TaxSavvySA

MISA licence fee no longer charged to foreign investors

My consultant quoted SAR 12,000 for a MISA licence. Do I still need to pay that?

The situation

The Investment Law issued by Royal Decree M/19 replaced the MISA licence with investor registration. Foreign investors no longer pay licence fees under the new system.

The law

  • Investment Law (Royal Decree M/19, 11 August 2024): Foreign investors register with MISA before investing; licensing replaced by registration
  • Investment Law Implementing Regulations (Ministerial Decision 1086, 7 February 2025): Annual update of registration; excluded activities need MISA approval; cure period for minor violations

What it means for you

Clyde & Co reports that licensing was replaced by registration and that no MISA licence fees apply. Older guides still quote SAR 12,000 for year one and SAR 62,000 for renewal; Noble Core notes these were suspended in 2026. Ask your consultant to split government fees from their own fee. If a fee appears on the MISA portal for a service, pay only what the portal shows.

What to do

  1. Ask for a written split of government fees and professional fees.
  2. Check the fee shown on the MISA portal for your registration.
  3. Register with MISA before signing leases or hiring.
  4. Keep the registration record for your bank and CR filing.

Paying an agent for a licence that no longer exists is a common overcharge.

We can do this for youSet up a foreign-owned company in Saudi Arabia: MISA investor registration and commercial registration: SAR 9,500

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