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Investment
Saudi Arabia holds a unique position as a global investment destination, leveraging its abundant natural resources and strategic geographical location at the crossroads of three continents. Under Vision 2030, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has achieved transformative economic reforms that have created new investment opportunities, enhanced strategic assets, and driven economic growth, thereby strengthening the Saudi Arabia reputation as a hub for diverse and sustainable investments.
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Why Invest in Saudi Arabia?
Invest in Saudi Arabia today to be part of a future fueled by economic and technological growth. Saudi Arabia is a leading center for transportation and advanced technologies, offering a favorable investment environment at the heart of the regional and international markets.
Investment in Saudi Vision 2030
Saudi Arabia is experiencing a golden age of exceptional investment opportunities in light of Vision 2030. To maximize these opportunities for investors, the Ministry of Investment ensures a supportive investment environment75 by streamlining procedures and providing the necessary support.
Through its headquarters and branches across Saudi Arabia, the Ministry guarantees fast and flexible licensing and services for investors. The Ministry also collaborates with representatives of relevant government entities to facilitate processes and supports investors at all stages of their projects, from establishment to start of operations.
Vision Realization Office
The office contributes to achieving Saudi Vision 2030 by managing projects related to Vision Realization Programs and the Ministry's initiatives. It contributes to overcoming challenges, solving problems and coordinating with relevant entities through the following strategic objectives:
- Attracting foreign and domestic investments.
- Advancing cooperation within the Gulf Cooperation Council.
- Developing regional economic relations.
- Strengthening economic relationships with global partners.
- Supporting major national companies to enhance their global leadership.
- Developing promising local companies into regional and global leaders.
Financial Sustainability Program
This Financial Sustainability Program focuses on a medium-term financial planning mechanism to maintain the sustainability and strength of the Saudi economy, ensuring a balanced budget and achieving fiscal discipline. It also aims to enhance public finance by establishing entities such as the Government Expenditure & Projects Efficiency Authority, the National Debt Management Center, and the Non-Oil Revenues Development Center. For more information, click here.
Financial Sector Development Program
The program promotes diversification of income sources, increases savings culture, and diversifies financing methods and investment projects. It plays an essential and pivotal role in transforming Saudi Arabia's financial sector into a growth and economic diversification powerhouse, by creating a dynamic and efficient financial sector. The Program seeks to achieve the following strategic goals:
- Empowering financial institutions to support private sector growth.
- Developing an advanced capital market.
- Enhancing and empowering financial planning (retirement and savings).
- Enabling the fintech strategy.
Policies and Facilities for Investors
Saudi Arabia places great emphasis on developing its economy and enhancing its global standing. Therefore, the Ministry of Investment was established to empower investors to access promising opportunities and provide all necessary facilities to ensure efficiency and flexibility.
Below are the key facilities offered to investors:
- Conducting economic analyses of the market, whether by providing various customary information or providing and developing reports and case studies, sharing information on databases, and assisting in feasibility studies.
- Building partnerships by linking commercial and industrial entities, local companies, specialized services, and small and medium enterprises in the supply chain.
- Preparing field visits to the investor, preparing logistics and reservations, and coordinating meetings with government agencies and related parties.
- Providing search services for locations or lands that suit the investor, linking him with real estate agencies to provide specialized assistance, and evaluating the required locations or lands.
- Liaising with Government entities and providing advice on applying for visas, permits, licenses and utilities.
- Providing advice on corporate structure.
- Connecting with executive onboarding assistance agencies.
- Coordinating with employee’s recruitment agencies.
- Generating publicity, joint press release, launch events.
- Connecting with financial partners for co-financing and support.
- Defining incentives and support provided.
- Developing policy recommendations based on feedback.
- Submitting investors’ proposals for legislation authorities.
- Troubleshooting investor operational issues.
Investment Policies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Equality Among Investors: Saudi Arabia guarantees full equality between Saudi and non-Saudi investors, as well as among non-Saudi investors.
