Overview
The Professional License (Tarkhees Mihani) issued by the Ministry of Investment (MISA) is the investment license required for a foreign investor who wishes to practice a regulated liberal profession in the Kingdom, including engineering and architectural consultancy, legal practice, accounting and audit, and specialized technical and management consultancy. Unlike a standard service license, a professional activity is tied to a recognized profession and is co-regulated by the relevant sector authority, the Saudi Council of Engineers for engineering, the Ministry of Justice and the Saudi Bar Association for legal practice, and SOCPA for accounting and audit, so the license confirms not only the right to invest but the right to render professional opinions, designs, audits and certified advice.
For most professional activities the regulations require a Saudi professional partner: a Saudi national (or Saudi entity) licensed in the same profession typically holds no less than 25% of the company, with foreign ownership up to around 75%. The foreign professional firm must itself enjoy an established reputation in the profession, and consultancy tracks such as engineering carry an experience threshold, commonly a firm with no less than ten years of practice that is licensed in the same field in at least four countries. Some engineering firms that meet the higher bar can pursue a wholly foreign-owned route, so the structuring decision, who your partner is and how shares are split, must be made correctly before you ever file. These rules protect the integrity of the profession while still allowing international firms to enter.
Activities covered
Engineering and architectural consultancy, structural, civil, MEP and infrastructure design, and project supervision.
Legal practice and counsel: litigation, contracts, corporate and regulatory advisory under Ministry of Justice and Saudi Bar licensing.
Accounting, external audit, assurance and tax advisory provided through a SOCPA-licensed professional structure.
Management, economic and feasibility consultancy and specialized technical advisory for major projects.
Urban planning, surveying, environmental and quantity-surveying consultancy tied to the engineering profession.
Specialized professional consultancy in fields such as marine, mining, energy and industrial engineering.
Who is it for?
International engineering, architecture and design firms wanting to deliver consultancy, supervision and certified designs in Saudi Arabia under the Saudi Council of Engineers framework.
Law firms, audit and accounting practices, and specialized advisory houses seeking to practice their regulated profession in the Kingdom rather than merely sell generic services.
Established foreign professionals with a strong track record and an available Saudi professional partner, who need the structure built and accredited correctly from day one.
How we issue it for you
Structure and partner alignment
We assess your profession and target activities, confirm the regulator, and structure ownership correctly, including securing or validating the Saudi professional partner and the right ownership split before filing.
Document legalization
We prepare, legalize (embassy or Apostille) and translate all corporate, financial and professional-experience documents to MISA standard.
Sector-regulator accreditation
We obtain the required professional accreditation from the Saudi Council of Engineers, the Saudi Bar or SOCPA, in parallel with the MISA application.
MISA professional license issuance
We submit and manage the MISA application end to end, respond to queries and obtain your Professional License.
Commercial registration and post-setup
We register the company with the Ministry of Commerce (CR) and complete Chamber of Commerce, ZATCA and GOSI registrations so you can operate.
Requirements
A Saudi professional partner licensed in the same profession, typically holding at least 25% (with foreign ownership up to around 75%), unless your firm qualifies for an engineering wholly-foreign-owned route.
Attested corporate documents of the foreign firm, commercial registration and articles of association, legalized by the Saudi embassy or Apostille and translated into Arabic.
Evidence of professional standing and experience; for consultancy and engineering tracks typically a strong reputation, around ten years of practice and a license in the same field in at least four countries.
Audited financial statements of the parent firm and accreditation from the relevant sector regulator (Saudi Council of Engineers, Saudi Bar, or SOCPA).
Cost & timeline
Government costs at the license level are typically modest; the MISA professional license fee has historically been around SAR 2,000 per year, though MISA fees have at times been reduced or waived, so the exact amount must be confirmed at filing. Sector-regulator accreditation, document legalization, CR and post-setup registrations carry separate official charges, all paid at cost. The main variable is your professional structure and partner arrangement, not the government fee. A realistic end-to-end timeline is typically a few weeks to a couple of months depending on document legalization and regulator accreditation. We confirm every figure with you in writing before any payment.
Frequently asked questions
For most regulated professions, yes. The rules typically require a Saudi national or entity licensed in the same profession to hold at least 25%, with foreign ownership up to around 75%. This differs from many commercial activities that allow 100% foreign ownership, though some qualifying engineering firms can pursue a wholly foreign-owned route. We help you secure or validate a suitable professional partner as part of the engagement.
Engineering consultancy tracks typically require an established firm with a strong professional reputation, on the order of ten years of practice, and a license in the same field in at least four countries. We review your record up front and tell you honestly whether you meet the threshold before filing.
MISA issues the investment license, but the profession is co-regulated by its sector authority: the Saudi Council of Engineers for engineering and architecture, the Ministry of Justice and the Saudi Bar for legal practice, and SOCPA for accounting and audit. We handle accreditation with the right body in parallel with MISA.
Typically a few weeks to a couple of months end to end. The main variables are how quickly your home-country documents are legalized and translated, and how fast the sector regulator grants accreditation. We run all tracks in parallel to compress the timeline.