+92 310 5425973 support@saudiacompanyformation.com PrivacyTerms
Saudia Company Formation
Book a free consultation
Saudi company formation and business setup support for founders and companies worldwideWorldwide consultation • International document coordination • We reply within one working day
Saudi company formation in Saudi Arabia for international founders and foreign investors

Saudi Arabia Business Setup

Company Formation in Saudi Arabia, built for international founders

We set up Saudi companies for founders and businesses based outside the Kingdom, from our Lahore office and with our own employee in Saudi Arabia. One written plan covers MISA investment registration, the Commercial Registration, your home-country documents, the bank account and the registered office. One person handles your file from the first call to handover.

Book Free Consultation Contact On WhatsApp
MISA investment registration
Commercial Registration (CR)
Corporate bank account
Registered office address

What we handle

Six parts of a Saudi company setup, one team

One team in Lahore and our own employee in Saudi Arabia handle all six. At any point you can ask which stage your file is at and what we still need from you, and we reply within one working day.

See all 12 services
Foreign Investment

MISA registration

We file your investment registration with the Ministry of Investment, which replaced the MISA licence in February 2025.

Company Registration

Commercial Registration

We take the company through the Ministry of Commerce until its Commercial Registration (CR) is issued. Since April 2025 a CR has no expiry date; it is confirmed once a year.

Tax & Compliance

ZATCA registration

We register the company with ZATCA for zakat or income tax, and for VAT once taxable sales pass SAR 375,000 in 12 months.

Corporate Banking

Bank account support

We prepare the bank’s company file and shareholder papers. Plan one trip: Saudi banks usually want to meet the signatory in person.

Business Presence

Registered office address

Every company needs a National Address registered with Saudi Post (SPL). We check whether your activity also needs real premises before you sign a lease.

Worldwide

International document support

Company records and shareholder papers from your country, apostilled or attested, then translated into Arabic. You start by sending PDFs.

Overview

How we plan your Saudi setup before you commit

Before you commit to anything, we tell you which Saudi registration you need and which papers to gather at home, and the quote comes in writing. Most people arrive unsure about both.

01

Tell us what business you want to run

We start with your activity, ownership plan, home country and whether you will sell services, goods or both.

02

We explain the right Saudi setup route

LLC or branch, service or trading: we tell you which route fits your plan and why, in plain English.

03

We give you the document list

You get one list of what to gather at home, in the order you will need it.

04

We stay on after registration

After the CR is issued, we carry on with ZATCA, the bank account and the National Address.

  • We explain everything in normal words
  • Built for people doing this for the first time
  • The same person looks after you the whole way
Saudi company formation consultation Setup Guidance
Saudi company formation document meeting with international clients Document Support

How it works

Six steps, from the first call to a trading company

Each step ends with something you can check, like a signed-off document list or a registration number from MISA.

Phase 1

Plan

Agree the activity and the structure, then map where each document gets stamped.

Phase 2

Register

Register the investment with MISA and form the company with a Commercial Registration.

Phase 3

Launch

Open the bank account and register for tax, so the company can invoice.

01

Share your business details

Your home country, business activity, ownership plan, timeline and whether you will sell services, goods or both.

Result: Setup direction becomes clear
02

Choose the right structure

We pick the structure that fits your activity and your ownership plan.

Result: Right setup path is selected
03

Prepare the documents

We list the company records and shareholder papers, and how each gets stamped.

Result: Document checklist is ready
04

Register with MISA

We file the MISA investment registration, which replaced the investment licence in February 2025.

Result: Investment is registered
05

Get the Commercial Registration

We take the company through registration until the CR is issued.

Result: Company is legally formed
06

Set up banking and the address

We prepare the bank file and register the National Address, then hand you a calendar of what is due next.

Result: Bank file and address are in place

One route, start to finish

One path from the first enquiry to a company that can invoice and hire staff.

Fixed document listFixed fee, no hidden costsOne named contact

Our Services

What is included

Nine areas of support, grouped the way most people think about them: forming the company, getting the paperwork right, then banking and the office.

Saudi Arabia business setup consultation focused on NEOM investment and market entry opportunities

Saudi Arabia business setup consultation

We check your activity against MISA’s rules and your ownership plan, then recommend an LLC, a branch or another route.

