GCC Company Formation
Business Registration
across the GCC
Turn your business idea into reality with expert registration services. We handle the paperwork and compliance so you can focus on growing your business.
Side by side
GCC Company Formation Comparison for non-citizens
Three jurisdictions, three answers to the same eight questions. Ownership, capital, timeline, office, tax and banking all move depending on which one you register in, and so does what the company costs to run. Find your column before anything is filed.
- Saudi Arabia (KSA):MISA licence route
- Bahrain:Sijilat registration
- United Arab Emirates (UAE):Free zone or mainland
| Features | Saudi Arabia (KSA)MISA licence route | BahrainSijilat registration | United Arab Emirates (UAE)Free zone or mainland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common Legal Structure | Limited Liability Company (LLC) | Company with Limited Liability (WLL) | Free Zone LLC (FZ LLC) or Mainland LLC |
| Foreign Ownership | Up to 100% foreign ownership allowed in most sectors. Requires a MISA (Ministry of Investment) license. | 100% foreign ownership allowed across the majority of sectors without needing a local partner. | 100% foreign ownership in all Free Zones, and 100% on the Mainland for most commercial/industrial activities. |
| Minimum Share Capital | No strict legal minimum for many service LLCs, but SAR 500,000 is highly recommended for smooth banking and visa approvals. Trading licenses can require significantly higher capital. | Varies by activity. Standard WLL companies require a minimum of BHD 20,000, while holding companies require BHD 1,000. | No minimum capital requirement for most Free Zone setups, making it highly accessible. |
| Setup Timeline | 10 to 15 business days for MISA license and Commercial Registration (CR). Full operational setup (including Banking and Visas) takes 2 to 3 months. | 11 to 20 business days for standard WLL registrations through the Sijilat system. | 2 to 7 business days for Free Zone licenses. Mainland registrations typically take 1 to 2 weeks. |
| Physical Office Requirement | Mandatory. A registered physical address (registered via Saudi Post/SPL) is required to secure the CR. | Mandatory. A physical office or commercial lease is required (Virtual offices are permitted only for specific licensed activities). | Flexible. Free Zones offer cheap “Flexi-desks” or virtual desk spaces, whereas Mainland companies generally require a physical lease. |
| Corporate Taxation | 20% corporate income tax on the share of net profits owned by foreign shareholders. | 0% corporate tax for standard businesses (excluding oil/gas extraction sectors). | 9% corporate tax on taxable net profits exceeding AED 375,000 (Free Zones may qualify for 0% on qualifying income). |
| VAT Filing | Standard VAT is 15%. Registration is mandatory once local taxable revenue exceeds SAR 375,000. | Standard VAT is 10%. For non-resident businesses storing/selling goods locally, immediate zero-threshold VAT registration applies. | Standard VAT is 5%. For non-resident e-commerce/retail holding stock locally, immediate zero-threshold VAT registration applies. |
| Corporate Banking | Can be rigorous and document-heavy, requiring attested parent documents and local office lease proofs. | Generally faster than KSA, with corporate bank accounts typically established in 2 to 3 working days. | Highly structured but accessible through digital-first business banks (like Wio, Mashreq, or local digital accounts). |
Choosing a setup
Free zone or mainland decides who you can sell to
Free zone
The usual landing spot for a foreign owner: 100% ownership, the fastest licence, and a flexi-desk instead of a lease. The trade-off is that selling onshore normally runs through a local distributor.
- Local trade
- Via a local distributor
- Suits
- Export and services
Mainland
A licence from the Ministry of Commerce or the emirate's economic department. It costs more to stand up and generally needs a real lease, but nothing stands between you and a local customer.
- Local trade
- Direct and unrestricted
- Suits
- Selling inside the market
Branch office
An extension of a company that already exists abroad rather than a new entity. Quicker to register, but it can only carry out the parent's activities and the parent stays liable for it.
- Local trade
- The parent's activity only
- Suits
- An existing overseas company
Holding company
A vehicle for owning shares, property, or IP rather than trading. Lower capital and a lighter licence in most jurisdictions, on the condition that it does not invoice anyone locally.
- Local trade
- Not permitted
- Suits
- Owning shares and assets
Documents
What we need from you
Have these ready and the application goes in without a second round of requests.
Missing one of them? Send what you have. We will tell you what still needs attesting or legalising before anything goes to the authority, not after it comes back rejected.
Frequently asked
Common questions
The six we are asked before almost every GCC setup, whichever country it lands in.
Get the GCC licence set up once, and correctly
One team from the activity list to the day the account opens: the licence, the address, the visa quota, and the paperwork a Gulf bank will actually accept. No handing you back a CR and calling it done.
Start your business
Start the licence
Tell us the country and we take it from there
Send the details below and an advisor picks it up the same working day. The activity and the licence type are settled with you before any application goes in, because changing them afterwards means starting again.
- Activity matched to the right licence before anything is filed
- Mainland or free zone, whichever the activity actually allows
- Establishment card, visas and Emirates ID handled in sequence
- Bank introduction once the licence is issued