MISA licence or investment registration? What changed under Saudi Arabia's Investment Law

Old licence vs new registration

Who has to register

• Foreign investors, individuals or companies, that will own any part of a Saudi company or open a branch.
• Not usually needed when every owner, through the whole ownership chain, is a Saudi or GCC national. GCC nationals are treated like Saudis for most activities, so a company wholly owned by GCC nationals usually goes straight to the Commercial Registration.

What the law guarantees investors

• Equal treatment of foreign and Saudi investors as a minimum standard
• Transfer of funds into and out of the Kingdom without undue delay
• Protection against direct and indirect expropriation
• Protection of intellectual property and confidential business information
• Access to Saudi courts, and to arbitration where the required approvals exist

Fees and deadlines in 2026

Under the Ministry's Investor Guide (13th edition, June 2026):

• The fee for investment registration, and for its annual update, is set by the Ministry when it approves the registration.
• It must be paid within 15 business days of notification. If it is not, the registration is treated as void.
• Most services after registration, such as updates, activity changes and cancellation, carry no fee.
• After any change to the investment register, the company has 30 days to update its Commercial Registration.

The old Investor Relations subscription of SAR 10,000 in year one and SAR 60,000 a year after is suspended in 2026. We confirm the live position with the Ministry when we prepare each file.

How long it takes

Investment registration usually takes 3 to 10 business days once the file is complete. The Commercial Registration follows within about a week. Most of the overall time, typically two to four weeks, goes on attesting the investor's documents in the home country.

What registration does not change

• Restricted activities. A closed list of activities remains closed or limited for foreign investors.
• Capital for trading. For commercial (trading) activity, the Investor Guide sets minimum capital of SAR 30 million with 100% foreign ownership, or SAR 26,666,667 with a Saudi partner holding at least 25%.
• Everything after registration. You still need the Commercial Registration, municipal licence, Chamber of Commerce membership, ZATCA, GOSI, Qiwa and Muqeem, and the yearly filings that follow.

If you already hold an old licence

Existing companies keep operating. Before you amend your company, add an activity or change ownership, check your entity's status on the Ministry's portal: the implementing rules decide whether a transition step is needed at that point.