Saudi government platforms explained: who does what

In February 2026 the Council of Ministers merged the Saudi Business Center and the National Competitiveness Center into the Saudi Competitiveness & Business Center. It continues to offer more than 6,000 government services through the unified business platform — business.sa now opens scbc.gov.sa — and through 20 branches in 15 cities. It describes itself as one destination to start, run and close a business.

The platform is the front door: company formation, the commercial registration, the trade name and the yearly CR confirmation go through it. Behind it, each authority still owns its own rules.

• Ministry of Investment (MISA): registers foreign investors, foreign companies and Premium Residency holders who invest — the first step for a foreign-owned company.
• Ministry of Commerce: registers businesses by issuing commercial registrations and supervises them afterwards; also trade names.
• ZATCA (Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority): collects zakat, taxes and customs duties — VAT, zakat or income tax, withholding tax and e-invoicing.

• Qiwa: the Ministry of Human Resources' unified platform for labour services — establishment file, work visas, work permits, contracts, transfers and Nitaqat.
• Mudad: where the monthly wage protection file is uploaded.
• GOSI (General Organization for Social Insurance): social insurance for workers; employers register staff and pay monthly contributions.
• Muqeem and Absher Business: the Passports directorate's services for establishments — issuing and renewing iqamas, exit and re-entry visas and other worker transactions.

• Balady: the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing's portal for municipal services — the commercial licence for premises, its renewal and municipal violations.
• Salamah: Civil Defense's Safety Portal, where an establishment with a valid CR gets its safety licence.
• National Address (Saudi Post / SPL): the addressing system every person and entity must register in.
• Chambers of Commerce: every establishment in the commercial register subscribes to its area's chamber.
• Ejar: since 2020, residential and commercial leases must be registered on Ejar; Balady asks for an Ejar lease when renewing a licence.

The platforms depend on each other, which is why one missed step can block another:

• A lapsed MISA registration can block the yearly CR confirmation.
• A suspended CR suspends the licences tied to it, and the bank freezes the account.
• A red Nitaqat band on Qiwa stops work-permit renewals, and without a valid work permit the iqama cannot be renewed on Muqeem or Absher Business.
• Missing wage files on Mudad can stop new work visas on Qiwa.

You do not need an account on every platform to set up and run a company. In Mohla Start, Mohla's team works on each platform for you, from MISA to Muqeem, and your Mohla account shows every stage in one place: what is done, what is next and what we need from you. After setup, Mohla Comply keeps the dates across all of them on one calendar.

Government fees are paid at cost. Mohla's own fee is in the written quote you receive before any work starts.