- Investment Protection: Saudi Arabia is committed to protecting the assets of all investments in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
- Promoting Investment Sustainability: Transparent and fair procedures are implemented to address investor complaints, ensuring the sustainability of investments.
- Investment Incentives: Incentives are granted based on clear and general criteria, with enhanced transparency in preparing related lists to ensure fairness and non-discrimination.
- Compliance with Environmental and Social Standards: Saudi Arabia ensures that both Saudi and non-Saudi investors comply with labor, health, and environmental safety standards, in line with national laws and international agreements.
- Facilitation of Workforce Procedures: Saudi Arabia facilitates the entry and residency of non-Saudi technical and administrative staff and their families to support foreign investment activities, in alignment with national laws and international commitments.
- Technology Transfer and Localization: Saudi Arabia supports the transfer and localization of science and technology derived from foreign direct investment while adhering to international agreements to which it is a member.
- For more information on bilateral agreements between Saudi Arabia and other countries, click here.
Regulation of the Ministry of Investment
The Ministry of Investment is the central authority and primary reference in Saudi Arabia for regulating and developing the local and foreign investment sectors. The Ministry aims to enhance investment capabilities, encourage investment, and ensure investor rights protection. It works in coordination with relevant entities to implement all measures necessary to achieve its strategic objectives, in line with Vision 2030. Furthermore, the Ministry seeks to consolidate Saudi Arabia's position as a global investment hub.
- To review the Ministry of Investment’s Regulations, click here.
National Investment Strategy
The National Investment Strategy is a comprehensive plan aimed at leveraging Saudi Arabia's unique strengths. Key goals of this strategy include expanding the volume of investments and achieving the highest levels of efficiency in these investment, in line with Saudi Vision 2030. The strategy targets key sectors such as green energy, technology, healthcare, biotechnology, advanced mobility, and logistics. The strategy also pays great attention to entrepreneurship and startups sectors, as these are vital pillars intersecting with most other sectors.
By 2030, the strategy aspires to achieve ambitious goals, including:
- Tripling annual investments.
- Increasing annual foreign direct investment inflows by over 20 times, reaching SAR 388 billion by 2030.
- Raising the investment-to-GDP ratio from 22% in 2019 to 30% by 2030.
- Stimulating investments in both existing and new sectors.
Open Data
Requirements for Obtaining an Investment License
- Passing the audit of application conducted by the National Anti-Commercial Concealment Program
- Providing proof of financial revenue of at least SAR 2 million for the last fiscal year.
- Ensuring that the company's commercial registration is issued before the corrective campaign starts.
- Submitting a no-objection letter from the Saudi sponsor if residing in Saudi Arabia.
- Verifying that the new foreign partner holds a resident ID under the sponsorship of the establishment.
Foreign Investment in Saudi Arabia
Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is committed to promoting economic growth and diversifying national income sources by attracting foreign investments through a transparent and enabling investment environment. These efforts aim to enhance sustainable development and foster new opportunities for global economic collaboration, thereby reinforcing Saudi Arabia's position as a leading economic hub in the region.
Foreign Investment Law
Saudi Arabia has established comprehensive regulations and controls to protect the rights of foreign investors, thereby boosting confidence in the Saudi market. These regulations are designed to stimulate and attract foreign investments across various economic sectors, contributing to the realization of Vision 2030 goals.
For detailed information on the Foreign Investment Law, click here.
Foreign Direct Investment Survey
To support the private sector and foster foreign direct investments, the Ministry of Investment has launched an electronic survey for foreign direct investment. Companies with foreign direct investments in Saudi Arabia are required to participate in this survey, which adheres to international standards and methodologies for data collection and analysis. The survey provides a precise overview of the investment volumes and trends in the Saudi market. Thus helps to take strategic decisions that drive sustainable economic growth.
For more information on the Foreign Direct Investment Survey, click here.
