Saudi Arabia has introduced new terms for awarding building permits to contractors, requiring them first to register with their authorised body in the Gulf Kingdom, a local newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The new rules were introduced last week and cover high-rise commercial buildings, hospitals, hotels, mosques, sport facilities, shopping malls, factories and telecommunication towers, the Arabic language daily Aleqtisadia said, quoting Thabit Al-Suwed, secretary general of the Saudi Contractors' Authority (SCA).

"Contractors seeking government permits for the construction of those facilities must first register with SCA," he said.

New rules will be enforced shortly and will cover more types of buildings including residential buildings, health centres, airports, banks and other buildings, he added.

Suweid said only around 4,000 contractors are registered with SCA although more than 140,000 construction firms operate in the largest Arab economy.

(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com)

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