Saudi Arabia applies the same company setup process to French citizens as to any foreign investor. The differences sit on the French side: which documents need an apostille, what the 1982 France–Saudi tax treaty changes, where you stay tax resident, and how you stay covered when no social security agreement links the two countries.
Yes, in most activities. Since the Investment Law took effect in February 2025, a foreign investor, whether a company or an individual, registers with MISA (Ministry of Investment) and receives an investment registration certificate. That certificate is what allows you to incorporate on the Saudi Business Center and obtain the CR from the Ministry of Commerce. Our MISA licence page covers it in detail.
French nationality brings no special advantage or restriction here. Conditions depend on the activity (the list of excluded activities, capital requirements in some sectors), not on your passport. The rules shared by every foreign founder are on our page about requirements for foreigners.
There is no general legal minimum capital for a services LLC, although SAR 100,000 to 500,000 is expected in practice. Allow 4 to 8 weeks to reach the CR, document preparation included. That is a service-provider estimate, not an official deadline.
Habits formed in France do not all carry over. These are the differences that most often catch French founders out.
Table 1
| Topic | In France | In Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Prior approval | None for most activities | MISA registration before incorporation (10 working days announced for a complete file) |
| Share capital | Set freely for an SAS or SARL | No general legal minimum for services, SAR 100,000 to 500,000 expected in practice; SAR 30M for 100% foreign-owned trading |
| Language of documents | French | Arabic: foreign documents apostilled and translated by a licensed Saudi office |
| Commercial register | One-off registration | CR with no expiry date since April 2025, but annual confirmation (SAR 1,200 a year for an LLC, from year two) |
| Tax on profits | Corporate income tax | 20% income tax on the share of profits attributable to non-Saudi shareholders; 2.5% zakat on the Saudi or GCC share |
| VAT | 20% standard rate | 15%, mandatory registration above SAR 375,000 of turnover over 12 months |
| Manager | Can live anywhere | A manager holding a residence permit (iqama) soon becomes necessary for the bank and government platforms |
| Foreign employees | French social contributions | GOSI limited to 2% (occupational hazards), plus a levy of SAR 700 to 800 per month per foreign employee |
| Working week | Monday to Friday | Sunday to Thursday |
The Saudi process is the same for every foreigner; the first two steps happen in France. The Saudi-side steps are detailed on our formation steps page.
Investing through your French company or in your own name leads to different documents and different tax treatment. If you plan to relocate, have your future tax residence checked before you leave.
Kbis extract, articles, latest accounts, shareholder or president resolution, power of attorney: apostille through apostille.notaires.fr, then Arabic translation by a licensed office in Saudi Arabia.
Online filing. Fees are set case by case on approval and must be paid within the notified deadline.
Trade name, articles and CR on the Saudi Business Center: SAR 1,200 incorporation and SAR 500 publication, plus VAT.
Bank account (usually requires a trip), ZATCA for tax and VAT, GOSI, Qiwa and Muqeem. See opening a bank account.
The work visa is applied for outside Saudi Arabia; the iqama is issued after arrival.
Saudi Arabia has applied the Apostille Convention since 7 December 2022, so an apostilled French public document no longer goes through the Saudi embassy. The full document list is in our document checklist.
For a first scouting trip, Saudi Arabia offers its tourist e-visa to nationals of 65 countries, France included, through the Visit Saudi website. It does not allow you to work in the country.
The business visa requires an invitation. According to France Diplomatie, the application is started in Saudi Arabia by the inviting company (the “sponsor”), then the file is lodged with an agency accredited by the Saudi consulate in Paris. Expect up to three weeks, sometimes longer.
Once the company exists, the manager obtains a work visa and then an iqama, both sponsored by the Saudi company itself. French citizens who meet the criteria can also consider Premium Residency, which removes the need for a sponsor.
Stick to the length of stay and number of entries granted: France Diplomatie reports a penalty of SAR 100 per day of overstay. It also notes that holding a second passport is prohibited, so dual nationals should use the same passport throughout the process.
