Overview

Amazon has tightened its invoicing policy for sellers on the Saudi Arabian marketplace (Amazon.sa) effective immediately. The new rule obliges sellers to issue a VAT‑compliant invoice within a strict timeframe after an order ships, and failure to do so triggers a returnless refund that the seller must fully fund. Compliance is now a direct cost factor for anyone selling in the Kingdom.

Key Points

• Invoice mandatory for every shipment — Every order shipped on Amazon.sa must be accompanied by a tax‑compliant invoice, regardless of the seller’s location.
• Three‑day response window — If a buyer asks for an invoice, the seller has three business days to deliver it before Amazon steps in.
• Six‑day window for high‑value items — Listings flagged as high‑value (generally above the platform’s price threshold) receive a longer, six‑business‑day period to satisfy the request.
• Returnless refund penalty — When the deadline is missed, Amazon issues a full refund while the customer retains the product, and the entire refund amount is charged to the seller’s account.
• Full Saudi VAT compliance required — Invoices must contain the seller’s ZATCA‑registered VAT number, correct VAT amount, buyer details, and accurate order line items as stipulated by Saudi law.
• Applies to domestic and cross‑border sellers — The rule covers sellers based inside Saudi Arabia and international sellers who list on Amazon.sa, meaning all marketplace participants need compliant invoicing systems.

How Invoicing Rules Work

1. Order ships → Invoice generation — As soon as the seller confirms shipment, an automated process should create a VAT‑compliant invoice that includes the ZATCA registration number, item description, VAT rate, and total amount. For example, a seller using an ERP integration can trigger invoice creation the moment the carrier status changes to “shipped.”
2. Customer requests invoice → Countdown starts — If the buyer clicks “request invoice” in their order details, Amazon logs the request and starts a three‑business‑day timer (six days for high‑value items). A seller using Amazon’s Notification API can receive an instant alert to begin the delivery process.