Focus
Activity review and setup planning
Best For
Businesses entering Saudi Arabia for the first time
All 12 services
Saudi company registration support meeting for foreign investors and international business owners

Saudi company registration support

We take a foreign-owned company from the agreed structure through MISA to its Commercial Registration (CR).

Focus
Formation structure and Commercial Registration path
Best For
Service companies, trading companies and foreign investors
Foreign-owned LLC guide
Laptop and pen holder on a desk with Pakistan, India and Bangladesh flags behind

Document checklist planning

One international document checklist, in order, so you know what to prepare in your home country before the Saudi filing starts.

Focus
Which papers, in which order
Best For
Shareholders with papers from more than one country
How a file runs
NEOM and Saudi projects Architectural render of The Line, the mirrored linear city planned at NEOM, with a stadium inside

Project work

Why NEOM matters if you want Saudi project work

NEOM is one of Saudi Arabia's giga-projects, and its contracts reach well beyond the site: construction, technology, consulting, logistics, design, engineering, hospitality and professional services. Buyers on projects like this usually want a supplier with a Saudi Commercial Registration, a VAT number and a local bank account, which is what company formation gives you.

ConstructionTechnologyConsultingLogisticsEngineeringHospitalitySustainabilityProfessional ServicesHow to get business from NEOM in 2026
Eligible for local tenders

A registered entity puts you on the list for work that overseas suppliers rarely see.

A Saudi company on the contract

Buyers and partners take a local company more seriously than a foreign invoice.

Invoices in riyals, with VAT

A ZATCA VAT number lets you issue the Fatoora e-invoices that every VAT-registered business in Saudi Arabia must use.

Ready for the next project

An entity outlasts any one project, so the next contract does not start from nothing.

Worldwide Support

Saudi company formation from anywhere in the world

Founders and companies from any country can form a Saudi company through us. Your home country decides the document route. We work from a Lahore office, with virtual desks for India, Bangladesh, the UAE and GCC, and the UK, Europe and the USA.

Global founders to Saudi Arabia

Worldwide Saudi business setup support

Find your country under its region below. Where you live mainly changes two things: how your papers are legalised, and whether your central bank must approve money leaving.

Every country, 6 regions
Popular countries Frequently supported locations
Worldwide support is available below
United States flagUnited States United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom India flagIndia Pakistan flagPakistan Bangladesh flagBangladesh United Arab Emirates flagUnited Arab Emirates Canada flagCanada Australia flagAustralia
Choose your regionEvery country is listed under its region.
Get a Saudi Setup Quote

Europe

44 countries
AlbaniaAndorraAustriaBelarusBelgiumBosnia and HerzegovinaBulgariaCroatiaCzechiaDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceHoly See (Vatican City)HungaryIcelandIrelandItalyLatviaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMaltaMoldovaMonacoMontenegroNetherlandsNorth MacedoniaNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSan MarinoSerbiaSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandUkraineUnited Kingdom

Asia & Middle East

48 countries
AfghanistanArmeniaAzerbaijanBahrainBangladeshBhutanBruneiCambodiaChinaCyprusGeorgiaIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIsraelJapanJordanKazakhstanKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLebanonMalaysiaMaldivesMongoliaMyanmarNepalNorth KoreaOmanPakistanPalestinePhilippinesQatarSaudi ArabiaSingaporeSouth KoreaSri LankaSyriaTajikistanThailandTimor-LesteTürkiyeTurkmenistanUnited Arab EmiratesUzbekistanVietnamYemen

Africa

54 countries
AlgeriaAngolaBeninBotswanaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCameroonCentral African RepublicChadComorosDemocratic Republic of the CongoRepublic of the CongoCôte d’IvoireDjiboutiEgyptEquatorial GuineaEritreaEswatiniEthiopiaGabonGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauKenyaLesothoLiberiaLibyaMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaMauritiusMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNigerNigeriaRwandaSão Tomé and PríncipeSenegalSeychellesSierra LeoneSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth SudanSudanTanzaniaTogoTunisiaUgandaZambiaZimbabwe

North America & Caribbean

23 countries
Antigua and BarbudaBahamasBarbadosBelizeCanadaCosta RicaCubaDominicaDominican RepublicEl SalvadorGrenadaGuatemalaHaitiHondurasJamaicaMexicoNicaraguaPanamaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesTrinidad and TobagoUnited States

