Establish your business in Saudi Arabia.
GWS Advisory Middle East handles incorporation, licensing, government relations and the compliance that follows.
Identifying the opportunity is the easy part
Saudi Arabia is one of the world's most dynamic investment destinations. Economic diversification under Vision 2030, major infrastructure investment and rapid growth across both traditional and emerging sectors give investors an attractive platform for long-term value and regional market access.
Successful market entry, though, requires more than spotting the opportunity. It requires the right corporate structure, a regulatory compliance framework and enough planning to mitigate risk, accelerate entry and build a foundation that holds. We support clients through every stage: business setup, licensing, legal structuring, tax registration and ongoing regulatory compliance.
GWS Advisory Middle East is the Kingdom-based arm of GWS Advisory, headquartered in Luxembourg. Company incorporation is one of the group's core services, alongside its IT and data practice.
Scope of the practice
What we cover
Who we support
- Multinational corporations
- Foreign investors
- Family-owned businesses
- Regional Headquarters establishments
Investment and business advisory
- Business feasibility studies
- Investment structuring
- Legal support and advisory
- Corporate compliance support
- Regional Headquarters advisory
Corporate formation and licensing
- Company incorporation
- Branch and subsidiary establishment
- Foreign investment licensing
- Commercial registration
- Capital and shareholding amendments
Ongoing mandate
- Government relations
- Investment facilitation
- Corporate services
- Regulatory compliance and governance
The incorporation route
End-to-end, with a single point of contact from structure assessment through to your Chamber of Commerce certificate.
Business structure assessment
- Define the business activities
- Determine the legal structure
- Design the optimal shareholding model
Foreign investment licensing
- Collect and legalise required documentation
- Review translations and legal documents
- Prepare and draft the application
- Submit to the Ministry of Investment
- Obtain the Foreign Investment License
Commercial registration
- Reserve the company name
- Register with the Ministry of Commerce
- Obtain preliminary approvals
- Complete statutory publications
- Issue the Commercial Registration
- Obtain the Chamber of Commerce certificate
After registration
Following company registration, GWS Advisory assists with government registrations, then with the typical operational support sequence.
Government registrations
- Saudi Post and National Address, via the Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services
- Human Resources and Social Development registration
- Qiwa platform
- Social insurance, via GOSI
- Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority
- VAT registration
- Mudad payroll platform
- Muqeem platform, via the Ministry of Interior
- Absher Business activation
- Baladyia municipal licence, where applicable
Operational support
- Corporate bank account opening
- Employment visa processing
- Work permit issuance
- Employee onboarding
- Iqama processing
- Employee registration and contract activation
- Saudization compliance
- HR compliance reviews
- Ongoing immigration and government services support
Three things investors ask about first
The Regional Headquarters programme
An RHQ provides a foundation for regional growth across the Middle East, and the incentives are substantial: access to government contracting, tax incentives and exemptions, regulatory benefits, accelerated visa processing and priority in government tendering.
Saudization, or Nitaqat
Compliance is banded from Platinum, the highest, down through High Green, Medium Green and Low Green to Red. Companies in the higher bands receive incentives and streamlined government services. Non-compliant organisations face restrictions that can stop hiring altogether, so the band is an operational constraint, not a reporting line.
Corporate tax and Zakat
Saudi and GCC-owned shareholding is subject to Zakat at 2.5 percent. Foreign, non-GCC shareholding is subject to corporate income tax at 20 percent. For mixed-ownership companies, Zakat and corporate tax are applied proportionately according to ownership percentages, which makes the shareholding model a tax decision as much as a legal one.
Regulatory detail reflects the Ministry of Investment Investor Guide, 12th edition, January 2025. Rules change. Confirm the current position with us before acting.
Industries we serve
Why clients use us for entry
One point of contact for the setup and everything after it.
Deep local knowledge and government access
Our Legal and Compliance lead has spent fourteen years working with multinationals on Saudi regulation, licensing and Vision 2030 alignment.
Proven market-entry experience
Our General Manager EMEA has spent the past twelve years in the Kingdom leading projects aligned with Vision 2030.
European standards, local delivery
A Luxembourg-headquartered group operating to EU governance and contractual discipline, delivered by teams who understand the local market and language.
A group that can also build what you need
Once established, the same group can deliver the data platform, infrastructure and applications your Kingdom operation runs on.