- What
- Investor registration, entrepreneur registration and RHQ programme access.
- Who
- Foreign investors; entrepreneurs need a Saudi university or accredited incubator letter.
- From abroad
- Open to companies from abroad — Foreign companies must obtain MISA investment registration to establish a legal entity in Saudi Arabia All programmes open to founders from abroad →
Checked · October 2026 · misa.gov.sa · How we check ↗
In detail
MISA — Ministry of Investment is a government agency in Saudi Arabia. Ministry of Investment — investor registration under the updated Investment Law (licensing replaced by registration); estimated processing time 10 working days. 600+ regional HQs present in the Kingdom (MISA RHQ site). Entrepreneur registration requires a support letter or project accreditation from a Saudi university or accredited business incubator; 100% foreign commercial (trading) activity carries hard gates — SAR 30M minimum capital and presence in at least three regional or global markets.
- Amount
- Investor registration · RHQ programme
- Services
- Entrepreneur Registration
- Status
- Active
Is this for you?
Where is your company?
Are you open to giving equity?
We match them against what MISA — Ministry of Investment publishes.
A guide to the published criteria, not a decision — the programme selects.
What the source says
“The Ministry of Investment shall issue registration for legal entities (foreign companies) and individuals holding the Special Residency Permit.”
“Registration Mechanism: Replaced the licensing procedures with registration to provide more flexibility for investors.”
“Estimated Processing Time: 10 Working Day”
“600+ regional HQs present in KSA in all key sectors”
“Submission of a letter of support or proof of project accreditation issued by the supervising authority (a Saudi university or an accredited business incubator)”
“100% Foreign Commercia 30,000,000”
Closing soon on the map
No published deadline in the next 30 days · All published deadlines →
Compare government programmes in Saudi Arabia
| Cost | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| MISA — Ministry of InvestmentInvestor registration, entrepreneur registration and RHQ programme access. | not published | No equity | Active |
| CMA FinTech Lab (ExPermit)Regulatory permission to test products live; no funding provided. | not published | No equity | Open |
| KAUST UniversityR&D grants (NextEra), TAQADAM non-dilutive funding up to $140K, KIV equity $100K–$700K. | $100K–$700K | Equity or convertible note | Open |
| MCIT — Ministry of CommunicationsAccess to CODE programmes: Tech Founders, incubation and CODE Nine 66. | not published | Not published | Active |
| Premium Residency — Entrepreneur TrackResidency for founders with a round of SAR 400K+ (20% share) or SAR 15M+ (10% share). | not published | No equity | Active |
| SAMA FinTech SandboxRegulatory permission to test fintech and insurtech products. | not published | No equity | Active |
| SHIFT Innovation Center RiyadhInnovation hub with the Digi X-Lab data and AI facility. | not published | No equity | Active |
| Cloud Computing SEZCST-supervised zone: onboarding support and incentives for data centres nationwide. | not published | No equity | Active |
| Cybersecurity Accelerator (National Cybersecurity Authority)Government accelerator for cybersecurity startups; financial support is a goal. | not published | Not published | Closed |
| MEWAMentorship, access to funding and technical assistance. | not published | Not published | Closed |
| Monsha'atLoan guarantees and programme support for SMEs. | not published | Not published | Active |
| PIF Startup EcosystemNot a direct-application fund — invests in funds rather than startups. | not published | Indirect | Active |
| SDAIASaudi AI authority; runs the GAIA generative AI accelerator. | not published | Not published | Active |
| Tourism Development Fund (TDF)Tourism fund: MSME loans via partner banks and lenders, plus a non-financial accelerator. | not published | Loans | Active |
No programmes match these filters.
Highest amount in each programme’s own “What” line. Other currencies converted for sorting only (Gulf pegs; KWD, EUR, GBP approximate).
All government programmes in Saudi Arabia → · Across the Gulf →
More programmes that take no equity →
Questions founders ask
What does MISA — Ministry of Investment offer?
Investor registration, entrepreneur registration and RHQ programme access.
Does MISA — Ministry of Investment take equity?
No equity — service or permission.
Can founders from abroad apply?
Open to companies from abroad — Foreign companies must obtain MISA investment registration to establish a legal entity in Saudi Arabia.
How do I apply?
Through its own application form — the Apply button on this page goes straight there.
Sources
Primary source · misa.gov.sa · LinkedIn · linkedin.com/company/ministry-of-investment-ksa · Checked October 2026