MISA Investor Guide, 13th edition
What does company formation in Saudi Arabia cost?
The Ministry of Investment does not publish a registration fee. Its own Investor Guide says the amount is determined when the application is approved. What is published, and what actually decides the budget, is the minimum capital and Saudi participation set for your activity: SAR 30,000,000 for a wholly foreign commercial licence, SAR 26,666,667 with a Saudi partner. Tell us what you plan to do and specialist advisers will price it.
What happens next
- Tell us the activity, the ownership you want and the headcount you expect. Two minutes, no account.
- We pass your details to advisers who handle MISA registration and Saudi commercial registration, and to no one else.
- They come back with their own fee and a view on capital, Saudization and timing for your activity.
Saudi Company Setup Cost is a free introduction service operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd; we pass your details to relevant company formation advisers who quote you directly. We may receive a fee from providers; you pay nothing and are under no obligation. We are not affiliated with the Ministry of Investment, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development or any other government body, and nothing here is legal or tax advice. Capital thresholds and requirements are taken from the Ministry of Investment's published Investor Guide and change between editions, confirm the current position before committing.
Saudi minimum capital and Saudi participation by activity
Last updated
Before any adviser's fee, Saudi Arabia sets a minimum capital and a minimum level of Saudi participation for each category of foreign investment. These are the figures that decide whether a plan is viable, and they are published, unlike the registration fee itself.
Taken from section 5.1.1 of the Ministry of Investment Investor Guide, 13th edition dated 02-2026, which lists the type of activity, minimum capital in Saudi riyals, minimum Saudi participation and additional requirements. A dash means the guide sets no figure for that column, not that the requirement is nil. No registration fee is published here because MISA does not publish one: its guide states the applicant commits to paying a registration fee determined by the ministry when the application is approved. Adviser fees are a private market with no published schedule, which is why this page prices drivers rather than outcomes.
| Type of activity | Minimum capital (SAR) | Minimum Saudi participation | Additional requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial, with a Saudi partner | 26,666,667 | 25% | None stated |
| Commercial, 100% foreign | 30,000,000 | None | Presence in at least 3 regional or global markets |
| Communications activities | Not stated | 40% | None stated |
| Supportive communications activities | Not stated | 30% | None stated |
| Professional activities, with a Saudi partner | Not stated | 25% | Both partners licensed in the same field; a non-professional partner's share must not exceed 30% |
| Engineering consulting, 100% foreign | Not stated | None | Presence in 4 countries and at least 10 years of experience |
| Legal activity, 100% foreign | Not stated | None | Letter of approval from the Ministry of Justice |
| Recruitment agents and domestic worker rental | Not stated | None | Three years of commercial register, three years of certified financial statements, performance evaluation certificate from the supervising authority in the sending country |
- Saudi Arabia sets a minimum capital of SAR 30,000,000 for a wholly foreign commercial activity and SAR 26,666,667 where a Saudi partner holds at least 25%, according to the Ministry of Investment's own Investor Guide.
- The Ministry of Investment does not publish its registration fee. Its Investor Guide states the applicant commits to paying a fee determined by the ministry when the application is approved, and that the registration is void if the amount is not paid by the stated deadline.
- A wholly foreign commercial licence carries five-year commitments beyond capital: training 30% of Saudi employees annually, meeting localisation rates set by the Ministry of Human Resources, and investing at least SAR 300 million, or SAR 200 million plus a manufacturing, research or logistics commitment.
Cite this page
“Saudi minimum capital and Saudi participation by activity”, Saudi Company Setup Cost, https://saudicompanysetupcost.com/ (updated 2026-08-15). Taken from section 5.1.1 of the Ministry of Investment Investor Guide, 13th edition dated 02-2026, which lists the type of activity, minimum capital in Saudi riyals, minimum Saudi participation and additional requirements. A dash means the guide sets no figure for that column, not that the requirement is nil. No registration fee is published here because MISA does not publish one: its guide states the applicant commits to paying a registration fee determined by the ministry when the application is approved. Adviser fees are a private market with no published schedule, which is why this page prices drivers rather than outcomes.
Guides
Every figure sourced and dated.
- MISA investment registration: requirements, timing and the unpublished fee
What the Ministry of Investment requires from a foreign investor, how long it says registration takes, and why no registration fee appears anywhere in its Investor Guide.
- Nitaqat and Saudization: the obligation that decides your hiring
How Saudi Arabia's Nitaqat programme sorts employers into five ranges, what each range can and cannot do, and why the required Saudization rate depends on your activity.
- 100% foreign ownership in Saudi Arabia: capital and commitments
Wholly foreign owned companies are allowed in many Saudi activities, at a price. The capital floor, the market presence test and the five-year investment commitments.
The questions we get
How much does it cost to set up a company in Saudi Arabia?
There is no single published figure, and the largest number is not a fee. For a commercial activity the Investor Guide requires minimum capital of SAR 30,000,000 wholly foreign owned or SAR 26,666,667 with a Saudi partner. The Ministry of Investment's registration fee is not published in advance: it is determined when the application is approved.
Why does this site not publish a MISA licence fee?
Because the Ministry of Investment does not publish one. Its Investor Guide says the applicant commits to paying a registration fee determined by the ministry upon approval, payable within the notified deadline or the registration is void. Any fixed figure elsewhere is someone's recollection, not the ministry's schedule.
What is MISA?
The Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia, formerly SAGIA. It registers foreign investment under the Investment Law and its Executive Regulations, and its registration is the gate a foreign investor passes through before commercial registration and everything that follows.
Do I need a Saudi partner?
For many activities, no. For some the Investor Guide sets a minimum Saudi participation: 40% for communications activities, 30% for supportive communications activities and 25% for professional activities taking the partnered route. Taking a partner in commercial activities lowers the minimum capital from SAR 30,000,000 to SAR 26,666,667.
What is Nitaqat and does it cost money?
Nitaqat classifies employers into five ranges by their Saudization rate. It does not carry a fee, but a Red or Low Green range blocks new expatriate visas, and Red also blocks renewals of existing work permits. That makes it a constraint on your hiring plan rather than a line in the budget.
How long does the process take?
The Ministry of Investment gives an estimated processing time of 10 working days for investment registration itself. Document certification by the Saudi embassy, commercial registration and the steps after it add to that, and the total depends on how quickly the certified parent company documents arrive.
Sources
- Ministry of Investment. Investor Guide, 13th edition, 02-2026
- Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia
- Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. Nitaqat Mutawar Procedural Guideline
- Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development
- Qiwa, Nitaqat calculator
- General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI)