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Business setup in Saudi Arabia

Company formation in Saudi Arabia, from investment registration to your first day of trading.

Step 1 of 4: What do you need?

Looking for a job, visa or iqama transfer for yourself? See where to go

A member of our Dammam team replies within one working day. No obligation.

Your foundation in the Kingdom. Our team in Dammam handles every registration, and stays after setup.

WhatsApp us+966 59 103 6931

DammamEastern Province

Government platforms we work on every day

  • Ministry of Investment (MISA)
  • Saudi Business Center
  • Ministry of Commerce
  • ZATCA
  • GOSI
  • Qiwa
  • Muqeem
  • Balady
  • Chamber of Commerce
  • Mudad
  • National Address

Official figures

The numbers that shape a Saudi company formation

In short

Foundry Arabia is a business setup firm providing business formation services in Saudi Arabia: MISA investment registration, commercial registration and the registrations that follow, from our office in Dammam.

Services

What we handle

Six services, from your first registration to the years after setup.

Our main service

Business setup

LLC formation for service, trading and manufacturing companies, from MISA registration to the CR.

  • MISA investment registration
  • Articles of Association and CR on business.sa
  • Chamber, ZATCA, GOSI and Qiwa registrations
  • Bank account, visas and iqamas
  • Baladiya licence where the activity needs one
How formation works
Premium ResidencyApplications for the investor, special talent and real-estate owner routes.See the stepsGR servicesGovernment relations for your company: approvals, registrations and annual updates.See the stepsBaladiya licensingMunicipal licences for your premises and activities through Balady.See the stepsIncubator & virtual officeFlexible workspace and a business address for companies starting out.See the stepsGrowth & beyondAnnual confirmations and ongoing government work after setup, as the business grows.See the steps

The process

How company formation works

  1. 01

    Consultation

    We agree your activity, company structure and costs before anything is filed.

  2. 02

    MISA investment registration

    Foreign investors register with the Ministry of Investment, which puts processing at about 10 working days.

    About 10 working days

    MISA registration steps
  3. 03

    Commercial registration and the registrations that follow

    We form the company on business.sa, then register it with the chamber, ZATCA, GOSI and Qiwa.

    72-hour formation service

  4. 04

    Ready to operate

    We help with the bank account, iqamas for your manager and staff, and the Baladiya licence, so you can start trading.

Why Foundry Arabia

What you can check before you call us

  • 01

    Current law, in the words you search

    Registration replaced the MISA licence in 2025, and CRs no longer expire. Our guides use today's rules and name the old terms.

  • 02

    Fees in the open

    Government fees are listed separately from ours, each with its source and the date we checked it.

  • 03

    On the ground in Dammam

    An office in Dammam, a Saudi number and a team you can meet in person, not a call centre abroad.

  • 04

    We stay after setup

    Annual confirmations, registration updates and government work are handled by the same team that formed your company.

Fees

What the government charges

The Ministry of Commerce fee to form an LLC under a MISA registration, checked 22 October 2026. It excludes the MISA fee (set on approval), document attestation, office lease, Balady and our service fee.

See all feesMinistry of Commerce: establishing a company under an investment licence
LLC under a MISA registration: government fees
Ministry of Commerce formation fee
SAR 1,200
Publication fee
SAR 500
VAT on these fees
15%
MISA registration fee
Set on approval
Chamber subscription, first 3 years
None

Ministry of Commerce and MISA, checked 22 October 2026

Office

Our Dammam office

Visit us in Dammam, or start on WhatsApp. Our CEO, Navas Mohammed Ali, oversees every engagement.

Eastern Province

Dammam

Building 2468, King Khalid Road, Al Tubayshi District, Dammam 32233

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Questions

Common questions about company formation in Saudi Arabia

Do foreign investors still need a MISA licence?

No. Since February 2025, foreign investors register with the Ministry of Investment (MISA) instead of applying for a licence, under the new Investment Law. The regional headquarters (RHQ) licence still exists.

How MISA registration works
How long do the government steps take?

MISA's Investor Guide puts processing at about 10 working days. Forming the company on business.sa is then a 72-hour Ministry of Commerce service. Document attestation, the trade name decision (up to 10 days, or 30 with other agencies) and bank onboarding sit outside these figures. In our recent files, the whole setup has taken up to about two months, mostly waiting on government portal approvals.

What does the Ministry of Commerce charge to form an LLC under a MISA registration?

Under a MISA registration, SAR 1,200 for an LLC, plus a SAR 500 publication fee and 15% VAT. MISA sets its own fee on approval and publishes no fixed amount, so we show it separately.

Do Saudi commercial registrations still expire?

No. Under the Commercial Registration Law in force since April 2025, CRs no longer expire. Instead, the company confirms its CR data every year. Each company now has one unified national number starting with 7.

Is there a minimum capital for an LLC?

The Companies Law sets no statutory minimum capital for an LLC. MISA rules set minimums for some activities. Trading with 100% foreign ownership, for example, needs SAR 30,000,000, presence in at least three regional or global markets and a five-year investment commitment.

Do GCC investors register with MISA?

Usually not. GCC investors are treated as local investors and form companies through the Ministry of Commerce. A GCC company with non-GCC shareholders is the exception, and we confirm that route case by case.

Who needs MISA registration

Have a question that is not here? Ask us on WhatsApp and a member of the team will answer.

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Start your company

Tell us your activity and where you plan to operate. A member of our Dammam team will reply with the next steps.

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