Local Investment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is undergoing significant economic and social transformations that reflect the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, which aim to diversify the national economy and promote sustainable development. Promising sectors such as technology, industry and renewable energy have become key areas for attracting local investments, thereby offering exceptional opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors to capitalize on these vast potentials.
These efforts contribute to creating an enabling investment environment that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship, and so supporting and positioning the national economy to achieve strategic successes that solidify its place on the global stage.
Government Investments
For more information about investment opportunities, watch the explanatory video through the following link.
Public Investment Fund (PIF)
The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia has existed for over 50 years, established in 1971. Throughout these decades, the fund has served as a national economic driver, contributing to the establishment of major vital companies locally and funding numerous strategic projects critical to the national economy. Its presence has enabled Saudi Arabia's economy to advance rapidly, paving the way for its inclusion in the G20 group, which encompasses the world's strongest economies.
In 2015 (1436 AH), a pivotal shift occurred in the fund’s journey when the Council of Ministers issued Resolution No. (270) to link the fund to the Council of Economic and Development Affairs. Subsequently, the fund's Board of Directors was restructured under the chairmanship of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who also serves as Prime Minister, Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund's Board of Directors.
The Public Investment Fund aims to achieve the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, as it is considered the primary driver of the Saudi Arabia's economy and investment. The fund has adopted an ambitious strategy to achieve its targets and reach unique milestones among global sovereign wealth funds. Its goals include:
- Maximizing the Public Investment Fund’s assets.
- Launching new sectors through the Public Investment Fund.
- Building strategic economic partnerships through the Public Investment Fund.
- Localizing technology and knowledge through the Public Investment Fund.
- To view the Public Investment Fund's Strategy 2021–2025, click here.
Governance Standards and Investment Decisions
The Public Investment Fund is administratively linked to the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, enjoying an independent legal personality with complete financial and administrative autonomy. Its various levels are overseen directly by the fund's Board of Directors, ensuring enhanced transparency, operational efficiency, and commitment to achieving clear and defined strategic objectives, through:
- Forming Board committees.
- Appointing the executive management of the Public Investment Fund.
- Forming executive management committees.
- Disclosing information to the public, as required.
Economic and Investment Reports
Analytical documents aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of the economy or investment sector’s performance. These reports include financial data analysis, economic statistics, market trends, and future projections.
Its Importance:
- Assisting investors and companies in making informed decisions.
- Contributing to identifying growth and investment opportunities in various markets.
- Providing an overview of macroeconomic performance, including growth rates, inflation, and unemployment.
- These reports are issued by official entities such as central banks, international financial institutions, and consulting firms.
- For more information, click here.
Mega Projects
Mega projects are designed to stimulate and diversify the economy away from oil dependency, encompassing sectors such as real estate development and infrastructure. These projects have a wide-reaching economic impact. To explore them, click here.
Strategic Global Investment Portfolio
The fund aims to strengthen Saudi Arabia's position as a leader in the future global economy. Therefore, this investment portfolio encompasses a range of long-term investments that aim to establish strategic partnerships through direct and indirect investments, thereby contributing to expanding Saudi Arabia's global influence while focusing on industries related to future technologies.
The fund has successfully developed six integrated investment portfolios, including four local portfolios and two global ones, as follows:
This portfolio represents the largest portion of the fund's current assets, which include listed and unlisted companies across various sectors. The fund aims to maximize invested and market value in Saudi companies through this portfolio, enhance governance standards, capital management, and dividend distribution policies, and monitor the implementation of sector's opportunities plans.
This portfolio seeks to achieve a balance that provides diversified source for preserving wealth and income. Given that global investments involve long-term strategic asset allocation, the portfolio focuses on diversifying income and liquidity sources through fixed income investments, public and private equities, real estate, infrastructure, and alternative investments.
The portfolio aims to enhance Saudi Arabia's position as a leader in the future global economy. It includes a range of long-term investments to establish strategic partnerships through direct and indirect investments, thereby expanding Saudi Arabia's global influence and focusing on sectors related to future industries.
