Professional-services and consulting licences
Consulting is among the easiest activities to own 100% — and among the most commonly misjudged to license. A MISA registration and a CR get you a company; they don't, by themselves, let you practise a regulated profession.
The company, then the profession
For advisory work, the licence question has two distinct layers. Get the first and skip the second, and you have a company that can't legally do the thing it was formed to do.
The activity on your CR
Your Commercial Registration must explicitly list the activity — legal consultancy, accounting, management consulting, engineering. The CR defines what you're allowed to do; a mismatch means you're offside, and adding activities later is an amendment. Get the scope right at incorporation.
The professional regulator
Regulated professions need a licence or membership on top of the CR, from the relevant professional body — often backed by qualified, registered individuals. Providing a regulated service without it is illegal, not merely non-compliant.
The body that sits above the CR
| Profession | Regulator | On top of the CR |
|---|---|---|
| Legal consultancy | Ministry of Justice / Saudi Bar | Licence + qualified lawyers |
| Accounting & audit | SOCPA | Registration + certified accountants |
| Engineering | Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE) | Firm & key engineers registered |
| Healthcare, education | Sector authorities | A sector licence in addition to the CR |
Where a CR is enough — and where it isn't
Open activities
- Management & strategy consulting
- Marketing, advertising & PR
- IT, software & digital services
- General business services
Regulated activities
- Law & legal consultancy
- Accounting & audit
- Engineering & design
- Healthcare & education
Management consulting is generally open and 100% foreign-ownable — which lulls firms into assuming everything advisory is. The regulated professions are the ones that need a body on top of the CR, and often qualified individuals standing behind the licence.
Advising from abroad — and the PE trap
Advising Saudi clients purely from abroad may not need a Saudi CR at all, if you have no local presence. The moment you have an office, staff, or habitually perform services in the Kingdom, you generally need a local entity and CR — and you may create a permanent establishment, bringing Saudi corporate tax with it.
A project that keeps extending, a team that keeps flying in, or a local contact who starts acting for you can each turn “we're just advising remotely” into a taxable Saudi presence. Answer the presence question deliberately — see our note on permanent-establishment risk.
The practical setup facts
Little or no minimum capital
Service and professional licences typically carry no real minimum — a nominal SAR 25,000 is often written into the articles.
One-year parent history
MISA generally expects the foreign parent to show at least a year of operational history, with certified financials.
15% VAT
Professional services are subject to VAT once you cross the registration threshold, with Fatoorah e-invoicing.
Questions we get asked first
Can I own 100% of a consulting firm?
For most consulting and business-services activities, yes — management consulting, marketing, IT and digital services are generally 100% foreign-ownable with no local partner.
Do I need a professional licence beyond the CR?
For regulated professions, yes. Law, accounting and audit, engineering, healthcare and education all require a professional or sector regulator on top of the CR — usually with qualified, registered individuals.
Which professions are regulated?
Legal work (Ministry of Justice / Saudi Bar), accounting and audit (SOCPA), engineering (Saudi Council of Engineers), and healthcare and education (their sector authorities), among others.
Can I advise Saudi clients from abroad without a CR?
Possibly, if you have no local presence. But an office, staff, or habitually performing services in the Kingdom generally requires a local entity — and can create a permanent establishment, with Saudi tax attached.
What capital and tax apply?
Service licences usually need only a nominal capital (often SAR 25,000 in the articles); MISA expects about a year of parent history; and professional services are subject to 15% VAT once registered.
License the activity precisely — and the profession, if it's regulated
Scope the CR activity exactly, add the professional-body registration where your profession is regulated, and answer the presence question deliberately. For most advisory firms the path is clean and 100% foreign-owned — but “we're just consultants” is not a reason to skip the licensing layer that turns a company into a legally practising firm.
Licensing an advisory or professional firm?
We scope the CR activity correctly, arrange the professional-body registration your profession needs, and keep you clear of a permanent-establishment problem.
Speak to an Advisor →Related reading
This article is general information, current as of 2026, and is not legal or tax advice for any specific situation. Confirm current activity scopes and professional-licensing rules with MISA and the relevant regulator before acting.