Saudi Commercial Registration: Fees and How It Works
Business owners and investors in Saudi Arabia can issue and renew a commercial registration (CR) through the Saudi Business Center run by the Ministry of Commerce, with fees varying by company type and a shift toward annual confirmation instead of multi-year renewal.
For company setups, the commonly listed CR fee is SAR 1,200 for a limited liability company and SAR 1,600 for a joint-stock or simplified joint-stock company, while general and limited partnerships are listed at SAR 1,000. An individual establishment CR is listed at SAR 500 for issuance. Branch CR renewal appears in some 2026 fee guides at SAR 100
Additional service fees may apply, including a publication fee of SAR 500 and trade name reservation of SAR 200 for Arabic names and SAR 500 for English names, with SAR 200 for a 90-day extension. Payment is typically made via SADAD using biller code 144, or by approved card on the portal.
What changed and what to know
The system is described as moving to a unified national register with annual confirmation, replacing the older five-year renewal model. One Ministry of Commerce CR service is shown with immediate delivery, Arabic and English support, and a launch date of 03 April 2025.
Foreign-owned companies generally need a MISA investor licence from the Ministry of Investment before CR issuance; listed MISA amounts vary and can be zero for certain categories, depending on the licence type and activity. Identity for these e-services commonly uses Nafath, while related workflows may connect with Absher, Qiwa, Muqeem, Balady, Etimad, and chamber services. Najiz is used for related legal services such as notarization and document handling, not as the main CR issuer.
For the community, clearer fees and annual confirmation aim to simplify starting and maintaining a business, in line with wider efforts to ease company formation in the Kingdom.
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