Saudi Arabia Opens 4 Sectors to Foreign Investment

Saudi Arabia has opened four previously restricted activities to foreign investment: recruitment and employment services, real-estate brokerage, audiovisual and media services, and land-transport services. The move widens the range of sectors in which foreign investors can now establish and operate directly in the Kingdom.

Under the current framework, foreign investors must first register with the وزارة الاستثمار before beginning any of these activities. Once registration is completed, the investor issues the commercial registration and obtains the activity-specific licenses from the competent authorities. The وزارة الاستثمار registration service is currently listed with no service fee, though any fees charged by the relevant licensing authority remain payable.

The requirements differ by sector. For recruitment and employment, investors obtain the relevant licensing and classification from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development and use قوى for applicable establishment and employment procedures. Real-estate brokerage requires a license through the General Real Estate Authority, alongside the applicable Ejar and ناجز services where needed. Audiovisual and media activities require authorization from the General Authority for Media Regulation, while land-transport activities are licensed through the Transport General Authority, with requirements depending on the specific activity.

Why it matters

The change follows a recent regulatory update in which the former foreign-investment license requirement was replaced by a وزارة الاستثمار registration system. Foreign investors are no longer required to obtain a separate investment license or pay a license fee, simplifying market entry.

One limitation remains: foreign investment in real estate in Makkah and Madinah continues to be restricted under the excluded-activities framework, subject to applicable exceptions and special rules. Exact 2026 foreign-investor fees and validity periods for the newly opened activities are not yet established in the available information.

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