MISA Foreign Investment Licence 2026: Types & Fees

Foreign investors looking to set up in Saudi Arabia can apply for an investment licence issued by the وزارة الاستثمار (MISA) through the Invest Saudi / MISA e-services portal. The licence is the first legal step before commercial registration, and in 2026 several long-standing fees have been suspended, lowering the entry cost for new businesses.

MISA offers several licence categories, each tied to a specific type of activity. These include a service licence for consulting, IT and professional services; a commercial/trading licence for wholesale, retail and distribution; an industrial licence for manufacturing; an entrepreneur/startup licence for innovative early-stage ventures; and a Regional Headquarters (RHQ) licence for multinationals setting up their regional base in the Kingdom. The licence type and permitted activities are selected directly within the online application.

Fees and capital in 2026

The historical MISA issuance fee was SAR 12,000 for the first year. As of 2026, both the SAR 12,000 issuance fee and the SAR 62,000 multi-year renewal fee are suspended, leaving only downstream commercial registration and chamber of commerce costs of roughly SAR 1,200–3,000. The typical minimum capital for most licence types is SAR 25,000, though some 100% foreign-owned trading licences require around SAR 30 million in the first year.

Documents and eligibility

Corporate investors generally need an attested commercial registration certificate for the parent company, audited financial statements for the latest fiscal year, the parent company's articles of association, a board resolution authorising the investment and appointing an authorised signatory or general manager, and passport copies of shareholders, directors and the appointed GM. A business plan is often required, and all non-Arabic documents must be translated by a certified translator. The parent company usually must have been established for at least one year.

Before applying, investors should confirm the activity is not on the foreign investment "negative list," as eligibility is checked in the portal. Some regulated sectors such as finance, pharmaceuticals and aviation require additional approvals from the relevant authorities alongside the MISA licence.

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