This portfolio spearheads specialized initiatives to develop mega projects of unique scale and ambition. The Funs created these initiatives to develop these projects, and enable them - as economic ecosystems – to support economic transformation and stimulate investment across various sectors in Saudi Arabia.
This portfolio focuses on investing in real estate and infrastructure development in line with its aspirations for growth and development. Through this portfolio, the fund seeks to grow its real estate assets while enhancing the quality of its owned infrastructure, by developing tourism and housing projects, and attracting investments from leading development companies, as well as local and foreign capital.
This portfolio has a clear complementary and stimulating role for the private sector. By investing in new sectors and unleashing their potential, it creates significant employment opportunities and develops human capabilities within these sectors. The fund has established companies in these promising new sectors to give the private sector the opportunity to grow and develop these sectors while encouraging investment in these industries.
Public Investment Fund's Aspirations
The Public Investment Fund continues its efforts to achieve the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 by expanding its investments and enhancing its position as one of the world’s leading sovereign wealth funds. The fund focuses on balancing local and international growth while emphasizing innovation and advanced technologies, thereby reinforcing its role as a primary driver of sustainable economic growth.
To explore the Public Investment Fund Strategy (2021–2025), click here.
Investor Laws and Regulations
A comprehensive set of laws and policies governs investment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ensuring clear procedures and fostering an attractive and integrated investment environment. These laws and policies include:
Investor Journey and Services
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is committed to facilitating the start of investment activities by assigning specific paths for each type of activity. It provides full support to investors, including guidance on starting a business, while focusing on necessary laws and licenses. To learn more about the steps tailored to meet all investor needs, from investment licenses to operational permits, click here.
Invest in Saudi Arabia Initiative
A unified national identity to promote investment in Saudi Arabia. This initiative was developed and launched as part of Saudi Vision 2030. It aims to present a clear, unified, and effective message about investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia to foreign and local investors, as well as private sector companies. The initiative serves as a primary point of contact for foreign investors, who seek assistance before, during, and after entering Saudi Arabia.
The "Invest Saudi" platform is one of the most prominent channels for marketing the Kingdom's investment environment. It contributed to Saudi Arabia advancing 29 ranks in the Doing Business 2020 report issued by the World Bank. It also contributes to increasing new foreign investments in Saudi Arabia by 54% in 2019 compared to 2018.
- To explore investment opportunities in various sectors in Saudi Arabia, click here.
- To discover the competitive features and capabilities of different regions, click here.
Through the "Invest Saudi" platform, the Ministry of Investment offers an array of comprehensive services and full support to investors. These services aim to simplify starting businesses, support investors in conducting their activities, and expand their investments in Saudi Arabia through diverse advisory channels and value-added services. For more information, click here.
Saudi Business Center
A leading entity dedicated to facilitating the start, operation, and closure of economic activities. The center provides all related services according to the best international practices. It also consolidates all government electronic services into one platform, from issuing preliminary licenses to company formation and other procedures.
Thanks to these efforts, the time required to start a business has been reduced to just 30 minutes, compared to 15 days in the past, and the time for issuing a commercial registration has been reduced to 180 seconds. These initiatives have bolstered private sector growth, with the number of small and medium enterprises exceeding 626,000 within a year.
These efforts have enhanced the Saudi Arabia's global competitiveness, as evidenced by its advancement of 103 positions in the "Starting a Business" indicator in the Doing Business 2020 report issued by the World Bank, underscoring the Center’s commitment to supporting the business environment and achieving the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
National Competitiveness Center
Founded in 2019, the National Competitiveness Center is an independent entity organizationally linked to the Council of Economic and Development Affairs.
The center aims to improve and develop the competitive environment in Saudi Arabia, transitioning it from simplifying the business environment to global competitiveness in its broader sense, based on productivity, sustainability and inclusivity. This is in line with global trends and encourages the private sector to adopt environmental, social, and governance practices. The center also works on improving Saudi Arabia's ranking in related global indices and reports, by studying and analyzing the obstacles and challenges facing both the public and private sectors, proposing solutions and initiatives, and following-up on their implementation.
