Opening a Saudi entity? Get the people side ready before day one.
Between your investment licence and your first legal hire sits a chain of government registrations, contracts and a Saudisation plan. I set that up for foreign companies in Riyadh, in the right order, because I did it from the inside as the first HR hire of a foreign insurance startup.
Where foreign founders lose months
The gap between licence and first hire
Founders arrive with the licence sorted and assume hiring is next. The registrations that let an employee legally start are a separate chain, and nobody owns it until someone does.
Registrations done in the wrong order
Qiwa, GOSI, Mudad and Muqeem each assume the previous one exists. Done in sequence it is a short project. Done out of sequence it is rejected applications and repeated visits.
A Nitaqat band set by accident
Your Saudisation position is shaped by your first hires, not your fiftieth. Companies that plan the mix from day one keep their options open at every expansion.
The people side of a Saudi entity, in order
Each step assumes the one before it. Official portals are linked so you can check the current rules for your activity.
- 1
Investment licence and commercial registration
The Ministry of Investment (MISA) licence and the commercial registration create the legal entity. Everything below needs the entity to exist first.
Official portal: Ministry of InvestmentWho does it
You, your lawyer or your corporate service provider
- 2
Qiwa establishment account
Qiwa is the Ministry of Human Resources platform where the establishment is set up, employment contracts are documented, work permits are managed and the Nitaqat position is tracked.
Official portal: QiwaWho does it
Me, with your authorised signatory
- 3
GOSI registration
The General Organization for Social Insurance registers the establishment and every employee for social insurance and occupational hazard cover. Contributions start with the first payroll.
Official portal: GOSIWho does it
Me
- 4
Mudad for payroll and wage protection
Mudad is the Ministry's payroll and wage protection platform. Salaries are paid and reported through it, so the bank account, payroll cycle and employee records must line up before the first salary run.
Official portal: MudadWho does it
Me, with your finance lead
- 5
Muqeem for your expatriate hires
Muqeem is the residency platform used by employers to issue and renew residence permits (iqama) and manage exit and re-entry for non-Saudi employees. Relocating staff cannot start without it.
Official portal: MuqeemWho does it
Me, with your government relations contact
- 6
Saudisation plan from the first hire
Your first roles decide your Nitaqat starting point. I map the roles you already plan to open, mark which are a strong fit for Saudi talent today, and sequence hires so the target is met with people you wanted anyway. Support programmes from the Human Resources Development Fund are built into the plan where they apply.
Official portal: Human Resources Development FundWho does it
Me, with the founders
- 7
Contracts, policies and handbook
Employment contracts written to Saudi labour law and matched to the Qiwa contract, plus the starter policies and employee handbook that need to exist before anyone signs.
Who does it
Me
- 8
First hires and onboarding
Role requirements, recruitment, offers, onboarding and the records system to run it all. Handed over documented, so your team runs it without me.
Who does it
Me, with your hiring managers
Done from the inside
At a foreign insurance startup in Riyadh I built the HR function from zero, then built the software to run it.
Policies, handbook, organisational structure, workforce and succession plans, a custom HRIS and an LMS. All in the first year.
70%
Saudisation achieved at a foreign insurance startup in Riyadh
1 year
HR function built from zero in the first year: policies, handbook, structure, workforce and succession plans
4
Government platforms run daily for a foreign employer: Qiwa, GOSI, Mudad, Muqeem
What you get
The company setup service, scoped to your entity, your first roles and your timeline. Handed over documented.
Full service details- Government platform registrations (Qiwa, GOSI, Mudad, Muqeem)
- Employment contracts compliant with Saudi labour law
- Saudisation plan from the first hire
- Starter HR policies and handbook
- First hires: recruitment and onboarding
Questions founders ask first
We have the licence. Can we hire next week?
Only once the establishment exists on Qiwa and GOSI and the contract is documented. If you are relocating a non-Saudi employee, Muqeem comes before they can start. The sequence above is the honest answer to how soon.
Does Saudisation apply to a company with two employees?
Nitaqat classification depends on the size and activity of the establishment, and the rules for the smallest establishments are different from those for larger ones. The practical point is that your first hires set your starting position, so we plan the mix from day one rather than treat it as a later problem. The current rules are published on Qiwa and the Ministry of Human Resources site, and I check them against your specific activity.
We are not in Saudi Arabia yet. Can you work with us remotely?
Yes. Most of the setup happens online, and I work in English with founders abroad over WhatsApp, email and calls. Steps that need an authorised person in the Kingdom are flagged in the plan.
Do we need HR policies before we have staff?
You need a contract that matches Saudi labour law and a short set of starter policies before the first person signs. The full handbook can follow once the team exists, and it is far cheaper to write than to argue about later.
What does it cost?
A fixed price, scoped in writing after a 30-minute discovery call. You see the deliverables, the timeline and the price before any work starts.
How we work together
- 1
Discovery call
A 30-minute conversation about where your company is and what is blocking you.
- 2
Scoped proposal
A short written plan with deliverables, timeline and a fixed price. No surprises.
- 3
Build and handover
I do the work with your team, document it, and hand it over so you can run it without me.