Overview
The Service License (ترخيص خدمي) is the most widely used foreign-investment license issued by the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA). It authorizes you to deliver general professional and commercial services in the Kingdom — management and business consulting, information technology, software, marketing and advertising, engineering and maintenance, training, facilities management and similar non-regulated activities. For the great majority of these activities the license permits 100% foreign ownership, with no Saudi partner required, making it the standard entry route for international service firms.
In practice, MISA typically expects the foreign parent company to have at least one year of operational history abroad, supported by audited financial statements for the most recent year. Minimum capital has been largely relaxed for service activities and is often waived to attract SMEs, with the exact figure depending on the specific activity. Securing the license unlocks the full setup chain — Commercial Registration with the Ministry of Commerce, Chamber of Commerce membership, ZATCA tax and GOSI registrations, and residence permits for your management — so you can legally invoice, hire and bank in Saudi Arabia. We run every stage on your behalf.
Activities covered
Management, strategy and business consulting services.
Information technology, software development, systems integration and IT support.
Marketing, advertising, public relations and digital media services.
Engineering, technical maintenance and equipment operation and repair.
Facilities management, cleaning, security and operational support services.
Professional training, capacity-building and corporate skills development.
Who is it for?
International consulting, IT, software and marketing firms opening a wholly-owned Saudi office to win and deliver local contracts.
Engineering, maintenance and facilities-management providers expanding to serve Vision 2030 projects across the Kingdom.
Established SMEs and service entrepreneurs seeking 100% ownership without a Saudi partner and a clean, compliant setup.
How we issue it for you
Scope, document review and attestation
We confirm your exact service activities, prepare the file, and manage attestation/apostille and certified Arabic translation of all corporate documents.
MISA license application
We submit your application through the MISA e-portal and follow up until the Foreign Investment License is issued — typically within a few business days.
Name reservation and Commercial Registration
We reserve the trade name, notarize the articles of association, and obtain your Commercial Registration (CR) from the Ministry of Commerce.
Chamber, tax and social-insurance registrations
We complete Chamber of Commerce membership and register the entity with ZATCA (tax) and GOSI (social insurance).
Bank account and residence permits
We open the corporate bank account and arrange the general manager's residence permit (iqama), so you are fully operational.
Requirements
Certificate of incorporation and articles of the foreign parent company, attested/apostilled and legally translated into Arabic.
Audited financial statements for the most recent financial year (track record typically of at least one year abroad).
Passports of shareholders and directors, plus a power of attorney authorizing the application and setup.
Proposed company name and clearly defined service activities aligned with MISA classifications.
Cost & timeline
Government costs for a Service License typically include an annual MISA fee in the region of SAR 12,000 plus a one-time first-year charge of around SAR 10,000, alongside Ministry of Commerce, Chamber and related fees — though MISA fee bands are periodically revised, so the current amount is confirmed at the time of filing. All government charges are paid at cost and confirmed by your consultant for your specific activity. The MISA license itself is usually issued within a few business days, while full operational setup — CR, registrations, bank account and residence permits — generally takes around 4 to 8 weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. For the great majority of service activities — consulting, IT, marketing, maintenance and similar — the MISA Service License permits full 100% foreign ownership with no local partner. A small number of regulated sectors are the exception, and we confirm your specific activity before you commit.
As a rule, MISA typically expects the foreign parent to have at least one year of operations abroad, evidenced by audited financial statements. Requirements vary by activity and applicant profile, so we review your situation in advance and advise on the cleanest path.
Minimum capital for service activities has been largely relaxed — often modest and frequently waived for SMEs — and the exact figure depends on the activity. We confirm the precise requirement for your license before you fund anything.
The MISA license is usually issued within a few business days, but you can only invoice and bank once your Commercial Registration is active. Full setup — CR, Chamber, ZATCA, GOSI, bank account and residence permits — generally takes around 4 to 8 weeks, all of which we manage for you.