KSA General Manager Visa
To put a General Manager on the ground in Saudi Arabia, the company registers first and the person follows. The Investment Law, Council of Ministers Resolution 40 of 16 July 2024, repealed the old Foreign Investment Law and replaced licensing with registration at the Ministry of Investment, so the current term is investment registration, not investment licence, even though many sources still use the older wording. This is for foreign companies opening a Saudi entity and needing their General Manager, CEO, or Chairman resident and able to sign. We take the file from MISA registration through to the iqama.
Key Features
- Step 1, investment registration with MISA. The Investor Guide states 10 working days, with fees payable within 15 business days of notification or the registration is treated as void
- Step 2, commercial registration with the Ministry of Commerce under that investment registration, with the General Manager's name shown on the commercial register
- Step 3, the visa for senior professions and then the work permit, both from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, with the electronic work permit issued through Qiwa
- Step 4, the iqama from the General Directorate of Passports through Absher and Muqeem, with a comprehensive medical report and an electronic health insurance certificate submitted electronically
- You supply the parent company's commercial register and its last fiscal year financial statements, both authenticated by the Saudi Embassy, plus the General Manager's passport, the founding contract, and the border number
Benefits for Your Business
- Company registration and the visa run as one sequence, so the second does not stall waiting on the first.
- Corporate documents legalised the way MISA actually asks for them, by Saudi Embassy authentication, which its 2026 guide still requires even though Saudi Arabia joined the Apostille Convention in December 2022.
- The General Manager's name lands on the commercial register, which the Passports Directorate requires before it will issue the iqama.
- Premium Residency reviewed as an alternative, since holders are exempted from the foreign commercial register and financial statement requirements at MISA registration.
General information, not legal or immigration advice. The steps, documents and processing times above come from the MISA Investor Guide, 13th Edition 02, 2026, and the Saudi Investment Law, checked 31 July 2026. Requirements depend on the activity and the applicant, and Premium Residency does not remove the company's need to register and hold a commercial registration in order to trade.