Company Setup

Commercial Registration (CR / Sijil Tijari) in Saudi Arabia

For foreign-owned entities, the CR is issued after the MISA licence and after the Articles of Association are notarised. CR holds the entity's legal identity number, registered activities, capital, manager(s) and shareholders.

What is commercial registration in Saudi Arabia? The Commercial Registration (Sijil Tijari, CR) is the official company registration at the Saudi Ministry of Commerce. It is the legal birth certificate of the entity, required before any operations, banking or hiring.

Commercial Registration — operational guide

The Commercial Registration (Sijil Tijari, CR) is the official company registration at the Saudi Ministry of Commerce. It is the legal birth certificate of the entity, required before any operations, banking or hiring.

For foreign-owned entities, the CR is issued after the MISA licence and after the Articles of Association are notarised. CR holds the entity's legal identity number, registered activities, capital, manager(s) and shareholders.

Tamra runs commercial registration as a managed step inside every entity setup — including portal interactions, fee payments and inter-authority coordination.

Key facts

StepCommercial Registration
CostSAR 1,200 first-year + SAR 1,200/year renewal. Chamber of Commerce subscription: SAR 1,000 – SAR 5,000/year depending on capital.
Timeline5–10 working days after MISA licence issuance and AoA notarisation.
AuthorityMISA / MoC / ZATCA / GOSI / Chamber

Process — step by step

5–10 working days after MISA licence issuance and AoA notarisation.

  1. Name reservation. Reserve the Arabic and English company names via the MoC portal.
  2. AoA drafting & notarisation. Articles of Association are drafted in Arabic, signed by all shareholders (or POA-holders) and notarised at a Saudi notary public.
  3. CR application. Application is filed via the MoC portal with the MISA licence, notarised AoA, GM appointment letter and registered office address.
  4. Fee payment & issuance. Pay SAR 1,200 + Chamber subscription. CR is issued digitally and includes the company's 700-series CR number.
  5. Post-CR registrations. CR triggers automatic eligibility for ZATCA tax registration, Qiwa labour portal, GOSI, Muqeem and Absher Business.

Documents required

  • Issued MISA licence
  • Notarised Arabic AoA
  • Reserved company name certificate
  • GM appointment letter
  • Registered office lease (Ejar-validated)
  • Capital deposit certificate from a Saudi bank

Common mistakes

  • Trying to file CR before AoA is notarised — MoC rejects
  • Office address not Ejar-validated — CR rejected
  • Capital not deposited in a Saudi bank account — CR cannot be issued
  • Manager not GM-Iqama-eligible — appointment letter rejected

Frequently asked questions

Is CR the same as MISA?

No. MISA is the investor licence (foreign-ownership permission). CR is the company registration at the Ministry of Commerce. Both are required, in that order.

How long is a CR valid?

1 year, renewable annually for SAR 1,200. Chamber of Commerce subscription is paid at the same time.

Can the CR be amended after issuance?

Yes — activities, capital, shareholders, manager and address can all be amended at the MoC for SAR 200 – SAR 800 per amendment.

Does Tamra handle this end-to-end?

Yes. Tamra manages this as a step inside the entity setup, with all portal interactions, fee payments and inter-authority coordination handled by our local team.

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