Health facilities · Ministry of Health
Clinic, dental and aesthetic ads in Saudi Arabia: the Ministry of Health rules
Every clinic ad in the Kingdom — a dental offer on Snapchat, a Botox promotion on Instagram, a laser package on TikTok — sits under two rulebooks at once. The Ministry of Commerce rules on discounts apply as they do to any business. On top of them, the Ministry of Health attaches a specific content standard to every health-advertising licence it issues. This is that standard, with its original numbering, and what it means for the September National Day wave.
Who this applies to
Private health institutions and the practitioners who work in them: hospitals, polyclinics, dental and dermatology clinics, aesthetic and laser centres, pharmacies, and the agencies who run their ads. The Health Professions Practice Law starts from a prohibition — a practitioner may not advertise themselves — and the executive regulations carve out what is allowed. An ad that goes live without a Ministry licence is outside that carve-out regardless of its content.
What every health ad must contain
- A statement that it is advertising material (بيان يوضح أنها مادة إعلانية).
- The advertiser’s name and contact details — including e-mail, website, phone numbers and working hours.
- Arabic. The ad must be in Arabic; other languages may be added alongside it.
- Total fees, stated clearly — no undisclosed extra charges behind the headline price.
- A warning about the risk of not following up after the procedure.
- A warning about the procedure’s potential risks.
- All possible complications, stated clearly and in line with medical standards.
- Ministry approval for any discount or promotion, with its duration and amount specified.
Items 5–7 are the ones almost no aesthetic ad carries. A Reels caption that lists filler, Botox and laser prices with no line about complications fails three requirements at once.
What a health ad must not contain (المحظورات)
- Advertising for an unlicensed facility, pharmacy, herbal seller or practitioner.
- Images, phrases or gestures that break regulations or public morals.
- False, misleading or deceptive information, or fictitious offers.
- Any patient data or images. This is where before-and-after content lives.
- Patient testimonials or experiences.
- Using children to promote services.
- Encouraging excessive or unnecessary use of health services.
- Disparaging another facility or practitioner.
- Superlatives — “the only”, “the expert”, “the best” (الوحيد، الخبير، الأكثر).
- Exaggerated claims, with a named list: proven clinical efficacy without evidence, “integrated treatment”, treating what others failed to treat, guaranteed results, memory or performance enhancement, instant treatment, “incomparable”, and permanent youth.
Discounts and promotions — how approval works
| Rule | What it means for a campaign |
|---|---|
| Apply to the regional health licensing department with the services, approved prices and discount percentage | The application comes before the creative. “Up to 30% off” on an unspecified menu cannot be approved. |
| Facility licence must be current | An expired facility licence voids the promotion approval. |
| Max 60 days per promotion, max 3 approvals per year | National Day + Founding Day + one seasonal push is the whole annual budget. “Offers never stop” (عروضنا ما توقف) is a red flag on its face. |
| Pledge not to reduce service quality during the offer | A signed undertaking, not a slogan. |
| Ministry approval displayed prominently | The approval reference belongs in the ad — copy or creative — not only on a wall in reception. |
| Deliver the full promotional package, or complete it elsewhere at your cost, or refund the remainder | Multi-session packages sold at a discount carry a delivery obligation. |
The National Day pattern we see in the feed
Sampling live Saudi clinic ads in the first week of September: nearly all use “limited time” with no end date, most list procedures with no risk line, several use “you won’t find it anywhere else”, and none we sampled showed a Ministry approval reference. Each of those maps to a numbered item above. The ads are not unusual — the standard is simply stricter than the industry’s habits.
Five-line self-check for a clinic promo:(1) Ministry approval reference visible? (2) End date stated, within 60 days? (3) Any procedure named — then is there a risk / complications line? (4) No patient photos, cases or reviews? (5) No “only / expert / best / guaranteed / instant / permanent”?
Run a clinic ad through the Ministry list
Paste the copy, choose “medical services”, and FormicGuard checks the eight required items and the ten prohibitions — plus the Ministry of Commerce discount rules that apply on top. Free, no card.
- Ministry of Health — ضوابط المحتوى الإعلاني + التخفيضات والعروض الترويجية (content rules attached to the health-advertising licence e-service, moh.gov.sa/eServices/Licences). Numbering above follows this document.
- Health Professions Practice Law, article 10 (baseline prohibition on practitioner self-advertising) and the executive regulations of the Private Health Institutions Law.
- Ministry of Commerce discount and promotion rules — see the discount guide.
FormicGuard is a pre-publication risk check, not legal advice or regulatory clearance. Regulations change; confirm against moh.gov.sa. Guide index: all guides.