South America

12 countries
ArgentinaBoliviaBrazilChileColombiaEcuadorGuyanaParaguayPeruSurinameUruguayVenezuela

Oceania

14 countries
AustraliaFijiKiribatiMarshall IslandsMicronesiaNauruNew ZealandPalauPapua New GuineaSamoaSolomon IslandsTongaTuvaluVanuatu

Saudi setup routes

Saudi LLC Formation Foreign Company Registration Branch Office Setup Service Company Setup Trading Company Setup MISA Investment Registration
Tell us your country and planned Saudi activity, and we map the setup and document route for it. Contact Us for a Quote

International documents and market entry

Your document path depends on where the company and its shareholders are based. Papers from Apostille countries are apostilled at home; papers from countries such as the UAE or Qatar still go through the Saudi embassy.

Country-Specific Document Route

Documents we commonly review

Company Incorporation Records Shareholder Documents Board Resolutions Financial Statements Apostille / Attestation Arabic Translation

Saudi market entry support

MISA Registration Commercial Registration (CR) Registered Office Address Corporate Bank Account ZATCA & Tax Setup Post-Formation Compliance
Tell us your country and business activity, and we will map the relevant document and registration route. Get Your Setup Plan

Registration & Licensing Documents

Saudi company formation certificates & licence examples

View examples of Commercial Registration and MISA investment-licensing documents used in Saudi business setup. Select any document to open the full-size image.

NEVA Saudi Commercial Registration CR certificate example
Commercial Registration

NEVA CR Certificate

Saudi Commercial Registration document example.

View Certificate
Saudi Commercial Registration CR certificate Arabic example
Commercial Registration

CR Certificate (Arabic)

Arabic Commercial Registration document example.

View Certificate
Saudi MISA investment licence example
Investment Licensing

MISA Licence

Saudi investment-licensing document example.

View Licence
NEVA Saudi MISA investment licence example
Investment Licensing

NEVA MISA Licence

MISA investment-licensing document example.

View Licence

MISA to CR in 25 and 114 days
Two of our files for Pakistani shareholders, from MISA registration to the Commercial Registration.

A CR with no expiry date
Since 3 April 2025 the company confirms its CR data every 12 months instead, as the Ministry of Commerce announced.

More finished files
Redacted certificates and real timelines are on our portfolio of Saudi formations.

Fees and quotes

What decides your Saudi company formation fee?

The fee depends on whether you set up a service company or a trading company, on the activity and its licences, and on how many shareholders’ papers need legalising. Government charges sit on their own lines, and how we work explains every line of a quote.

Since February 2025 No licence

MISA licence replaced by investment registration

Foreign investors now register with MISA instead of buying and renewing a licence. MISA notifies its registration fee when it approves the application, payable within 15 business days, and charges an annual update fee on the same terms. The Ministry of Commerce and any activity licence carry their own government fees, and our fee sits on a separate line. Every line is itemised in your written quote.

Source: the MISA Investor Guide (13th edition, 2026), services 3.1.1 (registration) and 3.2.1 (annual update), checked 15 October 2026. Government fees change, so we confirm current amounts when we quote.
Company Type 01

Service Company

For consulting, technology, professional services and other service-based activities in Saudi Arabia.

✓Quoted for your service activity
✓MISA and Commercial Registration requirements reviewed
✓Document and compliance scope included in your quote
Service company quoteSend us the activity and we quote a fixed fee for the agreed scope.
Company Type 02

Trading Company

For import, export, distribution, wholesale, retail and other commercial trading activities.

✓Trading activity and commercial requirements assessed first
✓Different licensing and capital rules from service companies
✓Government and professional fees explained before engagement
Trading company quoteShare your trading activity and we confirm the route first, then the fee.

Get a written quote for your Saudi company

Tell us your country, the business activity and whether you need a service or trading company. You get a written quote, usually within one working day: a fixed fee for the agreed scope, with government fees on their own lines.

Ask for a quote

Get Started

Get a plan built for your business

Tell us your country, Saudi business activity and timeline. We come back with the formation route, the document list and a fixed quote for the agreed scope.

Need help choosing the right company type?

