Saudi Arabia Adds 46,900 New Companies in H1 2026

Saudi Arabia established 46,900 new companies during the first half of 2026, while more than 2.9 million business services were delivered to establishments across the Kingdom in the same period, in a sign of continued momentum in the country's commercial sector.

Alongside the new companies, the services included the registration of roughly 87,000 establishments — such as sole proprietorships — and the verification of around 3,500 online stores, reflecting broad activity from large firms to small individual traders and e-commerce sellers.

What it takes to set up a business

Establishing a company in the Kingdom typically follows a clear digital path. Foreign-owned companies first obtain an investment licence from the وزارة الاستثمار, then complete a commercial registration (CR) with the Ministry of Commerce, secure a municipal licence through Balady, and set up labour and immigration files via قوى, مقيم, and أبشر للأعمال. Some corporate legal steps and registry procedures are handled through ناجز, while نفاذ provides unified digital identity access and e-signature.

Costs vary by structure and activity. For a standard foreign-owned service company in 2026, total government setup costs generally range between about 45,000 and 120,000 ريال سعودي in the first year, covering licences, registrations, and mandatory subscriptions. Year-one government fees for a mid-range entity often total around 12,000 to 15,000 ريال سعودي, with professional and visa costs bringing the overall first-year budget to roughly 45,000 to 65,000 ريال سعودي.

Typical headline fees include a base MISA licence of around 2,000 ريال سعودي and a separate first-year subscription often near 10,000 ريال سعودي, plus a commercial registration fee generally in the 1,000 to 2,000 ريال سعودي range. For residents and expats planning to launch a venture, the figures offer a practical benchmark for budgeting and understanding the steps involved in starting a business in the Kingdom.

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