Branch registration
MISA registration and the branch Commercial Registration in your company's name.
Pakistan
Saudi branch office
A Saudi branch for your Pakistani company, when the contract is your company's own
A branch is your Pakistani company itself, registered to operate in Saudi Arabia. It suits a Pakistani contractor, consultancy or IT firm delivering a Saudi contract in its own name. The parent stands behind the branch, so the Saudi side asks for the full parent file, which we prepare from your SECP papers.
- Same name as your company
- Parent file prepared for you
- Fixed fee, agreed upfront
The short answerA Pakistani company registers a Saudi branch by filing its parent documents with MISA and the Ministry of Commerce, appointing a branch manager and obtaining a branch Commercial Registration. The branch is the Pakistani company itself, so it carries on the parent's own line of business and the parent is liable for the branch's debts.
Branch or LLC?
Branch or LLC for a Pakistani company
A branch suits a Pakistani company delivering one Saudi contract in its own name; an LLC suits a business building its own Saudi clients. The deciding difference is liability: an LLC stops at its capital, while a branch leaves the Pakistani parent exposed.
| Question | Branch | Saudi LLC |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Part of your Pakistani company | A new Saudi company |
| Who is liable | The Pakistani parent | The LLC, up to its capital |
| Activities | The parent's own line of business | Any activity open to foreign investors |
| Papers from Pakistan | The full parent file, with audited accounts | Shareholder papers |
| Suits | Delivering the parent's own Saudi contract | A long-term Saudi business |
The parent file
Documents a Pakistani parent company sends
A Saudi branch is registered on the Pakistani parent's own file, so six documents come from Pakistan; MISA's Investor Guide asks for the parent's registration and its last year's financial statements. The audited accounts are the slow one: under MOFA's attestation rules they are attested only with an ICAP countersignature or the auditor's affidavit.
Certificate of IncorporationCertified by SECP
Memorandum and articlesShowing the activity the branch will carry on
Audited financial statementsWith ICAP countersignature or the auditor's affidavit
Board resolutionOpening the branch and appointing its manager
Branch manager's passportFor the CR and residency
Power of attorneyFor the Saudi filings
Branch services
Branch services for Pakistani companies
Branch work for a Pakistani company is built around the Saudi contract it has to deliver. Registration and the branch manager come first, then tax and the staff, timed to the contract's start date.
Branch manager appointment
The manager recorded on the CR and sponsored for residency.
Branch tax registration
ZATCA registration for the branch, which ZATCA's income tax guideline treats as a permanent establishment taxed on its Saudi profit.
Contract-led set-up
Timed around a signed or expected Saudi contract and its start date.
Staff for the branch
GOSI, Qiwa and work permits for the people delivering the contract.
The route
Registering a Saudi branch from Pakistan
A Saudi branch of a Pakistani company is registered in four steps. The second one, getting the parent file stamped in Pakistan, usually takes longest, because the audited accounts need ICAP before the chamber and MOFA will look at them. Our guide to the MOFA apostille for Pakistani papers covers that step, the MISA registration from Pakistan comes next, and where the contract is only the start, an LLC owned from Pakistan is often the better vehicle.
- 1PakistanBranch or LLC decisionWe check the contract and your activities and recommend in writing. We often recommend an LLC instead.
- 2PakistanParent file stampedSECP copies, ICAP-countersigned accounts, chamber, MOFA apostille.
- 3Saudi ArabiaMISA and the branch CRMISA registration first, then the branch CR, filed under your power of attorney.
- 4Saudi ArabiaTax, staff and bankZATCA, GOSI, Qiwa and the branch bank account.
Parent-file rules checked against MISA's Investor Guide and MOFA's attestation SOPs.
Across Pakistan
Branches for Pakistani companies from every city
Engineering firms in Lahore, software houses in Islamabad and contractors in Karachi register branches the same way. Your city only changes where the chamber stamp happens. Our Pakistan country guide covers the SBP side, and the worldwide branch office registration guide covers parents from other countries. Weighing a branch against a subsidiary? Our guide for Pakistani founders compares both routes.
LahoreMeet us at our Barkat Market office
KarachiParent file stamped locally
IslamabadParent file stamped locally
RawalpindiParent file stamped locally
FaisalabadParent file stamped locally
SialkotParent file stamped locally
MultanParent file stamped locally
PeshawarParent file stamped locally
GujranwalaParent file stamped locally
QuettaParent file stamped locally
HyderabadParent file stamped locally
Overseas PakistanisFrom the Gulf, UK or anywhere
Branch questions from Pakistan
Saudi branches for Pakistani companies: your questions
Can a branch do work my Pakistani company doesn't do?
We don't file a branch for work outside the parent's memorandum. The Saudi side reviews the parent's attested articles, and a new line of business sits better in a Saudi LLC of its own.
Is the Pakistani parent liable for the branch?
Yes. The branch is part of the parent, which stands behind its debts. That is the main reason most long-term businesses choose an LLC.
Why does the branch need audited accounts?
The Saudi side reviews the parent itself, so the audited accounts are part of the file. For private companies, MOFA attests them when ICAP has countersigned.
Is a branch faster than an LLC?
Not necessarily. The parent file is bigger, so the Pakistani paperwork can take longer.
Who runs the branch?
A branch manager appointed by your board, who can be Pakistani and is sponsored for an Iqama.
How is a branch taxed?
Its Saudi profit is taxed in Saudi Arabia at 20% as a permanent establishment, and profit sent back to Pakistan is treated as a dividend, with 5% withholding. Under the Companies Law the branch also files its accounts and auditor's report within six months of year-end. How Pakistan then taxes the profit is a question for your Pakistani tax adviser.
Can we switch from a branch to an LLC later?
You can form an LLC later and move the business into it. We plan that with you if the Saudi work grows beyond one contract.
Lahore office · Pakistan desk
Check whether a branch fits your Saudi contract
Send the contract scope and your company's activities. We tell you, in writing, whether a branch or an LLC is the better fit.