Entering the Kingdom is a sequence: the right entry route, the licence, premises, then people. Manara coordinates each step with licensed legal and tax advisors so the company and its executives land together, not months apart.
From a MISA licence to a floor in KAFD to the first ten relocations, one team keeps the order straight and the dates honest.
We set it up. You run it.
Content reviewed 16-Aug-26. Regulatory details change; treat specifics as indicative as of this date.
A company evaluating or executing an entry into Saudi Arabia. From a first commercial presence to a regional headquarters. And the executives who will carry it.
Most foreign companies enter through a MISA investment licence, which in most sectors allows 100% foreign ownership; some activities carry extra conditions or capital requirements. A branch of the foreign company is an alternative for certain models, and the Regional Headquarters programme is its own track, with meaningful incentives and, since 2024, a bearing on eligibility for government contracts. Which route fits depends on activity, sector and how much substance you intend to put on the ground.
Indicative timelines run in weeks for the licence and registrations when documents are clean, longer where a sector regulator is involved. Attested corporate papers are the usual bottleneck. Requirements move; treat every published timeline, including this one, as indicative and current only as of the date stamped on this page.
Premises follow the licence: an address is needed for registrations, and the serviced-floor market in KAFD and Olaya is the common first step before a fit-out. The final leg is people. The first hires' relocations are where entry plans usually slip, which is why the handoff into our relocation work is built in, not bolted on.
Scoped per engagement after a consultation call: a written plan, a fixed coordination fee, and third-party advisor fees stated separately. All figures exclusive of VAT.
In most sectors, no. A MISA investment licence allows full foreign ownership. A minority of activities still carry ownership or capital conditions, which is exactly what the entry-route comparison establishes for your case.
A licence track for companies locating their regional headquarters in the Kingdom, carrying tax incentives and relevance to government-contract eligibility. It suits groups with genuine regional scope, and it coexists with an operating entity.
With clean, attested documents, the licence and core registrations typically run in weeks. Sector approvals, banking and visas extend that. We publish no promise. The plan you receive carries dates for your specific route.
It depends on the activity and licence type. Many service activities carry no fixed minimum, others do. This is confirmed per case with the licensing advisor before anything is filed.
There are limited routes for early presence, but employment and residency for the team hang off the entity and its files. The honest answer is: plan the people and the paperwork together. It is most of what we do.
Licensed Saudi legal and tax advisors. Manara scopes, sequences and coordinates; the regulated work is done by the regulated professionals, named in your plan.
Tell us what you need in Riyadh and we will make the introduction or run it ourselves. We reply within a working day, Sunday to Thursday.
Get in touchTell us who you are and the concierge picks it up from there.
