Residency for investors and founders: Saudi Premium Residency and other routes
Investors and founders usually look at two routes: Saudi Premium Residency, which is not tied to an employer, or residency through a job with a Saudi company. Premium Residency includes an investor residency and an entrepreneur residency. Registering an investment does not give you residency, and a business visit visa is only for visits.
Published by RAED ALI ALJOHANI COMPANY FOR Lawyership and Legal Consultations · Last updated
General information about Saudi law — not advice on your situation.
At a glance
- Who this is for
- Investors, founders and managers of foreign companies who want to live in Saudi Arabia, or travel there often, while they invest or run a business.
- Can it be handled from outside Saudi Arabia?
- Partly. Premium Residency applications are made online on the official site. The legal work behind them, such as registering an investment or a company, can often be prepared from abroad through a power of attorney.
- What usually decides the route
- What you will do in Saudi Arabia, whether you need to live there or only visit, and whether a job with a Saudi company is part of the plan.
- What you usually need first
- A few lines about your plan and the residency route you are looking at. No documents yet.
- First step with us
- Send us a short outline by WhatsApp, phone or email.
- Working languages
- Arabic and English
Tell us what you plan to do in Saudi Arabia and which residency route you are looking at.
Which residency routes can an investor or founder look at?
There are two main routes to live in Saudi Arabia: Premium Residency, or residency through a job with a Saudi company. A business visit visa and an investment registration are often confused with them, but neither is residency.
| Route | Who runs it | What it is | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Premium Residency | Premium Residency Center | Residency products not tied to an employer, including investor and entrepreneur residency | Each product has its own conditions, published on the official site |
| Residency through a job (iqama) | The employer applies through the official platforms | Residency linked to a job with a Saudi company | The residence permit follows the work visa and depends on the job |
| Business visit visa | The official KSA Visa platform | A visa for short trips, such as meetings | It is not residency |
| Investment registration | Ministry of Investment (MISA) | Records a foreign investment | It is not a visa or residency |
This is a general comparison. Which route suits you depends on your own facts and on the official rules on the day you apply.
What is Saudi Premium Residency?
Premium Residency is a set of Saudi residency products that are not tied to an employer. The Premium Residency Center runs them, and you apply on its official site.
This is the main difference from the usual residence permit, the iqama. Most foreigners living in Saudi Arabia hold an iqama through their job, so their residency depends on that job. Premium Residency does not depend on an employer in the same way.
Which Premium Residency products are there?
On 21 October 2026, the Premium Residency Center’s official site listed six products. They were Special Talent Residency, Gifted Residency, Investor Residency, Entrepreneur Residency, Real Estate Owner Residency, and Limited Duration and Unlimited Duration Premium Residency. According to the Premium Residency Center, each product has its own conditions, controls and criteria. These are published on the same site and can change. So check the official page on the day you apply.
Is investor residency the same as registering your investment?
No. Investor residency is a Premium Residency product, applied for with the Premium Residency Center. Investment registration is how a foreign investor records an investment with the Ministry of Investment.
They are separate applications to separate authorities. Registering an investment does not give anyone the right to live or work in Saudi Arabia. Holding residency does not register an investment either. If you plan both, the order matters, so check it before you apply for either.
Our page on foreign investment registration explains how registration works.
Where does a business visit visa fit?
A business visit visa is for short trips, such as meetings, site visits or talks with a Saudi partner. It is not residency, and it does not let you live in Saudi Arabia.
Many investors use visits while they plan. Visa applications are made on the official KSA Visa platform, which sets out what each visa allows. The Ministry of Investment’s home page also points visiting investors to a visa route on its Invest Saudi portal.
When you decide to live in Saudi Arabia, you need one of the residency routes above. A visit visa does not turn into residency on its own.
Can you start from outside Saudi Arabia?
Often, yes. Premium Residency applications are made online on the official site. Much of the legal work behind a residency plan can also be done from abroad.
For example, you can usually register an investment or set up a company without travelling. You sign a power of attorney in your own country, and a Saudi lawyer acts for you. Documents from your country usually need an apostille or legalisation first. To see which one your country uses, check documents for Saudi Arabia by country.