We work out whether you should start as a service company or a trading company.

Not sure about MISA, CR or documents?

We explain each stage in plain English and tell you what comes next.

Want a realistic setup view?

We map the documents and the order the filings have to happen in.

Book a Free Consultation

We save your request and reply within one working day. You can continue on WhatsApp straight after.

We promise a fixed fee for the agreed scope, no hidden costs, and filings made only through official channels. We cannot promise approval from a government body or a bank.

FAQs

Questions we are asked most

Filter by topic, or search if you already know what you are looking for.

Start by fixing three things: the activity, who will own the company, and the country its papers come from. Those decide the structure, the documents and the order of filings, and we can map them on one free call.
Yes. A foreign individual registers as an investor with MISA using a passport, then forms the company with a Commercial Registration from the Ministry of Commerce.
Yes, from almost any country. What changes from one country to another is the home side: how your papers are legalised, and whether your central bank must approve money leaving.
Yes, in two ways: as the shareholder of a new Saudi LLC, or by registering a branch of itself. The LLC keeps Saudi risks separate; the branch suits a contract the parent will deliver.
Yes, in most activities. A short list is closed to foreign investors, and some, such as 100% foreign trading, carry extra conditions like SAR 30 million capital. We check your activity first.
Not for most activities. A few require one: MISA’s rules set a 25% Saudi share for some professional activities, for example.
For most founders, a limited liability company: it is a separate Saudi company, liability stops at its capital, and it can be fully foreign-owned. A branch is better when the parent will deliver its own contract.
Yes. The LLC is the structure most foreign investors use: one or more shareholders, a manager named in the articles, and liability limited to the company’s capital.
Yes. A branch is your existing company registered in Saudi Arabia, with the parent liable for its debts. It needs the parent’s full file, including audited accounts. We often recommend an LLC instead, because the parent then stays out of the Saudi company’s debts.
Company registration in Saudi Arabia mostly takes as long as your documents take. MISA’s Investor Guide estimates 10 working days to process a complete file, and we never promise a finish date. Two of our files for Pakistani shareholders went from MISA to CR in 25 and 114 days, and one client’s beauty shop was ready in 47 days in total.
Yes. MISA registration and the Commercial Registration are filed under a power of attorney while you stay at home. That is how Muhammad Shayan Shahzad’s MISA file was filed from Pakistan. Opening the bank account and getting residency usually take one trip.
The Commercial Registration is one stage of company formation: the moment the Ministry of Commerce brings the company into existence. Formation also covers MISA before it, and tax, bank and staff after it.
MISA is Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment. Every foreign investor registers with it before forming a company, and the registration is updated every year.
A MISA licence is the old name for MISA investment registration, which replaced the licence in February 2025. Most people still say licence.
Yes, if any shareholder is foreign. MISA registration comes before the Commercial Registration, and MISA’s fee must be paid within 15 business days of MISA notifying it, or the registration is void.
For a company investor: its commercial registration and the last financial year’s statements, plus the parent company’s registration if the parent has a different nationality, all apostilled or attested and translated into Arabic. For an individual: a passport. We also ask for a board resolution and a power of attorney, so the articles can be signed and the file made for you.
No. MISA registers the foreign investment; the Ministry of Commerce then issues the Commercial Registration that forms the company. MISA comes first.
No. Most service activities follow the standard process, while trading, engineering consultancy, recruitment and other listed activities have their own capital, experience or Saudi-share conditions.
Yes. Most service activities are open to foreign investors through MISA investment registration, though some professional activities need a 25% Saudi share.
Yes, with conditions. MISA’s Investor Guide sets SAR 30 million capital for a 100% foreign trading company and a presence in at least three regional or global markets. The company must also invest at least SAR 300 million over five years (or SAR 200 million plus a manufacturing, research and development or logistics target) and train 30% of its Saudi staff every year. With a Saudi partner owning at least 25%, the capital is SAR 26,666,667.
Usually its certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles, a list of directors and shareholders, a board resolution approving the Saudi company, and the last audited accounts.
The list barely changes; the stamping route does. Papers from Apostille countries such as India, Pakistan or the UK are apostilled at home, while papers from the UAE or Qatar still go through the Saudi embassy.
