ISO 22301 certification in Saudi Arabia

ISO 22301 certification in Saudi Arabia at a glance

Business continuity has had a regulatory anchor in Saudi banking since 2017, when the Saudi Central Bank issued its Business Continuity Management Framework for its member organisations, banks and banking subsidiaries, stating that its requirements draw on international standards such as ISO 22301 and ISO 27001 alongside BCI and DRII practice guidelines. Outside finance, the National Cybersecurity Authority's Essential Cybersecurity Controls include a domain on the cybersecurity resilience aspects of business continuity management for government agencies and critical national infrastructure operators. Neither instrument requires ISO 22301 certification, but a certified business continuity management system shows a regulator or a corporate buyer that impact analysis, recovery strategies and exercises run as a managed system, audited by an independent, accredited certification body. Sterling's Riyadh office builds the business impact analysis, risk assessment, continuity plans and exercise programme, and prepares the organisation for the certification body's audits. Common questions about Saudi scope follow.

Who needs ISO 22301 in Saudi Arabia, and what happens without it

In Saudi Arabia the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• SAMA member organisations, banks and banking subsidiariesSAMA's BCM Framework names ISO 22301 among its source standards.
• Government agencies and critical national infrastructure operatorsThe ECC includes cybersecurity resilience aspects of business continuity management.
• Outsourcing and technology providers to banksBanks extend continuity expectations to critical providers.

ISO 22301 requirements in Saudi Arabia

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22301 requires a company to prove six things about how it keeps operating when something goes wrong.

In Saudi Arabia these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: ISO 22301 explained →

• ISO 22301 requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents ISO 22301 expects

How to get ISO 22301 certified in Saudi Arabia

One team from the Riyadh office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across the Kingdom, from the Riyadh office; on-site where the work needs it and remote delivery for distributed teams.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against ISO 22301 and the Saudi requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• The ISO 22301 certification process, step by step
• ISO 22301 internal audit

How long does ISO 22301 certification take in Saudi Arabia?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Saudi Arabia these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Number of critical activities and sites in the business impact analysis
• Existing SAMA BCM or ECC resilience work
• Exercise programme completed before stage 2
• Certification body scheduling around Ramadan, the Eid holidays and the Sunday–Thursday working week

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does ISO 22301 certification cost in Saudi Arabia?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Saudi Arabia these factors move both.

• Number of sites and critical activities
• Recovery site and technology arrangements
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
• Exercise design and facilitation

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of ISO 22301

ISO 22301 consultants and certification bodies in Saudi Arabia

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers ISO 22301 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Saudi Arabia are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

ISO 22301 in Saudi Arabia: questions clients ask

More on ISO 22301 for Saudi organisations

• ISO 22301: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement ISO 22301
• Sterling in Riyadh
• ISO 22301 certification in Saudi Arabia and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Saudi businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Saudi Arabia often combine ISO 22301 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 23 standards Sterling delivers in Saudi Arabia →