Reforms
The center implements several reforms aimed at enhancing the competitive environment by studying and identifying the obstacles and challenges facing both the public and private sectors. It defines and analyzes these obstacles, proposes solutions and initiatives for modifying laws and regulations to develop a legislative and procedural environment that motivates the competitive improvement, relying on the strong and integrated partnership it has built and strengthened with both governmental entities and the private sector.
To learn more about the economic reforms carried out by the center, click here.Private Sector Feedback Platform
This electronic platform works to develop mechanisms for interaction between the private sector and government entities, by receiving feedback and suggestions from the private sector and monitoring the challenges they face. These challenges are then directed to the relevant government entities. In addition, the platform works with other government bodies to directly address challenges and obstacles that meet the criteria. The objectives of this platform include:
- Enhancing communication between the public and private sectors.
- Developing mechanisms for handling challenges submitted by the private sector.
- Involving the private sector in the decision-making process.
- Raising the private sector's awareness of the economic business environment reforms.
Istitlaa Platform
A unified electronic platform affiliated with the National Competitiveness Center. This platform is concerned with collecting public, government, and private sector opinions on laws, regulations, and related government-issued matters concerning the economic and developmental environment before their approval. The platform aims to enable individuals, government entities, and the private sector to provide feedback and observations on relevant projects, thereby contributing to a safe and stable investment environment. The platform is one of the main tools for regulatory development, facilitating public consultations that enhance the transparency and efficiency of the legislative environment.
Foras Portal
An electronic platform that serves as a unified database and primary reference for all investors seeking real estate and municipal investment opportunities offered by various government entities across different investment activities, contributing to the economic development of Saudi cities. The portal aims to:
- Provide a complete digital journey for investors, from purchasing the brochure to signing the contract and delivering the site.
- Facilitate access to investment opportunities to develop Saudi cities.
- Save time and effort for investors.
- To learn more about the services provided by Foras Portal, click here.
Monsha'at
The Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority "Monsha'at", was established in 2016. Its objectives include:
- Organizing, supporting, and developing the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector in Saudi Arabia according to best global practices to raise their productivity and increase their contribution to the GDP from 20% to 35% by 2030.
- Preparing, implementing, and supporting programs and projects that promote a culture of self-employment, entrepreneurship, initiative, and innovation.
- Diversifying financial support sources for SMEs and encouraging venture capital initiatives.
- Developing policies and standards for financing projects classified as small and medium-sized enterprises.
- Providing administrative and technical support to SMEs and assisting in the development of their administrative, technical, financial, marketing, human resources, and other capabilities.
- To view Monsha'at reports of latest statistics and information, click here.
SME Commitment Standards to Market Rules
- A valid commercial registration, updated with all data.
- Opening a dedicated business bank account, not using personal accounts for business transactions.
- Renewing the activity license and updating the associated business addresses.
- Registering the business in the "Wage Protection" program and recording wage data for employees.
- Electronically documenting all labor contracts and avoiding the employment of irregular workers.
- Documenting all financial transactions of the business and complying with the relevant regulations.
- Not allowing non-Saudis to have complete control over the business.
- Providing electronic payment methods and ensuring the issuance and storage of invoices electronically.
- Financing the business and its activities through legal methods, and documenting all these processes.
- Adhering to relevant laws and instructions regarding the practice of economic activities.
Monsha'at Reports
Monsha'at produces a series of reports that provide the latest statistics and information related to the business environment in Saudi Arabia. These reports enable stakeholders to stay informed about key data.
- To access the latest statistics and information, click here.
- To access Monsha'at's open data, click here.
Entrepreneurial Dictionary
The Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority "Monsha'at," has developed an Entrepreneurial Dictionary to serve as the primary reference for entrepreneurial terms. It contributes to spreading entrepreneurship culture and raising awareness among entrepreneurs and business owners about entrepreneurial terms and concepts. This Dictionary also supports the growth and development of projects. It contains various sections addressing the entrepreneurial journey in areas such as management, finance and investment, business management, accounting and law, marketing and sales, technology, and innovation.