An apostille is a single certificate, issued in the country that produced a document, that makes it valid in every other member country. The Convention has applied in Saudi Arabia since 7 December 2022.
An apostille if your country is a member of the Apostille Convention; embassy attestation if it is not. Members now include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the UK, the US and most of Europe.
Check the HCCH status table, the official list of members. Your country has to be a member on the date the apostille is issued, and a few members have objections that block the Convention between them and specific countries.
Then documents are legalised the older way: notarised, attested by your foreign ministry, then by the Saudi embassy or consulate, and translated into Arabic. We confirm the order before anything is stamped.
No. Some need attestation instead, and some only need translating.
Yes, and it is the delay we see most: a missing apostille, or a name spelled one way on the passport and another on the company papers.
Yes, for anything filed with a Saudi authority. A certified translator works from the apostilled original, and we check every name against the passports.
Yes, when a company is the shareholder. MISA asks for the last year’s financial statements, banks usually want the latest audited accounts, and a branch needs the parent’s accounts in full.
Yes, after the Commercial Registration is issued. Banks want the CR, the articles, the MISA record and the identity of every shareholder and signatory.
Banks usually ask for the Commercial Registration, investment records, ownership details, the founding documents and details of who can sign.
Not entirely. Saudi banks usually want to meet the authorised signatory at least once, so plan one trip for the account opening.
No. Final approval always depends on the bank’s own compliance and KYC review.
Company bank accounts are usually held up by unclear ownership, papers that do not match each other, or a problem with the address.
Yes. Every company needs a National Address registered with Saudi Post, and some activities and licences also need physical premises.
For some service activities, yes. Activities that need premises, staff on site or a municipal licence need a real office, so we check before you sign a lease.
The National Address is Saudi Post’s official address for a person or company: building number, street, district, city, postcode and a four-digit additional number. Government and bank records use it.
Yes. We register the National Address with Saudi Post and check whether your activity needs real premises before you sign a lease.
The fee for company formation in Saudi Arabia depends mainly on the activity, the structure and how many shareholders’ papers need legalising. You get a fixed fee for the agreed scope in writing, with government fees on separate lines and no hidden costs.
For a 100% foreign-owned company, yes: MISA’s rules put 100% foreign trading at SAR 30 million capital. Service activities outside MISA’s special list, software and IT among them, carry no MISA minimum capital.
Plan for government registration fees, legalising and translating documents, the office or National Address, and the yearly filings after setup. Your quote lists each one on its own line.
No. Government fees go to MISA, the Ministry of Commerce and the Chamber; our fee is for the work. Your quote shows them on separate lines.
Usually yes. Every company needs a National Address, and where your activity needs an office or premises, that rent is a real cost to budget.
Yes. Every company registers with ZATCA for zakat or income tax, and for VAT at 15% once taxable sales pass SAR 375,000 in 12 months, the threshold set out in ZATCA’s VAT invoicing guideline. Late VAT registration is the penalty we see most.
ZATCA, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, collects zakat, income tax and VAT, runs Fatoora e-invoicing and handles customs. Annual returns are due within 120 days of the year end.
Yes. Our ACCA-qualified accountants and an FCMA handle the books and ZATCA returns, and we keep the CR confirmation and MISA update on a yearly calendar.
A fixed fee for the agreed scope with no hidden costs, and every filing made through official channels in your company’s name, with no shortcuts. We do not promise approval from a government body or a bank, or a finish date, because those decisions are not ours.
Send us your country, your activity and when you want to start, by WhatsApp or the consultation form. After the call you send documents as PDFs; originals are needed only where an apostille requires them.
Yes. The free consultation takes 20 to 30 minutes and maps the route, the documents and the next step; the written quote follows before you spend anything.

The Next Step

Book a free call to plan your Saudi company

Tell us your country and planned Saudi activity. We map the formation route, the MISA registration and your document list, and send a fixed quote for the agreed scope before you commit.

Book Free Consultation Contact On WhatsApp
The first call is free 20 to 30 minutes, and no fee until you decide to go ahead.
A team you can check ACCA-qualified accountants, an FCMA, a licensed Saudi lawyer and our own PRO in Saudi Arabia. Meet our formation team.
A reply in one working day From the person who will handle your file, at our Lahore office in Barkat Market.
Book Free Consultation Contact Us