Commercial registration fees, line by line

The trade name comes first, and costs more in English

Reserving a trade name is SAR 200 in Arabic and SAR 500 in English. It is the cheapest decision on this page, and an easy one to make without a second look: choosing the English name costs more for the same reservation.

The ministry lists 10 days for the service, and the reservation holds up to 60 days while the commercial registration is issued. A reservation you already hold can be extended for SAR 100, which is useful when attested documents are slower than planned. The name has to be written in the characters of its language, must not resemble a registered trade name or trademark, and cannot carry political, military or religious connotations.

What each company type comes to

Add the name, the establishment fee, the publication fee and VAT on the last two, and every company type has a first-year government total you can check to the riyal. The table uses the Ministry of Commerce amounts above.

Take one example: a wholly foreign-owned consultancy registering as an LLC with an Arabic trade name. That is SAR 200 for the name, SAR 1,200 to establish, SAR 500 to publish, and SAR 255 of VAT on the establishment and publication fees, for a total of SAR 2,155. The calculator runs the same sum with your choices.

If you have been quoted a much larger figure for "company formation", the gap is not necessarily padding: it is service, translation, attestation and the consultant's time. It is fair to pay for when it is itemised, and fair to question when it is not.

Where VAT applies

The ministry's service page lists 15% VAT alongside the establishment and publication fees, and this site applies it to those two lines. The trade name page mentions no VAT, so the calculator adds none to the name. VAT as a tax on your own sales is a separate question with its own registration rules, covered in the VAT registration guide.

Timing, and the certificate that must not run out

The registration itself is quick: the ministry says the service is completed within 72 hours. The constraint sits upstream. To establish the company you need an investment certificate valid for at least 30 days, so a certificate that has drifted close to expiry while documents were being attested will stop the process at the last step.

If your parent company documents are still travelling between an embassy and a translator, reserve the name early and hold the company application. Names are cheap to hold and cheap to extend; a lapsed certificate costs weeks.

Professional companies have their own floor

If your activity is a licensed profession, the ownership test bites before the fee does. In a professional company, licensed Saudi partners must hold at least 25% and licensed partners at least 70%. Both conditions have to hold at once, which decides who your partner can be before you have paid the ministry anything. The Ministry of Investment's activity table adds its own professional rule, set out in the capital and ownership guide.

The fees that follow the registration

The establishment fee is charged once. Its twin, the annual confirmation of your registration data, is charged every year at the same rate: SAR 1,200 for an LLC. For a foreign company that confirmation also needs an investment licence valid for at least 30 days, so the investment registration and the commercial registration have to be kept in step. Changing the registration data later costs SAR 100, and each commercial register extract you are asked for costs SAR 100. The annual cost guide covers the recurring side in full.

What the commercial registration fee does not cover

• The Ministry of Investment registration, whose fee is set on approval. See what MISA charges.
• Translation and embassy attestation of your parent company's documents.
• Office premises and the national address.
• Work licences, the expat levy and residence permits for staff. See the staff cost guide.
• Any consultant's own fee.

The Commerce side, step by step

1. Reserve the trade name. SAR 200 in Arabic or SAR 500 in English, listed at 10 days and held up to 60 days.
2. Check the investment certificate. It must be valid for at least 30 days on the day you apply to establish the company.
3. Establish the company on the Saudi Business Center platform. Pay the establishment fee for your company type and SAR 500 for publication, with 15% VAT on both. The ministry says the service is completed within 72 hours.
4. Diary the annual confirmation. It costs the same as the establishment fee each year and needs an investment licence valid for at least 30 days.

Each step is a separate payment on a separate page, which is why a single "registration" line in a quote can hide three or four government charges. If a quote bundles them, ask for the steps above as separate lines.

Branches and later changes

A branch has its own commercial registration and its own annual confirmation, at SAR 1,000 to 1,600 depending on the company type. Plan branches with that recurring line in mind, not only the cost of opening them.

Once the company exists, most changes to the record cost SAR 100. Joint stock companies have a larger recurring event: publishing extraordinary general assembly resolutions costs SAR 1,500 plus VAT. If you expect to change capital, managers or activities often, those lines belong in the comparison between company types alongside the establishment fee.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a commercial registration for an LLC?

The Ministry of Commerce establishment fee is SAR 1,200, plus SAR 500 for publication and 15% VAT on those two. With an Arabic trade name the published total is SAR 2,155.

Why does an English trade name cost more?

The ministry simply prices them differently: SAR 200 for Arabic and SAR 500 for English.

How long is a trade name reserved?

The reservation holds up to 60 days, and it can be extended for SAR 100.

How long does it take to establish the company?

The ministry says it is completed within 72 hours, provided your investment certificate is valid for at least 30 days.