Foreign direct investment in Saudi Arabia runs entirely through the Ministry of Investment (MISA). The ministry has fundamentally transitioned from a traditional licensing regime to an overarching registration framework under the Investment Law and its Executive Regulations. This page maps the path to a foreign-owned limited liability company as it operates in July 2026, within the Business hub on Hala Law. For a comparison with the domestic path, see incorporating a Saudi LLC.
From licensing to registration
MISA's current Investor Guide (13th Edition, 02-2026) publishes no flat fee schedule for investment registration, which matches the shift from licensing to registration: the registration fee is now determined by the Ministry upon approval of the application and is payable within fifteen business days of the payment notification, while MISA collapses multiple operational licenses into a single overriding registration certificate. Fees change by subsequent decisions.
Ownership scope and capital requirements
Foreign investors can secure 100% ownership in the vast majority of economic sectors, with notable exclusions remaining for oil exploration, defense, and real estate ownership within the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Capital requirements are heavily bifurcated by sector:
The Investor Guide sets minimum capital by activity category in section 5.1.1, not by legal form:
| Activity category | Minimum capital | Minimum Saudi participation | Additional requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial with a Saudi partner | SAR 26,666,667 | 25% | — |
| 100% foreign commercial | SAR 30,000,000 | — | Presence in at least 3 regional or global markets |
| Communications activities | — | 40% | — |
| Supportive communications activities | — | 30% | — |
| Professional activities with a Saudi partner | — | 25% | Both partners licensed in the same field; a non-professional partner capped at 30% |
| Engineering consulting, 100% foreign | — | — | Presence in 4 countries; at least 10 years of experience |
| 100% foreign legal activity | — | — | Letter of approval from the Ministry of Justice |
Categories with no figure above have no minimum capital set in the guide. Bank account-opening amounts that circulate in the market are a banking practice set by no official source, so they do not appear here as numbers.
Required documents
- Parent company CR and Articles of Association, attested and translated.
- Audited financial statements covering one to three years.
- Board resolution approving the Saudi subsidiary.
- Passports of the Ultimate Beneficial Owners and the General Manager.
Portal sequence
| Step | Platform | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Investment Registration Certificate | MISA portal (Invest Saudi) | Parent company file review and certificate issuance |
| 2. AoA notarization and CR | Saudi Business Center | Digital notarization and CR issuance |
| 3. Government files | ZATCA, GOSI, Qiwa | Tax, social insurance, and labor files |
| 4. Premises | Balady | Municipal premises licensing |
The steps above reflect the last verification in June 2026; platform names and labels may change with updates.
Official fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Investment registration fee | Determined by the Ministry upon approval; payable within 15 business days of notification, otherwise the registration is considered void |
| Estimated processing time | 10 working days |
| CR issuance | SAR 1,200 annually |
Fees change by subsequent decisions.
Realistic timeline
The Investor Guide gives an estimated processing time of 10 working days for the investment-registration service itself. It sets no estimate for CR issuance, bank-account activation, or the attestation chain, so no figure is stated for those here.
After incorporation, the next steps typically involve registering a commercial lease for the premises, VAT registration, and hiring your first employee. If the structure under consideration is a branch without separate legal personality rather than a subsidiary, see registering a foreign company branch.
When do you need a licensed lawyer or advisor?
The information here is a general framework, not an assessment of a specific case. The sources describe this particular path as one usually managed through specialized advisors, for practical reasons:
- The international attestation chain: notary in the home country, then the foreign ministry, then the Saudi embassy — a defect anywhere sends the file back to the start.
- Certified Arabic legal translation of the parent company's documents.
- ISIC activity code selection: strategically sensitive, as it defines the licensed scope of activity and the capital requirements attached to it.
- Multi-layer ownership structures requiring precise UBO mapping.
In those cases, preparing the file precisely before submission tends to be faster and cheaper than handling rejections or completion requests afterward.