you a searchable, editable English DOCX in minutes. It preserves the table layout, unified and establishment numbers, legal form, and activity descriptions exactly as they appear in the Arabic original. That makes it more than enough for preliminary business verification, internal review, understanding the document’s content, or preparing a working draft of a partnership agreement. If your purpose is to file the translation with a government agency, a foreign embassy, or a court that requires a certificate of accuracy, you will likely need a certified translation. Lekhak offers certified translation on‑demand for those cases. For the majority of commercial use, due diligence, internal compliance, and bid preparation, the instant AI output gets the job done without delay.

What Lekhak’s AI Translation Produces

When you upload a scanned Saudi company registration certificate, Lekhak’s AI pipeline extracts the Arabic text, maps every field into a structured table, and delivers a fully editable English DOCX. The document keeps the original column‑and‑row arrangement of the CR, so identifiers like the unified number and establishment number stay in their familiar positions. Field labels are translated into English, while activity descriptions and legal‑form statements are rendered in clear, professional language. The commercial QR code is not decoded or reproduced within the translation, its presence on the original is noted. Because the output is a standard DOCX, you can immediately copy fields into an online form, share it with a compliance officer, or pass it to a lawyer for review.

When You Need Notarisation, Apostille, or Embassy Attestation

If a Saudi CR must be presented to an authority abroad, for instance, to open a corporate bank account in Europe or to register a branch in a non‑GCC country, the receiving country may ask for additional authentication. The typical chain begins with notarisation in Saudi Arabia, followed by a stamp from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finally an apostille for Hague Convention countries or embassy legalisation for non‑Hague countries. A certified translation fits into this chain as supporting material. Lekhak does not provide notarisation, apostille, or embassy attestation services; these are separate government acts you arrange with the relevant authorities. When a certified translation is required alongside the attestation, Lekhak can supply it on‑demand.

How to Obtain a Duplicate of a Saudi Company Registration Certificate

The Saudi Ministry of Commerce offers an e‑services portal where businesses can request a replacement commercial register. You access the portal through a single sign‑on tied to the company’s Absher business account. After logging in, select the relevant establishment from the dashboard and look for the option to print or re‑issue the commercial register. The system generates a PDF with a live commercial QR code that online verifiers can scan. If your original CR is lost or damaged, obtaining a fresh digital copy through the portal is the fastest route, no physical visit to a branch is necessary. Keep in mind that the duplicate will carry the same unified number and establishment number as the original, so any prior translation that captured those identifiers remains valid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a Saudi CR translation have to be done by a certified translator?

Not always. For internal business verification or partner review, an AI translation is usually sufficient. Official submissions to courts, banks, or foreign embassies may require a certified translation. Lekhak offers certified translation on‑demand for those situations.

How does the translation handle the unified number?

The unified number is transferred exactly as it appears on the Arabic original, no conversion, no abbreviation. It is placed inside the translated DOCX in the same position as on the source certificate, often next to the term “Unified Number.”

Does a translated CR expire?

A translation reflects the commercial register’s content at the time of issue. If the original CR expires or the business updates its capital or activities, you should obtain a fresh Arabic certificate and have it retranslated.

Can I translate the commercial QR code into English?

No. The commercial QR code is a scannable machine‑readable element; it is not translatable. Lekhak’s AI translation notes the presence of the QR code in the output but does not decode or alter it.

Is the AI translation accepted for a Saudi visa application?

Visa‑processing centres may accept an AI translation for an initial screening, but a final submission to an embassy or consulate often asks for a certified translation. Check the specific requirements before you submit.

What about other certificates attached to the CR, municipal licence, Saudization, Zakat?

Lekhak’s AI translation can process each certificate individually. Uploading the municipal licence, Saudization certificate, or Zakat certificate as separate files will produce an English DOCX for each, preserving field names and permit numbers.

Will the translation keep the Chamber of Commerce stamp?

The AI translation reproduces any text visible around the Chamber of Commerce stamp or logo, but it does not replicate the graphic seal itself. If the stamp contains handwritten annotations, the AI will transcribe them into the DOCX where possible.

How long does an AI translation take?

Most standard‑size CR documents are processed in under two minutes. The finished English DOCX is available to download as soon as the platform finishes the conversion.

Can I use the translation to register a branch of the Saudi company abroad?

The English DOCX provides a ready‑to‑use draft for branch registration forms. If the foreign commercial registry demands a certified translation, Lekhak can arrange it on‑demand. Notarisation and apostille remain separate steps you handle with the relevant authorities.

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