Franchising
Franchising involves granting the franchisee the right to use a trademark owned by the franchisor or licensed to the franchisor to invest in the franchise for their benefit, in exchange for a financial or non-financial fee. This way, the franchisee can start with an established brand that already has its customers and followers, while the franchisor can expand with less effort and virtually no cost. The Franchising Law ensures the protection of the rights of all parties, defining the relationship boundaries that help achieve mutual success. To further support and develop the small and medium enterprises sector in Saudi Arabia, the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority has established a Franchising Center to contribute to the growth and sustainability of this industry, creating new opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs to expand and grow their businesses, which results in providing numerous job opportunities, increasing GDP, and improving the business and investment environment.
- To view available franchise opportunities, click here.
- To view the regulations for practicing franchise brokerage activities, click here.
Innovation Centers
These are specialized centers in emerging technologies, designed to be the primary destination for entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprise owners interested in innovation and technology. They aim to create an inspiring environment that offers a variety of services and programs that support different stages of a project, from building the initial product to reaching the markets.
Bankruptcy Law
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia seeks to enhance protection in business practices. Therefore, it has adopted the Bankruptcy Law, which aims to enable the debtor to organize their financial situation and resume activities while considering the rights of creditors. The law also establishes a Bankruptcy Committee, which is tasked with raising awareness in the business community, issuing rules and standards that complement the legislative framework, as well as improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Law's enforcement, and ensuring trust and transparency.
- To view the Bankruptcy Law, click here.
The National Anti-Commercial Concealment Program
Commercial concealment refers to enabling a non-Saudi to invest in a prohibited activity or to engage in activities they are not authorized to practice, whether through using their name, license, commercial registration, or any other method.
In this case, the Saudi national is considered to be concealing, and the foreigner is also considered to be concealing if they obtained a foreign investment license and enabled another expatriate to work for their benefit in violation of the Foreign Capital Investment Law. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has developed over 40 initiatives to combat commercial concealment, launched awareness campaigns to educate the community about its risks, and established indicators to reduce suspected commercial concealment, in collaboration with the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA). Regulations have also been established to rectify the situation of violators within 180 days from the date the updated law comes into effect. This Program has contributed to the development of municipal requirements for certain activities, where commercial concealment is widespread.
- To view the Anti-Concealment Law, click here.
- To view the Regulations for correcting the status of violators of the Anti-Concealment Law, click here.
- To submit online applications for correcting violations, click here.
Saudi Exchange (Tadawul)
Tadawul works on listing and trading securities for both local and international investors. It is a key platform for achieving long-term growth plans and provides attractive and diverse investment opportunities for market participants. Foreign investors can access the Saudi financial market directly through the "Qualified Foreign Investor Program" offered by Tadawul, as part of its initiatives to develop the financial sector in Saudi Arabia. The program has been amended to reduce registration requirements and expand the scope of eligible investors.
- To view the market rules and procedures, click here.
- To view Tadawul's annual reports, click here.
Investor Services
A variety of electronic services designed to meet the needs of investors and enhance the efficiency of procedures, thereby contributing to facilitating investment processes and ensuring a seamless experience for beneficiaries.
An electronic service that allows the renewal of residency for a foreign investor whose license has been canceled (due to penalties, revocation, non-renewal, or voluntary cancellation) for one year, if necessary.
An electronic service that allows the issuance of an electronic commercial registration to conduct business activities without the need to visit the relevant authority.
An electronic service that allows the purchase of a package for investment opportunities to engage in business activities without the need to visit the relevant authority.
An electronic service that allows representatives of sports clubs to apply for a new investment and request approval. The request will be processed by the Ministry of Sports, going through several stages for initial approval, after which the relevant authority will begin procedures for the proposed investment, followed by final approval by the Ministry.
Service Guide
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