Some steps may need you in Saudi Arabia in person. We tell you which ones before you plan a trip.
How a lawyer helps around a residency plan, step by step
A residency plan for an investor or founder usually moves through five steps. The residency application is yours, made on the official site. A lawyer works on the legal ground under it.
- Describe the plan. Tell us what you will do in Saudi Arabia, and whether you need to live there or only visit.
- Choose the route. Compare Premium Residency with residency through a job. Read the official conditions for the product you are looking at. Where a lawyer helps: explaining how each route fits your investment or company.
- Put the legal ground in place. This may mean registering the investment, setting up the company or checking a property purchase. Where a lawyer helps: doing this work, through a power of attorney if you are abroad.
- Prepare the documents from your country. Have them certified and translated as the receiving authority asks. Where a lawyer helps: checking the list before you pay for any certification.
- Apply on the official site. You apply for the residency yourself. The authority decides each application.
What to prepare before you contact us
A few facts are enough for a first message. Have them ready, but please don’t send documents until we agree to work with you.
- What you plan to do in Saudi Arabia, in a few lines.
- Whether you need to live there, or only visit from time to time.
- Whether you already have a Saudi company, an investment registration or property there.
- The residency route you are looking at, if you have one in mind.
- Where you live now.
We tell you whether we can help, what we need and how fees are agreed. Work starts only after an engagement letter, the written agreement between you and the firm, is signed. See how we work with clients outside Saudi Arabia.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get Saudi Premium Residency?
Through the Premium Residency Center, which runs Saudi Premium Residency: a set of residency products that are not tied to an employer. Investment registration with the Ministry of Investment is not a visa or a residence permit, so residency is a separate question. Much of the legal paperwork behind a residency plan can be handled through a power of attorney signed abroad. We can check that ground with you before you apply.
Source: Investing in Saudi Arabia as a foreign company or investor
What are the requirements and fees for Saudi Premium Residency?
We don’t list them. Costs such as government fees are set by others, not by us, and they change, so we don’t list them on this site. Check the Premium Residency Center‘s official site on the day you apply. We can check the investment or company behind your application. Our own fee for that work is agreed in writing before any work starts.
What are the benefits of Saudi Premium Residency?
The main difference is that Premium Residency is not tied to an employer. It is a set of residency products run by the Premium Residency Center, and what each product offers is for the center’s official site to say. Those details can change, so read the current page for the product you are considering. We can explain how it fits with your investment or company.
Source: Investing in Saudi Arabia as a foreign company or investor
Can you set up a company on a Saudi business visa?
You may not need to be in Saudi Arabia for much of it. The preparation and the investment registration can usually be done from your own country, through a power of attorney signed there. Some later steps usually need someone in Saudi Arabia, and we tell you which before you plan a trip. Check which visa fits any trip on the official KSA Visa platform. See setting up a Saudi company from abroad.
Source: Investing in Saudi Arabia as a foreign company or investor
Does registering an investment give you residency?
No. Foreign investors register their investment with the Ministry of Investment, and that registration is not a visa or a residence permit. Residency is a separate question. One option is Premium Residency, a set of residency products not tied to an employer, run by the Premium Residency Center. See foreign investment registration.
Source: Investing in Saudi Arabia as a foreign company or investor
Do you need a lawyer to apply for Premium Residency?
Not always. A lawyer helps most with what sits under a residency plan: registering the investment, setting up the company, and the documents from your country, which usually have to be certified before Saudi authorities accept them. Much of this can be done from abroad through a power of attorney. No lawyer can promise that an application will be approved.
Source: Investing in Saudi Arabia as a foreign company or investor
Official sources
This page draws on 4 official sources. Each line shows who publishes it, its language and, where recorded, the date we last checked it.
- Premium Residency Center · Saudi Premium Residency (in Arabic and English) · checked
- Ministry of Investment (MISA) · Frequently Asked Questions (in English) · checked
- Ministry of Investment (MISA) · Ministry of Investment (in Arabic and English) · checked
- KSA Visa · KSA Visa platform Pending verification
What usually comes next
General information about Saudi law, not legal advice on your situation. For your own case, speak to a licensed lawyer. Contacting us does not create a lawyer–client relationship until an engagement letter is signed.