46,900 New Companies Registered in Saudi Arabia in 1H 2026

Saudi Arabia's business sector recorded strong growth in the first half of 2026, with 46,900 new companies established across the Kingdom alongside 86,800 new establishments and 3,500 verified online stores, reflecting continued momentum in commercial activity nationwide.

Total active commercial registrations reached roughly 1.9 to 1.91 million records in 2026, including about 1.28 million establishments and around 612,000 to 638,000 companies. New commercial registrations also stayed high through the year, with more than 71,000 issued in the first quarter and more than 71,000 in the second quarter, showing steady quarter-on-quarter growth in new business formations.

Most registration services are handled online through the Ministry of Commerce business portal, where electronic commercial registration (CR) issuance and renewal, trade name reservations, and company incorporation steps are completed digitally.

What it costs to set up

Government fees vary by company type. A limited liability company CR issuance or renewal typically carries a fee of about SAR 1,200, while simplified joint-stock or joint-stock companies are charged around SAR 1,600. Reserving an Arabic trade name commonly costs about SAR 200, and electronic publication of a company's Articles of Association carries a one-time fee of around SAR 500, plus VAT where applicable.

Additional requirements include mandatory Chamber of Commerce membership, with a typical baseline near SAR 2,000 for many small and mid-sized entities, and municipality (Balady) permits ranging from about SAR 1,000 to SAR 10,000 depending on activity and premises.

Beyond government fees, professional advisory and setup services for formation-only company establishment typically range around SAR 35,000 to SAR 65,000, while a fully operational setup — covering address, licensing, tax registration, labor portals, and bank onboarding — usually falls around SAR 75,000 to SAR 125,000. Some cost guides place total outlay in a broader band of roughly SAR 45,000 to SAR 150,000, depending on sector and ownership structure. For residents and entrepreneurs, the figures point to an active and increasingly digital environment for launching a business in the Kingdom.

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