France and Saudi Arabia are bound by a tax treaty signed on 18 February 1982 covering taxes on income and on inheritance, with zakat listed on the Saudi side. It is not permanent: it is renewed for five-year periods, most recently from 1 January 2024 (French decree 2024-227 of 14 March 2024). It was amended in 1991 and 2011.
Dividends paid by a Saudi company to a French resident are taxable only in France (article 6), unless they are connected with a business the recipient carries on in Saudi Arabia. Interest and royalties follow the same rule (articles 7 and 8). Without a treaty, Saudi withholding tax on dividends is 5%. To claim the treaty rate, form Q7B is filled in online with ZATCA (Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority) by the recipient or the paying company, certified by the French tax authority and then submitted to ZATCA. The service is free.
The Saudi company's profits are still taxed in Saudi Arabia: 20% on the share attributable to non-Saudi shareholders. For a French business working in the Kingdom without a local company, the treaty sets presence thresholds: more than six months in any twelve for certain services, and more than twelve months for a construction site, under the most-favoured-nation clause as read by the French tax administration (BOFiP, July 2024).
On the French side, article 15 exempts Saudi-source industrial and commercial income and grants a tax credit for other income taxed in Saudi Arabia. How this applies to you depends on your tax residence, so have it confirmed by a tax lawyer or chartered accountant. Tasis is neither.
These bodies are listed as public resources. Tasis is not their partner and does not speak for them.
Export and VIE
Office based at the French embassy and organised by sector (industry and cleantech, agrotech, tech and services, lifestyle and health). It runs trade missions and French pavilions at Saudi trade shows, and manages the VIE scheme.
French Treasury
Economic analysis and regulatory monitoring on Saudi Arabia, published on the French Treasury (DG Trésor) website. Useful for understanding a sector before investing.
No French chamber
The French Treasury states that there is no French chamber of commerce in Saudi Arabia. CAFS, registered in 2003 under the Federation of Saudi Chambers, has accepted foreign companies as members since June 2023.
Consular registration
Once settled, register with the French consular register: Riyadh also covers the Eastern Province, while Jeddah covers Makkah, Madinah and Tabuk among others.
No. In most activities a French citizen can hold 100% of the capital, personally or through a French company. Some activities remain excluded or conditional (capital, Saudi participation) whatever the investor's nationality.
Yes. The treaty of 18 February 1982 covers income and inheritance taxes and is renewed in five-year periods, most recently from 1 January 2024. Among other things, it makes dividends paid to a French resident taxable only in France.
Since 1 May 2025, French notaries issue apostilles free of charge, online at apostille.notaires.fr or at a regional council of notaries. The apostilled Kbis must then be translated into Arabic by a translation office licensed in Saudi Arabia.
It depends on tax residence. If your home or centre of economic interests stays in France, you remain taxable in France on worldwide income; if you genuinely move your residence, France only taxes your French-source income. Saudi Arabia does not tax salaries.
Not automatically, because no social security agreement links the two countries. Expatriates can join the Caisse des Français de l'étranger (CFE) voluntarily; in Saudi Arabia a foreign employee is covered by GOSI for occupational hazards only and must have private health insurance.
A VIE is hired by a French company, for people aged 18 to 28 and missions of 6 to 24 months. In Saudi Arabia the VIE's visa and iqama go through a local entity, so the scheme is set up once the subsidiary or branch exists, together with Business France.
No, according to the French Treasury. The equivalent body is the Saudi-French Business Council (CAFS), open to foreign companies since June 2023, alongside the Business France office at the French embassy in Riyadh.
Information verified in September 2026. Amounts and timelines are observed ranges provided for information only. Government fees are set by Saudi authorities and may change: we confirm them in writing before you commit to anything.
In a free 30-minute call, we look at who should invest (your French company or you), which documents need an apostille and the timeline to the CR. You then get a written proposal; government fees are passed on at cost.
Social security: no agreement between France and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is not on the list of bilateral social security agreements signed by France (CLEISS). Your French cover does not continue automatically; it depends on your situation.
Table 2